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About the UK Argentine Tango Association

Who we are & what we do

The UK Argentine Tango Association was formally launched on 11 December 2020 (the International Day of Tango) by a group of UK based tango teachers, dancers and organisers who came together to share experiences with a passion to grow a stronger, more cohesive tango community in the UK.
 
OUR AIMS are simple:
  • To encourage more people across the UK to discover and participate in the varied art forms of Argentine tango.
  • To create a network of communication and support between members which range from tango professionals, right through to part-time enthusiasts who may only have interest in one aspect of tango.

MEMBERSHIP
Full membership is open to those that:
  • are resident in the United Kingdom, and 
  • provide a tango service, and 
  • support the aims of the Association
Associate membership is open to those that:
  • live in the United Kingdom, and
  • participate, or want to participate, in any aspect of Argentine tango in the UK, and
  • support the aims of the Association
Our Structure
Argentine Tango UK is an Unincorporated Association managed by an elected committee consisting of 4 officers. The officers and 10 others make up The Committee of 14 members. 
Association Officers
  • David Thomas (Chair)
  • Tony Glover (Secretary)
  • Andy Scott  (Treasurer)
  • Charlotte Holwell (Membership Secretary)

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Other Committee Members 
  • Barbara Newman
  • Lorraine Kemp
  • Tracey Tyack-Acosta
  • Alan Young
  • Bruno Vandenabeele
  • Daniel Gini
  • Chris Teasdale
  • Fernando Guidi
  • 2 vacancies
Advisors
We also have 5 advisors who are not committee members but can attend and vote.
  • Ali Hartland
  • Dante Culcuy 
  • Giraldo Escobar
  • Leandro Palou
  • Leonardo Acosta

Our Patrons

We are honoured to have two of the most prestigious couples in the the world of Argentine tango as our Patrons -Carlos & Maria Rivarola and Nito & Elba Garcia
Carlos & Maria Rivarola
María and Carlos Rivarola are one of the most renowned couples of the tango world. They are known for their embodiment of the essence of traditional Argentine Tango, taking it to the world through their stage shows and on film.
 
They were part of  the original cast of “Tango Argentino”, the stage show that ignited worldwide interest in tango in 1983.  Starting in Paris the show was a huge success and moved to tour in Italy, and Canada before arriving in on Broadway in New York in 1985.
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Carlos became well known for his work on screen -  as both dancer and choreographer in Marcos Zurinaga’s  film Tango Bar (1989), Leonard Schrader’s Naked Tango (1991) and Carlos Saura’s Tango. His work on the film Tango won him the National Film Award for Best Choreography 1999 awarded by the Academy of Motion Pictures, Arts, Music and Dance of the United States.
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Carlos and María Rivarola continue to teach, dance and share tango with the world. 
Nito & Elba Garcia
Nito & Elba have become references for generations of tango dancers. Dancing together for 50 years, they have become one of the most highly respected and beloved tango couples worldwide.

Nito learned to dance tango as a child by watching his uncle and aunt dance tango on packed-earth patios; he began to dance formally as a teenager, in the days when men practiced together because women could tango only if closely chaperoned by their mothers. As a young man, he polished his skills in the dance halls of Buenos Aires and in the 1950s, he was a principal dancer with the orchestra of Osvaldo Pugliese.

In 1996 they won the prestigious Lobo del Mar award for their outstanding contribution to the arts. We feel truly privileged to have their support for the work of UKATA
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