Virginia

At 6 years old Virginia, a true ‘Corbobesa,” took her first dance steps in her mothers local gym with ballet and artistic gymnastics. While growing up, she found it irresistible to play the role of professional dancer in front of the mirror in the empty rooms of the gym. The experience of accompanying her mother, also a dance teacher, to dance competitions fueled Virginia’s passion and strengthened her to follow her childhood dream.

Virginia’s favorite subject since kindergarten has been English, an interest so strong that she received a degree in English translation from the Institute of Languages of the University of Cordoba.

She continued to develop her dancing by studying jazz, latin rhythms, stretching, ballet, and contemporary dance. She felt vertigo when she trained in aerial acrobatics and toured South America with various dance companies. Yet something lacked…

In 2007, Virginia began tango as a therapeutic avenue of relating to others. Tango quickly grew to such an importance for her that she packed up her life in Cordoba and moved to BsAs to dedicate herself to it. Once in BsAs, Virginia fell in love with DNI-- the place, the people and the technique. It did not take long before her language skills were being put to use in the reception and she started to be incorporated into the staff. Currently, she is giving group classes of various skill levels and is training with Compañía DNI.

Carina

Born in Tostado, in the province of Sante Fe, Carina was introduced to dance through folclore argentino. At 17 years old she moved to Paraná to study Social Communication in the National University of Entre Rios. Here she gained her first experience as a graphic designer, which would become her work for the next 10 years. When completing her studies she started to dance tango and met Pablo Villarraza, with whom she organized milongas in and around Paraná.

In the years after, Carina travelled occasionally to Buenos Aires taking classes from the other maestros of the time. She attended seminars, workshops, directed choreographies for the theater and was a member of diverse tango dance companies.

Her artistic search continued to evolve by studying contemporary dance, acting, investigation and production of movement, dramatic art of the body and corporal training.

In 2000 Carina she returned to take classes with Pablo and met Dana Frigoli for the first time. In 2006 she entered DNI and decided that this would be her place to continue her search. She was a producer of the opening of “La Colección, los tangos de una vida.”

Carina moved to Buenos Aires in the Summer of 2008 and after attending the DNI group classes daily for a year, she began assisting in the studio. At this moment Carina is giving beginner classes and training with Compañía DNI.

Candela

It was in her home town of San Antonio de Padua that Candela took her first dance classes that saw her enter la Escuela Nacional de Danzas Clásicas Nº3 de Ituzaingó, to study Ballet and Modern dance. Afterwards, Candela started to investigate the different techniques of jazz and therapeutic dance with Liliana Scarpino and Sergio Berto in the Studio Dancer`s. Here she also had her first experience teaching dance to children.

Then came an introduction to two new loves when she met Juan dancing tango in a local studio. With him she managed to find the language of love merged with the communication of the body. After trying various tango studios and teachers, Candela discovered DNI in the beginning of 2008 and started a deeper investigation that has filled her with the hope that she will wake up in others what was awoken in her.

Johanna

A Buenos Aires native, since 1984, Johanna began her professional relationship with Pablo and Dana when she was only 18-- at a time when DNI was still a dream and at best a future project. She has been an integral part of the development of DNI and its philosophy since its conception.

At the same time, Johanna began studying psychology at the University of Buenos Aires. Although interesting, the study lacked a certain creative element that is essential for Johanna. She changed her focus to Multimedia design, where she felt she could combine art and creativity with a professional career. She will graduate from the UBA later this year.

However, that same creative spirit she uses to design graphics for example, needed a form of expression in a more dynamic plane. Since turning 22, tango has become that dynamic plane for creative expression, something which she brings to all of her current beginner level classes and the Compañía rehearsals.

The 25th of August 1979 brought Maxi into the world in Cordoba Capital, Argentina. When he was 5 his family moved to the amazing village of San Marcos Sierras. The warm people and the surrounding nature in the foothills of Cordoba, containing the wild rivers Quilpo and San Marcos, were a strong influence on him.

At only 6 years old, Maxi began dancing Folklore with the group Tay Pichin-- the aboriginal name of his village-- until he was 21 and the group broke-up. Anxious to continue his search, Maxi formed Muchaj SaMa-- aboriginal for Bailarines del Corazon-- with two others.

With restless feet and trying to decide a direction for his life, Maxi chose to move to Buenos Aires and dedicate his time to dance. He studied various forms of movement from contact improvisation, to contemporary dance, to martial arts and tai chi. But the most influential was to be yoga where he met Stella Dettoni who was renting space in a tango studio where Maxi worked. After falling out of touch for a long while, they happened to meet again on Avenida Corrientes right at the time DNI was opening and Maxi began anew his apprenticeship with Stella. Maxi has now been giving yoga classes under Stella’s direction for more than a year and his classes are very popular amongst the tango dancers in BsAs.

In 2008 Maxi trained with the contemporary dance group Danzas Mitimaes-- directed by Facundo.

At this moment Maxi is giving tango classes of varying levels and training with Compañía DNI.

Born and raised in the mountains of Colorado in the middle of the United States, Jonny traveled to Europe at the age of 17. A trip originally planned for 6 months turned into an 8-year adventure in which Jonny lived, studied, and worked in England, Greece, and Holland.

After completing his degree in Business Engineering and working as a process consultant for multinationals such as Shell, IBM, and Philips, Jonny felt the need for another continental shift, this time making his way to South America. Shortly after arriving in Buenos Aires in January 2008, Jonny discovered DNI and took his first tango steps. One year, hundreds of class hours, and countless late-night milongas later, Jonny has taken his first professional tango steps: starting as an assistant in Pulpo’s Tango Week 2008 and now giving beginner classes at DNI and training with Compañía DNI.

Jonny is also an avid sailor having navigated over 12,000 miles reaching 14 countries.

Born and raised in Buenos Aires, Sebastián began his artistic journey at the early age of 8 years old with traditional folklore and diverse ballets.

Upon finishing secondary school, he had the opportunity to participate in numerous festivals in the interior of Argentina as well as in the most important theaters: el Teatro Colon, el Teatro Argentino de la Plata, el Teatro Opera, etc…

Sebastián’s desire to pursue other dances brought him to tango, a dance so technically rich and expressive, that he chose it as his professional pursuit.

After having danced for several dance companies, casas de tango, and touring Europe, Sebastián entered DNI and discovered a distinct technique and method of teaching that he converted his priority to becoming part of the teaching staff. This goal has been reached and Sebastián is continuing his evolution by giving beginner group classes and training with Compañía DNI.

Growing up in San Antonio de Padua, an hour from BsAs, Juan managed to avoid all contact with the world of Art until he discovered martial arts at the age of 17; specifically Judo and Aikido. It was only a matter of chance, and more an excuse to hang out with his friends, that Juan began to take dance classes; from malambos, floklore, and tango. For several years he and his friends took what they had learnt and traveled to more interior provinces of Argentina to teach. Even though he never imagined doing it professional, the feeling he had standing in front of a group of people transmitting the joy of dancing carried him to continue his search.

This search led him to cross paths with a very special influence in his life. It was with Candela that the world of dance opened and they decided to undertake the search together.

In March 2008, Juan first entered DNI as a student; a meeting so impressive for Juan that after 11 years and receiving a brown belt he stopped his study of martial arts to commit his attention to the study of TTC and art of professional expression.

At this moment Juan is giving beginner classes and training with the Compañía DNI.