Luren Bellucci with Michael Walker

Luren Bellucci Tango USA

Luren's formal training was with the Joffrey Ballet & Harkness Ballet on scholarship and as a company trainee with the American Ballet Theatre. She was soloist with the Long Island Ballet Theatre.

With dance partner Michael Walker, she studied with top Argentine Tango Masters in Buenos Aires and United States such as Juan Carlos Copes, Miquel Angel Zotto, Milena Plebs, Julio Balmaceda & Corina de la Rosa and Pablo Veron.

Luren and Michael, along with these top argentine teachers, taught at university Tango festivals at Stanford, Northwestern, Columbus, UCLA and Arizona State and produced their own Santa Fe Tango Retreat. They were recipients of Dance Action Magazine Feather Awards for Most Outstanding Argentine Tango Dancers for 4 years. On screen, they danced in Paramount Picture's feature film "Sliver" with Sharon Stone and were featured dancers in a National Pepsi commercial. In 1993 and 1994 they starred in theatre productions of "Aristo" and "Cafe Neon" in Los Angeles. They were featured in their own half-hour program on Cable TV's "City Lights" and coached Madonna's choreographer, Vincent Patterson, for the movie "Evita".

Luren and Michael Performed with the world renowned Maria Benitez and her Teatro Flamenco in "Tango Meets Flamenco" in 1999 & 2000 and produced their own Tango show "Fusion" which was sold out for its five-week run in 2006. In addition, Luren has danced with and assisted teaching classes with tango greats Juan Carlos Copes, Osvaldo Zotto, Fabian Salas and Pablo Veron.

Luren & Michael brought Argentine Tango to Santa Fe in 1990, eventually moving from Los Angeles to Santa Fe in 1996. Luren took over the historic Studio East in 2000 and continues to teach classes and host milongas as well as hosting visiting teachers from Argentina for workshops.

Contact information: Luren Belucci Phone: 505 660-0075 or Michael Walker Phone: 480-773-2006
email: tangousa@cybermesa.com

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David Cohen offers private lessons in Santa Fe and teaches classes at Studio East and other locations.

David teaches Salon and Nuevo Styles Tango as well as Milonga and Milonga Traspie.

Contact information: Phone: 505-988-2275
email: battie@earthlink.net

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Rosalia Galassi & John Dunbar offer private lessons in Santa Fe in Salon Style Tango.

Contact information: Phone: 505-989-1225
email: rosaliagalassi@yahoo.com

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Ethan Gutierrez
After living a peaceful and serene life as a single celled thermophile on Venus, Ethan was sent to Earth where he began his career in kicking and screaming. Failing to meet market demands, he went to school where he worked far too hard and played far too little until he reached college where he discovered dance. Flourishing under a new paradigm of playfulness, his deep passion for Mathematics finally found its way from abstract thought into life application. Ethan has been teaching dance since receiving his Bachelor's degree in Mathematics and Dance from the University of New Mexico in 2000.

He now teaches Argentine Tango (apilado milonguero, tanguero, salon, and nuevo), Salsa (and its fusion with Tango, Salsango), Swing and Swango, and his newest passion, Tanenco, a full integration of the dynamic relationship Flamenco dance has with it's music (llamadas al cante, subidas, etc.) into Argentine Tango.

Ethan offers private and group classes.

Contact information:
Email: iamadancingfool@gmail.com or Website www.iamadancingfool.com

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Liz Haight began dancing at the age of five, studying ballet, modern, tap, and jazz throughout her childhood in New York City. She performed with the Jose Limon Dance Co. at Lincoln Center and later through the Julliard School of Dance. As an adolescent, she was a scholarship student at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center, where she trained with Judith Jamison.

Since 1991, Liz has focused on authentic club-style social dances originating in Latin America. She has been dancing Argentine tango since 1999. While she has studied all forms of the dance, her love lies in the on-body, "apilado" or "milonguero-style" tango - the tango of the Golden Age and the tango of the crowded dance floors of Buenos Aires. In this style, she has studied extensively with Ricardo Vidort, Alicia Pons, Susana Miller, Osvaldo & Coca Cartery, and Maria Plazaola.

Liz has had her own business teaching Latin social dances for the past eleven years in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She now works full-time teaching milonguero-style Argentine tango both privately and in group classes. In addition, she teaches tango in weekend workshops, nationally, and has taught at three Denver Tango Festivals, both on her own and with Ricardo Vidort, a renowned and deeply respected milonguero of the Golden Age. She also hosts the popular, statewide milonga at the Cloud Cliff Cafe & Art Space in Santa Fe. Masami Hirokawa, her partner in life and tango, assists her in all her classes.

Liz's love of people, her technical ability in both leading and following, and her passion for the energetic and emotional elements of the dance have led her to developing effective ways of teaching not only the physical and functional aspects of the dance, but also the more elusive, transcendent qualities of the dance. Her exploratory form of teaching allows for a visceral experience of tango as a form of communication, creativity, profound connection, and the joy of self-expression.

Liz holds an interdisciplinary Bachelor's degree in art and psychology from Bennington College and a Master's degree in clinical psychology with a specialty in body/mind integrative therapy from Antioch University. She gave up her career in body-psychotherapy in 1998 in order to devote herself to teaching dance full-time.

Masami Hirokawa has been an artist his whole life. In his youth he studied ballet and tap dance as well as music and sports. In his twenties he was a nationally-ranked motorcycle racer and in his thirties he competed nationally in various ballroom dances. He has been a successful free-lance illustrator since 1971.

Masami has danced milonguero-style Argentine tango for 5 years, 4 of which have been with his partner, Liz Haight. He has also studied with Alicia Pons, Ricardo Vidort, Susana Miller, Maria Plazaola, and Osvaldo & Coca Cartery, 2004 world champions.

Masami comes to tango with a deep understanding of the creative process and a natural, delightful ability to interpret music. In his words, "Argentine tango is like working on a piece of art except, in the case of tango, we are each other's canvas".

Masami has been assisting Liz Haight teaching Argentine tango for the past 2 years. In his work with Liz, he is an integral part of developing both subject matter and experiential methods of teaching. He teaches private classes, both in Santa Fe and at weekend workshops. Masami also DJs at the Cloud Cliff Cafe milonga in Santa Fe.

Privates: Liz and Masami teach privately working with men, women, and couples. Private classes provide accelerated learning since we can advance at your pace while focusing on the issues and interests particular to you. Classes are booked at hours convenient to you.

Contact information: Phone: 505-982-5833
email: lizhaight@earthlink.net

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Shahin Medgalchi is a well-traveled argentine tango dancer and teacher in North America, Europe and Argentina. A sensational dancer and a skilled teacher, Shahin was trained by masters of tango from Buenos Aires through her travels since 1998.

Since 2002 she has been very successful in teaching musicality, rhythm, connection and, more than ever, the basics and fundamentals of movement for Argentine Tango dancers at all levels. Extremely detail oriented, her lessons are engaging and technical.

Besides her successful three day workshop at Penn State university in 2005, and her ongoing private lessons locally and nationally, her workshops at the New Mexico Latin Dance Fest in 2005 and 2006 have been described as "unforgettable".

Shahin has been instrumental in organizing "The Santa Fe Tango Ensemble" which has been an exciting addition to the tango scene in Santa Fe and Albuquerque. Read more about the Ensemble!

Shahin teaches private lessons at her studio " the tango house of Santa Fe" (Located at 1201 Don Diego Ave on the corner of Cordova Road), as well as other locations nationally.

Contact information: (505) 983-9650 / (505) 920-9987
ellatidodeltango@earthlink.net

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