NORTHERN TANGO ACADEMY

Dante started Argentine Tango in his home town, Jujuy, a province in the north of Argentina. There he studied ballet with his teacher Fulvia Chagra de Gruber and Andrei Kozlov (ex principle dancer of the Kiev Opera). Dante has been dancing Tango for over 18 years. He performed in many famous Milongas in Buenos Aires, before moving to the UK in 2008 where he started his own Tango School with his first partner Miriam Orcutt. The couple were invited to teach and perform in various countries of Europe, South America; North America, Asia and Africa. Dante and Miriam also participated in International Festivals such as Mallorca Tango Festival, Porto International Tango Festival, Ulverston Music Festival and the International Book Fair in Guadalajara as a cultural ambassador representing the UK with Aurora Orchestra. Dante is the organiser of the very successful Oxford Tango Festival, which is now in its seventh year and attracts dancers from across Europe. He is the director of two important Tango Schools in the UK: The Northern Tango Academy and the Oxford Tango Academy with professional resident maestros from Buenos Aires. Dante has been teaching tango for over fifteen years and has become recognised for his unique and in-depth teaching methods.

Franco and Julia are of Italian descent but spent most of their lives in the UK. They started dancing in 2010 with teachers Jose Fernández and Martina Waldman. They have since been dedicated students of Northern Tango Academy with teachers Dante Culcuy, Silvana Prieto and Matias Batista, Yanina Quinones and Neri Piliu, among others. They have created a network of new friends, teachers and students with the same passion for tango who have welcomed them in Oxford and Nottingham and places in the UK.

Lilie is a teacher at Northern Tango Academy and partner to Dante. They manage the school together - they are the ones on the other side of emails and messages! Lilie studied Tango in Buenos Aires with teachers Andrès 'Tanguito' Cejas, Pablo Giorgini and Veronica Vasquez.

Jane and Peter live close to York and have been dancing Argentine tango for fifteen years. Prior to that they were salsa dancers and, when the mood takes them, still dance modern jive. For many years they took over the running of the TangoYork group which operated from the Guppy Community Centre in York, and it was during that period that they developed an enthusiasm for teaching beginners. They themselves were initially taught by Johann Legrand in Leeds and subsequently improves classes with professional Argentine teachers associated to the Northern Tango Academy. This dancers were Pablo and Veronica, Luchino and Celeste, Dante Culcuy and Lillie Festa, Giusy and Diego, Julian Vilardo and Andrea Kuna and finally Barbara Ferreyra, who become World Champion in 2022. Jane and Peter specialise in working with absolute beginners and work to a method of instruction approved by the Northern Tango Academy.

Diego Ledesma and Giusy Santoro are professional tango dancers with an extensive CV of shows and classes in Europe, Asia and South America. Their style and teaching experience combined with their warm personality make them very popular worldwide. It is an honour to have them as resident teachers at NTA!

Orlando Faciano first started learning Tango in his hometown in Northern Argentina, San Salvador de Jujuy. He has been teaching for over 10 years, and trained with many teachers in Buenos Aires, including Diego Durán and Mariana Sanchez, Aurora Lubiz, Alberto Gomberg, Graciela Cabrera, Pablo Etcheverry, Laura Murphy and Yuyú Herrera. He is the creator of La Otra Milonga in Buenos Aires, a popular outdoor Milonga in the city centre. Orlando also has a career teaching and performing Argentinian folklore dance, and has choreographed folklore shows for the Buenos Aires Broadway Theatre.