:: German & Nicolas Filipeli (BA) ::

The Tango twins - bothers, German and Nicolas Filipeli will be the first time in Berlin with workshops, Milonga performance and private sessions. They are talented, energetic, classy Tango dancers who can follow and lead will visit our festival to teach, perform and dance with us.

They were born on June 9, 1985 in Lanus, Buenos Aires, Argentina. From the age of 15 they dedicated themselves to tango, trained in a school in the town of Lanus and successfully competed in youth tournaments in Buenos Aires where they acquired their first experiences as tango professionals winning the medals.

They enriched their training with other disciplines such as classical and contemporary dance. Both were often part of companies: Company Roberto Herrera, Leonardo Neck Company, Tanguera (Romay Productions), Divine Tango (Erica Boaglio and Andrian Aragon), Fusion Tango (Hernan Piquin). And from the beginning of age they were part of the main tango houses in Buenos Aires such as El Viejo Almacen, Madero Tango, Homero Manzi, Cafe de los Angelitos, Tango Rojo (Hotel Faena).

With the distinction of being a sibling couple in reaching that stage, they took an independent position, emphasizing their partners and traveling the world on tours of Japan, South Korea, China, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, Spain , Greece and other continents, like America, Europe, Asia and Oceania. In addition to performing at national Argentine festivals in shows for the Government of the City of Buenos Aires, such as the debut of the new album of the Orchestra La Juan D"Arienzo.

In 2019 they were again awarded the 3rd place in the Tango World Cup, showing a different proposal and challenging themselves again.

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:: Gaston Olguin & Manuco Firmani (BA) ::

Both conceived the idea of Tango ReQueer in a choreographic meeting that took place within the International Framework of the Tango Festival and Tango World Cup of the City of Buenos Aires in 2010. Under the gaze of renowned choreographers such as Leonardo Cuello, Milena Plebls, Pablo Inza and Alejandro Cervera. All choreographers of the Buenos Aires tango dance scene. This was the starting point of this artistic relationship in search of a tango without role, fluid and harmonious.

Their artistic experience continued in 2011 in one of the most prestigious and modern houses in the city of Buenos Aires, which is "Madero Tango ", an international show where the roles in the past were well marked. They also shared an international tour with Estampas Portenas in 2011, traveling to different cities in Turkey. In 2015 Gaston joined the Tempo Tango Company where Manuco was part of the creative team and together they shared several seasons such as "Taco Teco " "Thriller " and "Cuatro Noches "

Finally, in 2019, they managed to organize a Milonga with the name Tango ReQueer, in Abasto, one of the most traditional neighborhoods in Buenos Aires. In this way they manage to generate a space where dissident artists can live and act in different ways. A space where roles and genders are redefined in tango.

Under that motto they were summoned by the government of the city of Buenos Aires to participate in pride week in the San Telmo neighborhood. Generating a unique spectacle in the streets of said neighborhood. In 2024 they decide to embark on a tour together in order to make visible their approach to role-free and fluid tango. Generating workshops and exhibitions in different spaces in Europe.

:: Astrid Weiske (Berlin) ::

For more than 25 years Astrid has been dancing Tango Argentino and is well known and respected in the tango communities worldwide as an excellent leading woman and excellent teacher. She has developed strong sensitivity in leading, great creativity in improvisation and playful musicality which stand out as key elements in her dance. But Astrid is recognized also for her skills as a follower which greatly expands her knowledge and understanding of the dance.

Since 2005 she has been teaching in Berlin at "PHYNIXtanzt" Studio, traveling as a guest teacher since many years and accepting invitations to Germany, UK, France, Italy, Russia and also abroad to Argentina, US and Canada. She has received invitations to teach and perform at several Festivals such as Queertangofestival Copenhagen, Phantastango Festival (Germany) or Queertango Festival Buenos Aires. In 2011 she founded the 1st. intern. Queer Tango Festival in Berlin which was a great success and has since earned an international reputation.

Her teaching is based on awareness and analysis of natural movement in combination with her profound knowledge of technique, structure of the dance and connection between the couple. This creates a constant dialogue between leaders and followers who share the responsibility of listening and responding to each other, based on a strong connection to the music.

Her exploration of the many techniques of tango, from the very classical to the very experimental, leading and following and other dance forms like contact improvisation or modern dance make her believe that there is no "one" Tango. She believes in a creative, liberating variety and connection of ideas, movements and technique by rsepecting the roots of Argentine Tango. She promotes that fusion to reduce borders, allowing people to find their own expression in the dance.

:: Liliana Chenlo (Buenos Aires) ::

Liliana Chenlo is an international Queer Tango instructor and professional dancer. Born in Buenos Aires city, she began her career as a tango dancer at the age of 8, learning both roles simultaneously. Liliana performs throughout Argentina and the world, including performances in China, Hong Kong, Brazil, Uruguay, Chile, the United States, Paris, Germany, among others!

In 2008, she began her own tango company in Buenos Aires, “Open Tango,”offering locals and tourists a chance to discover and learn tango in a supportive environment without gender-assigned dance roles. Lily is recognized as one of the best female Tango leaders in the world and is the first-ever female to enter the Mundial de Tango World Championships as a leader, finishing in the semifinals just barely missing the finals by less than a point. Since her pioneering work, more queer and same-sex couples have entered the World Festival of Argentine Tango. She is also the first-ever woman leading her tango queer in an international tango show, “Social Tango Project” which takes place during the season in Buenos Aires and then goes on tour to the United States and Canada.

She worked on MSC cruises for several seasons and is part of the staff of the vermouth cabaret show by Romantica Milonguera Orchestra at the emblematic Salon Marabu, also appearing in several videoclips of the Tango Bardo Orquesta. Liliana is an organizer and producer of the Queer Tango Festival “Love is Love” Buenos Aires.

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:: Ray Sullivan (USA) ::

Ray Sullivan, Artistic Director of "Conexion ", Miami's International Queer Tango Festival.

Ray Sullivan is an internationally acclaimed dancer, teacher and contemporary choreographer and the autor of the book “Changing the World One Tango at a Time”. He first met Tango while living in Argentina in the early 1990s performing with El Ballet Contemporáneo del Teatro San Martin. He began to go regularly to the milongas in Buenos Aires to dance as a social outlet. Ever since those magical moments his work and his life continue to be tied to Argentina.

He performed contemporary concert dance works influenced – and about tango - by various acclaimed argentine choreographers including Ana Maria Stekelman, Oscar Araiz, Alejandro Cervera, and Silvia Pritz, among others.

The first private tango class he took was with Miguel Angel Zotto, and from then on, he became forever hooked. Jumping from master classes and workshops by tango names like Chicho Frumboli, at the advent of neo-tango, to Suzuki Avellanera, he soon opted to only dance socially; for fun… with a deep yearning to dance with same gendered couples at a time this was not permitted in Buenos Aires.

In the 2000s, back in the United States, while directing Miami Contemporary Dance Company and teaching for Miami City Ballet, he began teaching Tango mixed with contemporary movement techniques and he choreographed the full evening ballet, "Tango Undressed", an evening of contemporary dance set to music by Astor Piazzolla. The North American cast performed to sold out houses and acclaim in North America, Europe and Argentina.

In 2004, together with Luis Vivas, he began to explore same gender tango and the beginnings of Tango Queer. Through classes, practicas, interventions and social action he began to push Tango Queer in Miami and abroad, and in 2016 they co-founded Tango Out. Today Tango Out has taught more than 400 community classes, presented more than 25 national and international queer tango artists, produced social interventions for protections of the LGBTQ+ community and produced CONEXION, Miami’s International Queer Tango Festival, receiving national acclaim, foundation support, the Key to the City and an official proclamation from the commissioners of The City of Miami Beach naming April 7-10, 2022… TANGO OUT Queer Tango Days in Miami Beach.

Ray Sullivan is continually developing his body of work, receiving invitations to stage his work, choreograph, teach master classes, perform and teach at numerous tango festivals, and lecture nationally and internationally.

:: Alex Pacheco Castillo (Mexico) ::

We are over the moon to welcome Alex Pacheco from Mexico City to our festival. Alex is a uniquely gifted teacher, organizer, and dancer, a deep and thoughtful thinker, who also writes and lectures about queer tango. This is their first time coming to Berlin for the Queertangofestival. Alex Pacheco has been dancing social tango since 2006.

For more than 10 years, they have been organizing workshops and meeting spaces between women, dissidents, queer and trans dancers through the practice of queer and feminist tango. They are part of El Desborde collective, as well as the group Tango disidente, tango entre nosotraxs, in which they serve as teacher for learning both roles. They are interested in exploring tango as a tool for building networks and community fabrics that can be spaces for social transformation. Attached is Alex’s essay on creating queer tango community that appeared in a queer tango journal in England. It"s a great read.

You can listen to Alex" interview with Humans of Tango here:
https://www.humansoftango.com/e/embracing-to-change-the-world-with-alex-pacheco-castillo

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