The New Zealand Tango Festival

Cecilia Gonzalez & Somer Surgit

Cecilia Gonzalez has taught and danced at numerous festivals around the world, partnering some of the most famous tangueros of her generation: Osvaldo Zotto, Fabian Salas and Mariano 'Chicho' Frumboli to name a few. She is well respected by the tango community in Buenos Aires.

Cecilia is known for her technical precision. The fluidity and elegance of her movements and the notable capacity of improvisationm characterise her dance.

Her complete knowledge and her passion for teaching makes her a very appreciated and requested tango teacher in Europe, Asia and North America.

Since its inception in 1999, Cecilia has been a member of the teaching faculty of the Argentine International Tango Congress (C.I.T.A) held annually in Buenos Aires.

Somer Surgit is an internationally acclaimed dancer who embodies musicality, elegance, and creativity. Recognized as a unique interpreter of New Generation tango, Somer fuses a variety of influences with his own personal emphasis on genuine individual expression and deep connection with his partners. His sensitivity to music and ability to improvise showcase a richly nuanced choreography with fluidity and elegance.

As an instructor, Somer emphasizes core techniques and fundamentals in both close and open embrace. His profound understanding of movement, both technical and interpretive, and his well-developed interpersonal skills allow him to convey the principles of tango succinctly and clearly and enable his students to advance quickly and consistently.

• Cecilia Gonzalez & Somer Surgit (You Tube)
• Cecilia Gonzalez's website
• Somer Surgit's website

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Alicia Pons

Alicia Pons is an elegant and accomplished dancer with refined technique and distinctive personality. Her ability to imbue the role of the woman with verve and style has made her one of the most sought after female partners in Buenos Aires milongas.

She is most noted for her beautiful foot play and the strongly sensual connection with her partner, which is done with humor and decorum. She exemplifies communication and presence in the dance, and this is a focus in her teaching for both men and women.

Alicia was trained in classical dance from an early age and as a young woman performed in some of Buenos Aires' most well known theaters, the Colon, the Coliseo, and the Alvear. Her introduction to tango came later, and her first teacher was Graciela Gonzalez, whose women's technique helped shape Alicia's tango footwork. Alicia then gravitated toward the milonguero style and her first inspiration and male teacher in that style was Tete Rusconi, one of the most renowned milongueros of his generation.

She taught for a number of years with Cacho Dante, with whom she has performed at the Teatro San Martin as part of the City of Buenos Aires tango festival. Alicia has become a very popular visiting instructor on the US Argentine Tango workshop circuit, where she frequently is joined by Robert Hauk as her partner.

As a teacher, Alicia emphasises the connection between the partners, and in particular the woman's ability to not just follow, but to be an equal protagonist in the dance. Her knowledge of the mechanics of what makes the dance work in the "milonguero" embrace is unique.

• Alicia Pons (You Tube)

 

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Gustavo Rosas & Gisela Natoli

Gustavo and Gisela are an experienced young couple from Argentina who were very popular teachers at our 2010 festival, and we are delighted to be welcoming them back in 2012.

Gustavo is dancer, choreographer and Master of Argentine Tango, who studied with Gloria and Eduardo, Carlos Gavito, Raul Bravo, Gustavo Naveira, and many milongueros such as Angelito, Puppy, and Carlitos Perez. He has performed as an Argentinian Tango Master in The United States and throughout Europe, and has participated in many international festivals, most recently the London Tango Festival, Paris Tango Festival, Brussels Tango Festival and Buenos Aires Tango Festival. He has performed in many tango shows: Tango Metrópolis,¨Tango Historias Breves,¨Tangos de la Cábala, Piazzolla Tango. Gustavo is also ¨Dj Gus¨ a popular tango DJ in the milongas of Buenos Aires and many tango festivals around the World, playing tango music on vinyl!

Gisela is a master choreographer and dancer of tango with a background in classical and modern dance. She graduated from the Teatro Gral, San Martin (Taller de Danza Contemporanea). She performed in the famous Contemporary Ballet of San Martin Theatre (Buenos Aires) and later in the Company Tangokinesis managed by Ana Maria Stekelman. She has performed and taught throughout Latin America, the US and Europe and was cast in the Movie "Tango Desire", directed by Edgardo Kozarinsky.

Together they have taught and performed at festivals throughout North America and Europe. They have choreographed and directed the show "El Tango y la sombra" in the Maipo Theatre in Buenos Aires, and they have produced several instructional tango DVDs.

Their classes are well structured and their teaching style clear and accessible. Their versatility and sensuality in combination with their elegance, sympathy and flexibility infuse their personal style. They explore different styles of tango with their personality and introduce their unique interpretation of the combination of traditional tango with new tango concepts which they call Tango Milonguero Nuevo.

• Gustavo and Gisela (You Tube)
• Gustavo and Gisela's website

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Anibal Montenegro & Hosanna Heinrich

Anibal Montenegro began his tango career giving regular classes in prestigious tango schools in Buenos Aires such as Tango Brujo, Estudio la Esquina and Escuela Argentina de Tango. He has spent the last few years touring extensively in Asia, Australia and Europe where he has been well received as an articulate and enthusiastic instructor. With a strong emphasis on technique, connection and musicality his structured approach to teaching is accessible to dancers from beginner to advanced.  He favours the close embrace of traditional tango  fused with dynamic movement and integrated nuevo tango elements.  His classes have a wonderful combination of content, exercises and fun, and he is known for his friendly and approachable teaching style.

Hosanna Heinrich is a well respected teacher in Sydney, and in many parts of Australia where she has given workshops and performances.  After winning the stage category in the Australian Tango Championships with Federico Mattiuzzi in 2007, she went on to represent Australia in the World Tango Championships in Buenos Aires. She has complimented her extensive training in tango with aerial dance, martial arts and physical theatre. Hosanna has a reputation for being a clear concise and charismatic teacher. She brings a solid foundation and understanding of technique to her classes while encouraging natural movement and enjoyment of the dance in her students.

• Anibal's website
• Hosanna's website
• Sydney 2010 (YouTube)
• Melbourne 2010 (YouTube)

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Fabio Robles & Ana Andre

Argentina – Australia

Fabio Robles and Ana Andre are the 2005 and 2006 consecutive Australian Tango Champions in the stage category, and were semi finalists at the 2006 World Championship held in Buenos Aires.

When Fabio arrived in Australia at the age of 14, he had already been awarded with the qualification of Maestro Superior de Danzas Folkloricas and was a registered dance teacher in Argentina. Recognized internationally as a virtuoso dancer of Malambo, Fabio pioneered Latin American Dance in Australia. He has danced, choreographed and directed many tango shows, and recently appeared on 'Dancing with the Stars' in Australia.

Ana has a background in modern dance, martial arts, Portugese Fado singing, acting and modelling.

Fabio Robles and Ana Andre have been dancing Tango together since 2002, and teach and manage Back To Back Australia Latin American Performing Arts Studio in Melbourne. Fabio and Ana are popular teachers in New Zealand, their first rate showmanship on stage is backed up by a fun teaching style based on a rock solid grasp of tango fundamentals and up to date knowledge of modern style and technique.

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Alberto & Natalia Cortez

Alberto and Natalia Cortez are originally from a beautiful town called Mendoza in the north west of Argentina, and later emigrated to Australia. Alberto and Natalia embraced dancing tango in 1994 with the "Buenos Aires Tango" school at the Centro Argentino of Victoria. In 1996 Natalia and Alberto created their tango school ‘Solo Tango’, and since then have entertained, inspired and shared their love of Tango with people throughout Australia and New Zealand.

Natalia and Alberto return to Argentina regularly, updating their skills and keeping in touch with the newest tango developments. They teach tango with respect to the traditions of Argentine Tango history and culture, and are well known in the tango industry worldwide.

Teaching all styles of tango, including tango de salon, all varieties of milonga, tango nuevo and stage tango, Alberto and Natalia are popular teachers.Throughout their working career Alberto & Natalia have built a strong reputation for being reliable, hard working and committed to delivering the highest quality tango classes, performances & events.

Solo Tango teaches classes for all levels, and produces tango shows, training & employing dancers to perform. For their work with tango in their local community, they received recommendations from the Centro Argentino of Victoria & the Uruguayans United (Melbourne) Inc.

• Alberto and Natalia's website

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