Carol Horowitz
A classically trained dancer who worked for several years with a number of different contemporary dance companies, Carol was introduced to tango through friends, and immediately fell in love with the creative and improvisational aspects of the dance. She is the Co-founder of Studio Tango Montreal, and DJ’s there most weeks, as well as at various marathons and festivals in Canada and the US. Gigs include Abrazo Marathon, East Coast Marathon, San Francisco Marathon, Tango Magic, and Seattle Tango Marathon, to name a few. A DJ with a keen sense of energy and flow, she is much appreciated for her ability to facilitate an electric atmosphere that keeps everyone on their feet, tanda after tanda.
Dan Boccia
The music is what first drew Dan to tango in 2000, and today the music continues to inspire him. He has been dancing and DJing at festivals and marathons throughout North America since 2001 and through these experiences has a deep appreciation for what fuels the dancers. Dan enjoys interacting with the crowd to inform his selections, which are improvised in the moment, sometimes song by song. He creates an atmosphere in which the dancers can rely on the music and focus their energy on dancing.
Vivian Konstantakos
Vivian started her first steps in the tango arena almost two decades ago and has been Dj‘ing since 2009. She has been very active in the tango scene of Seattle before the pandemic both in dancing and Dj‘ing.
Vivian describes her Dj‘ing as her love affair with the dancers. She loves to be present with the whole floor, being right there with them at the moment. Therefore, she creates her milongas on the fly, being only one song ahead of the dancers, trying each time to tune in with the dancers and create the magic.
The PNW has her heart, and she is happy to call Port Townsend and the Olympic Peninsula home.
Michał Shevchenko
Michał has been a DJ for over 13 years. he took his first steps at local milongas in western Poland and later started playing at large events, festivals, marathons all over Poland, further in Europe and beyond. It was an honor for him to play at milongas in Buenos Aires several times during his stays.
“For me, being a DJ at a milonga means being in the background, not in the spotlight. My task is to select music that suits the dancers and creates an atmosphere and energy to embrace and dance. My favorite orchestra is Anibal Troilo.”
Ayano Yoneda
Ayano travels frequently for tango, dancing in milongas around the world, including a pilgrimage she makes yearly to Buenos Aires. She regularly DJs at the local milongas in the San Francisco Bay Area where she is based. She has been invited to DJ in Asia and in Europe, as well as at major events in the United States such as the Portland Tango Festival, Nora’s Tango Week, Holiday Tango in DC, San Diego Tango Marathon, etc,
In 2019, Ayano co-founded the Tango Poetry Project, (an online source for translated tango lyrics) producing two 45-60 minute capsules each week from March 2020 until June 2021. A true passion of hers, Ayano sometimes dj’s while synched lyrics are projected to her music, she also gives interactive lectures, all with the goal to bring attention to and raise interest in the poetry of tango.
Georges Naasan
Georges Naasan has been dancing tango since 2002. His journey debuted in Lebanon, at a time where there was no tango community or milongas to attend. Along with a few friends, he founded the first milonga in Beirut and ran it for a few years before he moved to the United States in 2007. In the summer of 2014, he was the recipient of the gold medal in Argentine Tango at the Gay Games. He started DJing in 2015, and became one of the bay area’s prominent local DJs. He has travelled for DJing in various US cities including San Diego, LA, and New York. He was invited to DJ at the Beirut Tango Marathon (Beirut, Lebanon), Portland Tango Festival, Tucson Tango Festival, La Entraga Marathon (NYC), Tangamente (San Francisco, CA), and the Thing (Portland, OR), among others. Georges moved to New York City at the end of 2019. He has learned much of his tango dancing and DJing skills from various mentors that he met along his journey and to whom he is ever grateful.
