Friday June 25: Xavier Vanier (Montreal) and Katherine Gorsuch (NYC)

Join Xavier and Kat at Lounge Friday! They're on fire (see Xavier breathe fire below)!

Upper level class at 8.30, included with admission.

Performance by Xavier Vanier and Katherine Gorsuch around midnight

DJ Tine

More about our stars:

Xavier Vanier has an extensive background in music and martial arts that spans nearly two decades. This experience has granted him a facility both in his understanding of the music as well as in his movements. He began his tango studies with the widely respected Marika Landry, where his ease with the dance became immediately apparent. Within a few short years of study, he began teaching at Tango Fabrika in Montreal and was already becoming well known throughout North America.

Xavier continues to be passionate about teaching, dancing, and learning. Having recently spent several months in Buenos Aires studying with Gaston and Moira, he is more inspired than ever and is in increasingly high demand at events around the country.

Katherine Gorsuch's hybrid expression of tango is derived from the many dance influences in her life. Her interest began as a child, exploring various dance forms; ballet, modern dance, and flamenco. At the age of 18 she began dancing tango in New York City. She is currently partnering Robin Thomas, and has also worked with: Adam Hoopengardner, Felipe Martinez, Henry Finkelstein, and Burak Koyuncu.

Katherine has taught at festivals in the US and in Europe and teaches regularly at Dance Manhattan, Princeton, Hunter College, Yale, and Wesleyan. She is also one of the founding members and organizers of the Hunter College Tango Club, established in 2006. Dancing in Europe, Buenos Aires, and across the United States has contributed to Katherine's inspirational musicality and connection. She brings a youthful energy and sweet madness to the dance floor.

Join us at Lounge with fabulous DJ Tova Moreno (Boston) and Hiba Faisal ad Rene Hellemons from London teaching the class and performing around midnight.

8.30pm Hiba and Rene upper level class, included with admission.

Midnight performance

DJ Tova

More about our stars...

DJ Tova Moreno

When she DJs, Tova keeps the energy high and the dancers happy.

Tova and Carlos Moreno regularly teach and perform at tango weekends and festivals around the US, and have taught in the UK, Germany, and Mexico. Their performances are applauded for their musicality and playfulness. As instructors, the Morenos hook students with a happiness and sense of fun that is innate to their personalities, but keep students coming back with solid technique and a gentle demand for precision and hard work. Tova organizes a very popular festival in Boston in November, Tango de los Muertos, which draws tango dance and music addicts from all over the world.

Hiba Faisal and Rene Hellemons

Based in London, Hiba Faisal and Rene Hellemons run the tango school Tango-Fever, and they are resident teachers at one of London’s leading Milongas Zero Hour at The Dome. Hiba and Rene are one of very few European couples to be invited to teach in Buenos Aires at the famous ‘DNI’ school in 2009 and they regularly teach in European festivals and weekenders.

June 11: Dominic & Jenna (Portland, OR), DJ Hiba (London)

Join us Friday with DJ Hiba from London (first time heard in New York), and the popular Dominic and Jenna from Portland.

Are they sizzling hot or are they super cool? Come decide for yourself!

8.30 upper level class with Dominic and Jenna, included with admission.

Midnight performance

DJ Hiba

More about our artists:

Dominic Bridge & Jenna Rohrbacher (Portland, OR)

To Jenna Rohrbacher, dancing tango is an ongoing search for the complete. Balanced by complexity in movement and purity of sensation, her strong, elegant dance embodies the traditional roles of Argentine tango and beyond. In teaching, Jenna encourages students to discover their individual connections to the music as well as focus on laying a foundation of solid technique upon which they can build their dance.

In the last three years, Jenna has taught and performed around the U.S. with Joe Leonardo, Alex Krebs, Felipe Martinez, and Dominic Bridge. In the summer of 2008, Jenna taught at the Tango Mango Festival in Devonshire, England with Portland's own Rebecca Smith. In February 2009, she performed with Alex Krebs at the Maui TangoFest, and in the summer of 2009, she performed with Dominic Bridge at Chicago Tango Week as well as in Florence, Italy.

In four years Dominic Bridge became one of the top young tango professionals in the world. In this time, he has performed up and down the west and east coasts, Chicago Tango Week ’09, Italy, and Buenos Aires, as well as in his hometown of Portland, Oregon. Dominic has spent the last year building a tango school and teaching full time in Florence, Italy. When his weekends were free, he took trips around Europe, spending a significant amount of time in Paris, Rennes, Berlin, Bäsel, Siracusa, and Catania. Dominic views tango in the same way he views any language: there are clear structure, grammar, and rules, all of which can be broken when understood. He knows these things form a foundation necessary in communicating in one’s own way. His effectiveness as a teacher grows from his deep understanding of movement and his ability to clearly communicate.

Hiba Faisal (London)

Based in London, Hiba Faisal runs the tango school Tango-Fever with her partner Rene Hellemons, and they are resident teachers at one of London’s leading Milongas Zero Hour at The Dome. Hiba and Rene are one of very few European couples to be invited to teach in Buenos Aires at the famous ‘DNI’ school in 2009 and they regularly teach in European festivals and weekenders.

Hiba's DJing is fresh and light and delightful. She will keep a smile on your face and in your heart, all night long.

Friday June 4: La Vikinga

This week Class with the glamorous Vikinga!

8.30pm, upper level, included with admission

simultaneous classes for total beginners and pre-intermediate taught by DanceSport in Studio A.

Performance by Helen La Vikinga and Batt Johnson around midnight

DJ Tine

Helen La Vikinga, a native of Iceland, runs a tango school and hosts milongas in Buenos Aires. She designs shoes and travels the world spreading a hot cloud of tango everywhere!

Join us in the complimentary class and at the milonga.

http://www.lavikinga.eu/

Batt Johnson is a multi-talented wizard of tango, actor, broadcaster, coach and author. The party follows him wherever he is.

http://www.battjohnson.com/about.htm

Join us!