Denver Tango Festival Dream Team
Eric Jorissen, Nijmengen, Holland
Eric Jorissen is the founder of El Corte in Nijmegen. Eric is one of the most skillful teachers of tango. He studied dance education at the Rotterdam conservatory. Eric has been dancing tango since 1987, inspired by Pepito Avellaneda. He teaches on a regular basis in Nijmegen, London, Antwerp, Malta and NYC. Many other cities are visited on a yearly basis.
Eric is one of the most popular and inspiring teachers of tango. He is the founder of El Corte in Nijmegen (Netherlands). El Corte is regarded by many to be the tango mecca of Europe, and draws a constant stream of international tangueros to its workshops and marathons. Eric's creative energy permeates his dance and his teaching.
His workshops are novel, insightful and delightfully fun.
Rebecca Shulman, New York
Rebecca is the coordinator of Dance Manhattan's extensive Argentine tango program. Born in New York City, Rebecca studied classical ballet all her life and Contact Improvisation and yoga since 1993. Her teachers include Mingo and Esther Pugliese, Gustavo Naveira and Olga Besio, Tete and Maria, Juan Bruno, and Antonio Todaro. In the 1990s, Rebbecca and Daniel Trenner ignited the growth of many tango communities across the country as a result of their inspiring teaching, including at the historic Stanford Tango Weeks.
Legions of students across the U.S. and in Europe seek Rebecca's clear instruction on improvisation, on technique, and on adornments. Her special musicality workshops grew from a collaboration with Pablo Aslan. In New York she teaches, hosts a weekly "milonga", and invites numerous guest teachers to Dance Manhattan.
Hsueh-tze Lee, Boston
Hsueh-tze Lee is known for her musicality and for her innovative dancing in close embrace. Based in Boston, MA, she teaches throughout North America including festivals in Portland, Seattle, & Denver. She coined the phrase "nuevo milonguero" to describe the blending of the traditional with more avant-garde moves in close embrace. Hsueh-tze is also a North American pioneer in dancing both the leader's and follower's roles. A life-long dancer, she has been dancing tango since 1990 and is based in Boston.
Hsueh-tze's classes unfold like a well-plotted novel. The ideas seem simple at first, but then they weave together to a surprisingly profound climax at the end. She integrates her knowledge of dance, physiology and biomechanics to focus on movement dynamics, partner communication, musicality and improvisation. She is appreciated for her enthusiasm, for her skill in establishing a solid foundation as well as teaching complex moves, and for inspiring her students to become dynamic social dancers.
Hsueh-tze holds a doctorate in physiology from Harvard University, and won a teaching award as a Harvard Teaching Fellow. A former biology professor at Wellesley College, Hsueh-tze currently devotes her full-time energy to tango.
Christopher Nassopoulos & Caroline Peattie, San Francisco
Known for their musicality and dynamic movement, Christopher and Caroline are two of the best-known close-embrace instructors of Argentine tango in the United States. They are specialists in teaching pure lead and follow and clear and uncomplicated walking.
Christopher was first introduced to Argentine tango in 1993, and made numerous trips to Buenos Aires to study and learn the social traditions of the milongas there.
Caroline taught many forms of movement and danced salsa for almost a decade before being lured to the tango in 1997, and joined Christopher as his teaching partner two years later.
They have been invited to teach in more than 20 cities across the country. With strong backgrounds in yoga, pilates, and martial arts, and a multitude of athletic skills between them, these energetic instructors fill their classes with contagious humor and a relaxed atmosphere to create positive and upbeat class experiences. Skilled yet unpretentious, Christopher and Caroline have the incisive ability to analyze movement and help improve a student’s technique on even the most subtle levels. In addition, both Christopher and Caroline lead and follow, giving them further insight into the technique of and relationship between the two roles. They give their students the building blocks they need to create their own improvisational dance, using the beauty of the music and the embrace of their partner as their ultimate guide.
