Instructors 2008

• Alex Krebs (NYC):
  
  Alex Krebs, one of North America's most gifted teachers and tangueros, has been enchanting dancers throughout North America, Europe and Buenos Aires. He has received rave reviews for his teaching in Germany, Italy, Great Britain, Sweden and across the United States. He is a creative improviser and has performed internationally with some of tango's most talented tangueras, including Florencia Taccetti and Luciana Valle.
  
  Alex teaches Argentine tango for the social dance floor, emphasizing the improvisatory side of the dance through a strong communication between the lead and follow and on musicality. Alex tries to give his students the vocabulary necessary so that each person can find their own unique way of dancing -- dancing the tango of their own body.
  
  
  
  
  
• Tomas Howlin (Buenos Aires & Montreal):
  
  Tomas is an especially gifted teacher, dancer and innovator. Internationally renowned and sought after, Tomas teaches and performs throughout Argentina, Europe and North America. Tomas is equally at ease improvising in the milongas as choreographing for the stage, where he has performed for two Argentine presidents. His teaching skills are uniquely creative. His workshops are spiced with wit, insights and gentle humor.
  
  
  
  
  
• Luciana Valle (Buenos Aires):
  
  Luciana Valle is justly famous around the world for teaching tango in a clear, powerful and energetic style. Many very experienced tango dancers with years of study from many professional teachers rank their training with Luciana as the best they can get from anyone. Skilled as both a leader and a follower, and widely experienced in the milongas of Buenos Aires, she was an early participant in the "Cochabamba 444" training sessions with Gustavo Naveira and Fabian Salas that produced the "Nuevo Tango" language now in common usage to teach tango. As a brilliant and energetic interpreter of these ideas, Luciana has gained intercontinental fame for her fantastic classes, as well as for her impressive and memorable tango performances with Alex Krebs of Portland, Oregon.
  
  
  
  
  
• Brigitta Winkler (Berlin & New York City):
  
  Brigitta is one of the world's most praised teachers and innovative dancers of tango. Her exquisite creativity, clarity and understanding of the dance and music have inspired dancers around the world. Brigitta co-founded the highly respected Tanzart studio in Berlin in 1987, and also the internationally acclaimed Tango Mujer, a pioneer dance company exploring the boundaries between tango and contemporary dance. In her classes Brigitta integrates her knowledge from over 20 years of international experience in tango dance, instruction and performance with techniques of Body Mind Centering. She is an equally gifted resource for both close embrace and open style tango.
  
  
  
  
  
• Robin Thomas (NYC):
  
  A well-known and respected dancer and DJ, Robin's enthusiasm for Argentine tango can be seen most clearly in his wholehearted dedication to teaching. He believes that it is very important for students to dance simply and musically from the very beginning. Building that strong base of connection and musicality early, Robin believes, will allow even very new beginners to feel comfortable and confident on a crowded dance floor and will also lead to a more comprehensive and fluid understanding of more complicated techniques later on. Robin's teaching style reflects this philosophy, and his students appreciate the humorous but still down-to-earth way he presents the material.
  
  
  
  
  
• Kyla Mares (NYC):
  
  Kyla Mares is an expert leader and follower dancing beautifully in a wide range of styles with a remarkable sensitivity to the music. Graceful, informed, and playful, she is an extremely musical dancer and is passionate about her love of music from the golden age of Argentine Tango. She began teaching in Reno, Nevada where she studied and taught with Camilo O'Kuingthttons. She then continued her studies with J Abling from Portland, OR. Her travels extend all the way from Buenos Aires, Argentina to all over the United States. She recently moved to New York City and is presently teaching at Princeton, Columbia, and Yale.
  
  
  
  
  
• Carrie Whipple (Portland):
  
  For the past 26 years Carrie has devoted herself to exploring dance in many forms, including ballet, jazz, tap, hip-hop, African, and tribal bellydance, as well as the partnered ballroom, latin, and swing dances. As an instructor, Carrie believes that relaxed students are the most open to learning, and that laughter is one of the best ways to create a comfortable and positive learning environment. She uses specific anatomical and mechanical truths to explain complex movements while remembering that partner dancing is ultimately a team effort. Using instructive games and analytical processes in her classes, Carrie is always striving to provide great opportunities for people to discover the joys of dance.
  
  
  
  
  
• Shorey Meyers (Berkeley):
  
  Coming from a background in martial arts and classical music, she is driven by the desire to make her own movement as clean, fluid, and musical as possible. She counts among her strongest influences Jaimes Friedgen, Cecilia González, and Alex Krebs. Shorey has taught with and assisted some of the pre-eminent tango instructors in the nation, including Alex Krebs, Homer Ladas, Felipe Martinez, and Nick Jones. She recently spent six months in New York co-teaching with Robin Thomas and has just recently returned to the West Coast to work with Jaimes Friedgen.
  
  
  
  
  
• Andrea Ducane (Minneapolis):
  
  Andrea DuCane is a Master Kettlebell Instructor, ZHealth, Level 4 Certified Instructor and trained in Stott Pilates. She recently wrote and produced and starred in " The Kettlebell Goddess Workout" DVD. Her latest DVD, “Working With Special Populations, was filmed at the RKC Level II. She is featured in the "From Russia With Tough Love" video and book. She published an article on Russian Kettlebells for Best Body Magazine. She was interviewed and photographed for an article introducing kettlebells for Oxygen Magazine. She is also a Pilates instructor. She currently teaches classes in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She has nearly twenty years of aerobics, weight training and fitness experience, with an additional background in classical ballet, jazz dance and Argentinean tango. She has trained in a number of Eastern health and martial arts disciplines including kung fu, yoga, tai chi and qigong.
  
  
  
  
  

  DJs

• Shorey Meyers (Seattle)
  
  
• Ramu Pyreddy (Ann Arbor)
  
  
• Alex Krebs (Portland)
  
  
• Roin Thomas (NYC)