Nasrin Barmaki
Jeramy Bede
Junne DeGanee
Lisa Ellison
Lydia Essary
George and Jairelbhi Furlong
Darryl Gaston
Karen and Larry Hallman
Val and Glenda Marchesoni
Hassan Parsa
Jim Rich
K'ai Roberts
Linda Suarez
John Trimble
Laurie Vega
Phyllis Williams
return to Argentine Tango in Dallas
Nasrin has a multifaceted and eclectic dance background and training in
diverse styles of dance since the age of 8. She was teaching and
performing Middle Eastern dances long before she was lured to Tango.
Her obsession for tango was inspired with Astor Piazzolla's music when she
was studying classical music. Her strong background in yoga, martial
arts and multitude of skill has given her the incisive ability to analyze
movement and help to improve a student’s technique on even the most subtle
levels. In addition, Nasrin both follows and leads, giving her further
insight into the technique of and relationship between the two roles. Technique
is always the focus point of her teaching.
Nasrin and Hassan: In their dance, passion ignites, fantasies unfold and romance, desire, rejection, separation come alive. Nasrin and Hassan have both studied in the United States and in Buenos Aires, Argentina with multitude of great masters. These energetic instructors focus on a fusion of open and close embrace tango ideologies. Connection, musicality, floorcraft, proper posture, balance, improvisation (the very nature of art) and technique are emphasized extensively through all their classes. Currently, as a dance couple they are dedicating most of their time to dancing and teaching tango. They are available for private and group lessons, exhibitions and shows. |
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Nasrin and Hassan's TangoAmor
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Jeramy Bede is a charismatic and elegant dancer and was among the first to offer
regular instruction of Argentine tango in Dallas. He has been teaching
group classes and private lessons for more than 15 years and performing for
12. He emphasizes precise technique for dancing beautiful figures, as
well as mastering the intimate embrace that is unique to tango.
Jeramy provides students with a full tango curriculum. His beginning class is directed toward those with no experience. He makes learning this complex and provocative dance understandable and enjoyable. For those dancers ready to go beyond the fundamentals, Jeramy provides an intermediate class where the students are directed toward more complete sequences and combinations. No partner necessary for any class. Bring only your passion for this amazing life-experience called "Tango." |
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Jeramy teaches classes and private lessons
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Junne DeGanee has been dancing Argentine tango since 1997. From the beginning,
Junne has traveled to Buenos Aires for at least a month every year to study the dance.
Since 2001, she has increased her travel to Buenos Aires to several times a year for a few
months at a time to further pursue her dancing. Junne's background in dance
includes many years of ballroom and latin dancing, which was highlighted by her
participation in amateur competitions while living in London during the 1970s.
After moving to the United States, she continued with ballroom and latin dancing
until she discovered and fell for Argentine tango.
Junne's profession as a professor of art, costume and textile design as well as her extensive experience as a professional costume designer have given her years of experience with movement and as a classroom teacher. She has been an associate professor at Texas Women's University and a professor at the University of North Texas. |
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Junne's Tango Maipu
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Lisa Ellison discovered Argentine tango in 1997 and began to pursue the dance
with a passion. Lisa’s style is very "porteño", rhythmic and
responsive. She emphasizes the connection between the partners and
to the music, the essence of tango as a social dance. Her students
find her to be an attentive and informative teacher who is clearly sharing
her enthusiasm for the dance. She has danced and studied extensively
in Buenos Aires and New York. In October 2001 she was a guest instructor
at Portland’s fifth annual TangoFest.
In the summer of 2000, Lisa established Salon Pavadita, a venue dedicated to helping develop a tango community in Dallas. In addition to regular classes, she hosts a weekly practica and Sunday night milongas. She organizes workshops with professional Argentine tango instructors from around the world so students can have the opportunity to learn with master teachers and experience a variety of styles of learning and dancing tango. |
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Contact , 214.288.5412. |

Nuevo tango
John Trimble cultivates the connection between dancers to foster musicality,
improvisation and self-expression. Known as an adept follower as well as
a sensitive leader, he promotes a thorough understanding of the contributions
of both dancers. John emphasizes technique, including balance, posture,
and muscle tone in pursuit of the perfect tango.
John's love of Argentine music predates his dancing. A long-time musician and fan of Carlos Gardel and Astor Piazzolla, he first encountered Argentine tango as a living dance at a Pablo Ziegler concert in 1996. John studies and performs ballet, jazz and hip-hop and other social and folk dances and brings this wealth of knowledge to his instruction. John has studied tango with many masters. He teaches Argentine tango at the SMU Ballroom Dance club and has also taught at I Dance 2 and Salon Pavadita. Lydia Essary grew up listening to her father's tango record collection and studied music and dance from an early age. A classically trained pianist, she has a special admiration for the music of Astor Piazzolla. Lydia's dance style is musical and technically elegant with a South American flavor. She follows the New Tango school of Fabian Salas, and favors the lighthearted spirit of Diego and Carolina along with the importance of technique promoted by Graciela Gonzalez. "There is no real beauty without balance," says Lydia. "A good follower maintains her axis and respects her partner's boundaries, and vice versa." Lydia has studied with many masters in the United States and South America. She has taught with John at the SMU Ballroom Dance Club and performed with him on many occassions. She balances her passion for tango and cultivation of the arts with a busy professional life. |
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Lydia and John's Creative Tango
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Having been born to an Argentinean and musical family, George began his music education
and exposure to Tango early on in life. George started formal music training at the age
of 10 and continued though high school and college. During these years his teachers
noticed his exceptional musical ability, and with their encouragement he expanded his
knowledge by learning several instruments. In 1992, George discovered Shaolin Kung Fu,
and through constant diligence and patience, he became Senior Instructor and performed
demonstrations in several cities in the United States.
A native of Caracas, Venezuela, Jairelbhi Furlong began her dance training at the age of 9. She joined Las Voces Blancas, one of the top dance schools for kids. Jairelbhi was exposed to several different dances but clearly her passion was tap dancing, and was asked to be an assistant instructor. Because of her graceful movements and perseverance she became part of a dance troupe in Las Voces Blancas traveling to many places and included television performances. Recognized for their musicality, George and Jairelbhi Furlong are a new and up and coming Argentine tango couple. They have performed in cities throughout Texas, where they reside, and within the last two years have expanded to other cities including New York City and Buenos Aires, Argentina. Their big break came in 2003 performing in Tango! Tango! with the Fort Worth Symphony and well known choreographer Hector Zaraspe. Since then they have been invited to perform with bandoneonista Daniel Binelli and Opus Cuatro. In 2005, they created EvolutionTango, a dance troupe based in Dallas, Texas, and have produced, directed, and choreographed two tango productions: Tango: Now and Then, and EvolutionTango. Today they continue their tango education studying with Carolina Zokalski and Diego DiFalco, stars of the Broadway show Forever Tango. |
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Jairelbhi and George's Evolution Tango
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Phyllis' revered teacher, Nito Garcia, has said, "Bailas como sos." (You dance who
you are.) She says, "Come dance with me; you will know who I am."
Darryl considers his major influences to be Carlos Gavito and Nito and
Elba Garcia.
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Darryl and Phyllis' La Vida es una Milonga
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Karen and Larry focus their attention on teaching beginners and intermediates.
They build on the fundamentals of the Argentine Tango. With an easy and
relaxed style, their instruction provides the basic and more advanced movements
and emphasizes connection to both partner and music. Karen was one
of the first teachers of Argentine tango in Dallas and has been teaching
for more than 12 years. Karen and Larry's partnership is characterized
by elegance and grace of movement. Both have studied with top masters
from Argentina and the United States.
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Contact , 214.215.5335. |

Founders of the Dallas chapter of Mo.C.C.A., Movimiento Cultural
Canyengue Argentino, Val and Glenda are among the few tango
teachers in the United States who specialize in tango canyengue.
Having studied traditional tango for several years, both in the
United States and in Buenos Aires, they were introduced to this historic,
original style of tango by its world-renowned masters and teachers
Marta Anton and "El Gallego" Manolo. Drawn to the quirky, playful
character of the dance and the rhythmic cadence, they studied tango
canyengue extensively in its traditional form and with a contemporary
interpretation. In 2009, they were invited to perform at
Los Lunes en Viejo Correo in Buenos Aires.
Believing that tango should above all, be fun, Val and Glenda focus on connection, moving to the music, and intuitive improvisation with a relaxed and friendly approach that makes tango accessible and enjoyable for beginner dancers and provides more experienced dancers the opportunity to express their own personal style. |
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Val and Glenda's Tango Canyengue Dallas
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For more information, contact , 817.501.2555. |

K'ai Roberts taught tango for over 10 years in Honolulu, Hawaii and has
performed in Tokyo, Argentina and San Francisco, among other cities.
She is now teaching and hosting practicas in Frisco.
As an instructor, K'ai is patient and encouraging with beginners. With advanced dancers, she will share the secrets she learned following some of the best milongueros in the world: K'ai had the extreme honor of partnering Carlos Gavito, Jorge Torres, and Cacho Dante, among others, in workshops in Honolulu. Kai's tango specialties are milonguero style close embrace and improvisational tango for performance. As a follower, K'ai's sultry and responsive dancing earned her the nickname "the Cloud." She is an accomplished leader of milonguero(a) tango, with a particular passion for milonga. In Hawaii, she conducted the annual month-long intensives, "March Milonga Madness." If you are one who sits out the milonga tandas, go see K'ai. K'ai has been dancing since the age of three; and teaching since she was thirteen. Her dance background includes jazz, modern and musical theater. Her training as a percussionist contributes to her rhythm and musicality in the dance. |
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K'ai teaches classes and private lessons
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Linda Suarez has been dancing Argentine tango for about ten years,
coming from a competitive ballroom background. She has studied with many
of the current tango masters and has performed and taught for a number of
years.
Linda specializes in teaching women's technique classes, group and private lessons. |
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For more information, contact Linda Suarez, 214 824 3455. |

Laurie Vega began learning tango in 1997 under local instruction. In 1998,
she was a founding member of Tango Argentino Dallas, and she served on
its board for over two years. From time-to-time, she organizes workshops
and milongas. She also has been invited and has taught in Mexico and Tango
Argentino Dallas' Tangothon. Laurie travels frequently to Buenos Aires
to catch up on the latest tango trends. She also has served as a tango
consultant to the media. Since 2000, she has been asked to choreograph tangos
and perform with professional theater and dance groups. She has taken
workshops and/or private lessons with Juan Carlos Copes and Johana Copes,
Osvaldo Zotto and Lorena Ermocida, Miguel Zotto, Diego Di Falco and Carolina
Zokalski, Fabian Salas and Carolina del Rivero, Fernanda Ghi and Guillermo
Merlo, Marcos Questas, Facundo and Kely Posadas, Nito and Elba Garcia,
Luciana Valle and Alex Krebs, and Natalia Hills.
In 2001, she spent six weeks in Buenos Aires studying tango intensively
under private instruction. In April 2006, she and her partner
represented Argentina in the Dallas International Festival at the
Majestic Theater. They were warmly and enthusiastically received
by the local Argentine community, and their performance was considered among
the three best acts by international viewers. Currently, Laurie is under
the mentorship of world-class stage dancers from Forever Tango. Laurie's
focus in dancing is on technique, elegance, musicality and improvisation.
She has been noted for her embellishments and has been described as being
a highly interpretive, emotional dancer. Laurie offers private and
semi-private lessons and small group instruction. Her work as a trainer
has been noted in Dallas and critiqued in Buenos Aires as "excellent" or
"phenomenal" for those who want to advance faster or excel. Her goal as a
teacher is to inspire others to discover the beauty and spirituality of tango,
to transcend physical barriers and become beautiful forms of movement ...
finding melancholy, seductiveness, joy. Aaahh, life itself!
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Laurie's Nocturna Tango
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