About the artists
Astria was born in Wiesbaden, Germany. She received her Bachelor of Dance in 2011 at Codarts, Rotterdam Dance Academy. Receiving several scholarships, she went on to study at The Ailey School in NYC.
She continued her career in New York, where she danced with Graham 2, ARIM Dance, the CR Dance Company, FJK Dance, Dardo Galletto Dance, Accent Dance NYC, Alpha Omega Theatrical Dance Company and other projects. In 2016 she has started dancing and performing Argentine Tango, winning the 2019 US Argentine Tango Championships. She toured the US with the show Tango Argentina, performed at the annual Tango show of the Thalia Spanish Theater, and Luis Bravo’s show “Cuparsita”, at several prestigious Milongas, including the Salon Canning in Buenos Aires.
She has also directed her own show, “3 Esquinas Tango Show”, for which she received the New York “City Artist Corps Grant”.
In 2023 she relocated back to Germany where she works as a freelance dancer, choreographer and teacher. Together with Mariano Galeano, she performed and choreographed for the Opera production of Astor Piazzolla’s”Maria De Buenos Aires” at the Pfalztheater in Kaiserslautern. They recently toured with the show “We Call It Tango” and are currently part of the company “Tango en Red”.
In 2025 Astria and Mariano produced performances with the “Color Tango” and “Sonder Tango” Orchestras in Germany, Belgium and France.
Mariano Galeano began his career as a tango dancer at the age of 13. He studied at the IUNA University of the Arts in Argentina, specializing in “Choreographic Composition with an Emphasis on Dance Theater,” where he was trained in various disciplines, which allowed him to develop a unique, personal, and versatile style of tango.
Mariano is a producer, director, and choreographer of shows in Argentina and Europe. His most notable productions include: “Tango… Sensual e Imbatible,” a show combining tango, rock ‘n’ roll, and folklore with 46 artists on stage; “Tangauchos,” a tango and folklore show featuring 20 artists, performed in Argentina and Europe as well as for six years on Royal Caribbean, Crystal, and Azuka cruise ships; and “Chapado a la Antigua,” a tango show with the Sexteto Meridional orchestra.
Mariano is a member of the Romeo and Juliet Company in Paris and previously worked for over 10 years with the prestigious show “Otango.” As a freelance artist, he has been invited to perform, teach, and give seminars at many festivals, schools, and theaters around the world. Mariano Galeano also runs his own tango school in Buenos Aires and has been based in Belgium, in Brussels and Namur, for the past five years.
He is also the co-organizer of the charity festival Tango for the Children 1, 2, and 3 in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands.
Since 2023, he has been performing nationally and internationally with Astria at tango shows, events, and festivals. Recently, both were engaged as dancers and choreographers for the Piazzolla opera “Maria De Buenos Aires” at the Pfalztheater Kaiserslautern.
Melody Quinteros from Buenos Aires is an accomplished Argentinian violinist, composer, and music educator specializing in classical, baroque, and tango repertoire. A graduate of the National University Institute of Art (IUNA) in Buenos Aires and the prestigious Santa Cecilia Conservatory in Rome, she has collaborated with renowned orchestras and ensembles worldwide, including performances as concertmaster and soloist. Some of her most remarkable performances were at the Festival Internacional de Música de Santa Catarina, Brazil, the International Music Festival in Todi and the Narni International Festival, just to name a few. Her extensive career spans collaborations with opera companies, chamber groups, and international symphony orchestras including the Symphony Orchestra of Bari, Middle East Philharmonic Orchestra, San Remo Orchestra and the Young Talents Orchestra showcasing versatility across genres and profound interpretative skills.
Hailing from Buenos Aires, Argentina, Nicolas Maceratesi discovered his passion for music at the age of eleven. His formal musical education began at the Manuel de Falla Conservatory, where he laid the foundation for his artistry. Under the guidance of Marcos Madrigal, Nicolas honed his skills, setting the stage for a remarkable artistic journey. In 2008, Nicolas embarked on his artistic career, marking the beginning of a series of notable collaborations and achievements. He has lent his expertise to esteemed ensembles such as the Emilio Balcarce Orchestra and Forma Sexteto Visceral, and has recorded five albums while touring extensively throughout Europe. Currently residing in Italy, Nicolas has his own project with Melody Quinteros, the “Sonder Tango Orchestra”, doing tours around the world showing their culture and the magic of tango. He has been an integral part of musical projects such as the Hyperion Ensemble, Lo Que Vendra, and the Miguel Angel Zotto tango company, “Tango X2.” Sonder Tango stands as his latest endeavor in the realm of Argentine tango, where Nicolas’s mastery of the bandoneon adds depth and emotion to the ensemble’s captivating performances.
For more than five decades Christine Dakin has performed, taught and created dance from Siberia to Europe, Asia to the Americas, collaborating with dancers, actors, musicians, scholars. She was Principal dancer and Artistic Director of the Martha Graham Dance Company. Chosen by Graham for the company in 1976, she is known for her performance of Martha Graham’s roles and those Graham created for her in Rite of
Spring and Phaedra’s Dream (partnered by Rudolf Nureyev) and for dancing/speaking roles created for her by Twyla Tharp, Robert Wilson and Martha Clarke. She is honored to receive the Dance Magazine Award, a “Bessie”, the Labat Loano “Giuliana Penzi” 2015 Career Award, the Harvard University Radcliffe Institute Fellowship and an Honorary Doctor of Arts from Universidad de Colima, Mexico. Dakin is seen on film in WNET’s “Young Artists in Performance at the White House”, in the 1993 French
documentary Les Printemps du Sacre, in performance in Tokyo, Japan and at the Paris Opera. She has brought her personal poetic of dance to film, writing and directing La Voz del Cuerpo/The Body Speaks, official selection of the 2013 New York Independent Film Festival and NEWFILMMAKERS NY, and her Terpsikon, Fundamentals of the Graham technique. Dakin was a Fulbright Senior Scholar, USIA Arts America Cultural Specialist and awarded CEC ArtsLink and Rockefeller US-Mexico Fund for Culture
grants. She is dancer/Associate Founder of Buglisi Dance Theatre, guest artist with Sokolow Theatre/Dance Ensemble, Univerdanza (Mx). Compania Ciudad Interior (Mx) and performs works created for her by contemporary artists Jaime Blanc, Alejandro Chávez and Brice Mousset and classic Modern repertory with American Dance Guild and Audrey Ross Dances. A decade teaching at The Juilliard School, she was Visiting Lecturer at Harvard, teaches for Tecniche di Danza Moderna, Graham for Europe, and throughout Mexico since 1981. In New York City she is on faculty at The Neighborhood
Playhouse School of the Theatre and the Ailey School.
Paula Rubin is an Argentine tango dancer, choreographer and teacher with more than 20 years of national and international experience. Since 2002, she has been traveling worldwide teaching workshops, giving courses and performing at tango festivals and events across Europe and beyond.
She has been part of renowned companies such as Otango Company (Belgium) and has been invited to many international festivals, including the Brussels Tango Festival, Colours Tango Festival (Paris), Prayssac Tango Festival (France), Snowball Festival (Germany) and Tango Camp (Poland).
Her work is distinguished by a strong stage presence and a deep movement approach, integrating tango technique, musicality, body awareness, posture and connection. Alongside her artistic career, she has developed extensive experience in bodywork and movement education.
She is currently based in Buenos Aires, teaching regular tango classes at Club Villa Malcolm and Maldita Milonga, directing her own space CASARTE, and leading the professional training program Método Plus Hipopresivos.
A teacher, choreographer, and dancer of remarkable stage presence, Claudio Gonzalez is known for his powerful performances and distinctive artistic productions.
His training in tango began at home, where his parents, Pedro and Lili, taught him to dance and took him to the milongas.
As a dancer, he has performed with some of the most prestigious companies: Milonga (Sidi Larbi), Tangokinesis (Ana María Stekelman), Forever Tango (Broadway), Tanguera, and Otango.
He has served as a judge at the Tango World Championships, where he also specializes as a coach and choreographer for the couples who represent our tango culture.
A graduate of the Instituto Universitario Nacional de Arte with a degree in Dance Performance, Marcela Vespasiano is an internationally renowned Argentine tango dancer, teacher, and choreographer.
In 2003, she won first prize at the Hugo del Carril Tango and Folklore Festival in both Stage Tango and Salon Tango categories, as well as the Pre-Cosquín competition in Tango. In August 2004, she was crowned World Champion of Stage Tango, a title that launched her international career.
She performed in Tanguera, el Musical Argentino at the Teatro El Nacional and toured internationally with the production. She has shared the stage with leading figures of Argentine tango such as Juan Carlos Copes and Miguel Ángel Zotto, performing in Argentina and abroad. She was also part of major productions including Chantecler Tango (directed by Stephen Rayne), Arrabal by Gustavo Santaolalla, and the renowned company Tango Pasión.
As World Champion, she represented the Buenos Aires City Government at major international festivals and cultural events. She toured Japan (performing in over 40 cities), China (including Expo Shanghai 2010), Canada, the United States, and extensively throughout Europe.
She performed at prestigious venues such as the Teatro Colón for the Bicentennial Gala of Argentina’s Independence, the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, and international festivals including the Ibero-American Theater Festival of Bogotá and the Rome Tango Festival. She has also been a jury member for the Tango World Championship preliminaries in Argentina and has worked as a faculty member of the Argentine Tango Teachers, Dancers and Choreographers Association.
Since 2020, she has been a member of the company NoEsTango, selected to participate in FIBA 2023, and has continued touring internationally across North America and Europe. She currently performs as a principal dancer in the tango show at Café de los Angelitos in Buenos Aires.
Martin Troncozo is an Argentine guitarist and singer born in Buenos Aires. A child prodigy, he began performing at the age of seven and recorded his first album at eight. Trained at the Conservatorio Juan Pedro Esnaola, he developed a strong foundation in both folklore and tango.
After performing throughout Argentina and Latin America, he moved to Italy in 2008, where he established his solo career in tango across Italy and Europe. He has collaborated with major tango ensembles including Hyperion Ensemble, Tango Tinto, and Orquesta Típica La Juan D’Arienzo.
He is currently developing his symphonic tango and folklore project Oltre Buenos Aires, set to premiere in 2027.
An internationally acclaimed tango singer, Claudia Pannone has built a solid and versatile career both in Argentina and abroad, distinguished by a contemporary artistic vision that honors the essence of tango while bringing a modern and personal interpretation to the genre.
She has performed on prestigious stages such as the Salón Dorado at Casa de la Cultura, the Teatro General San Martín, and the Centro Cultural San Martín. She was specially invited to sing at the Teatro Presidente Alvear alongside the Buenos Aires Tango Orchestra, under the direction of maestro Raúl Garello. She has also been invited on four occasions to participate in Música en la Ciudad, a renowned cultural program organized by Clarín, one of Argentina’s most important newspapers.
In 2006, she became part of the European tango company Otango, touring throughout Europe until 2010 and further strengthening her international presence.
Her discography includes three albums: Renaciendo (2004), Alma de Tango (2005), recorded live during her final tour in Germany, and Otra Mirada (2008), a tribute to Eladia Blázquez, musically directed by Pablo Mainetti and featuring the legendary Susana Rinaldi as a special guest.
Since 2023, she has been working as a headline performer for major cruise companies around the world.
Representing the voice of tango both in Argentina and internationally, she offers a distinctive and compelling artistic proposal. With a powerful, expressive, and refined voice, she conveys the emotion and depth of tango while presenting a captivating vision of the contemporary tango woman.
Virgilio Monti is an accomplished double bassist with a distinguished career spanning classical, contemporary, and popular music. A graduate of the Conservatorio di Musica “Giuseppe Verdi” in Milan, where he studied under Maestro Cosmo, Monti refined his artistry through advanced masterclasses with renowned musicians, including Maestro A. Boccini. His versatility and technical excellence have led him to collaborate with prestigious orchestras such as L’Orchestra Europea and ensembles across Europe, including El Pájaro Eduardo Trio, Orquesta Típica Otra and Quarteto Rotterdam, just to name a few. He performed in international festivals, blending tradition with innovative interpretations of classical and popular genres and collaborated with renowned artists such as Pablo Ziegler, Eugenio Bennato and Gino Zambelli. He also contributed to the Gotan Project Live recording, which expanded the global appeal of tango music.
Juan Gabriel Romano is an accomplished Argentinian tango pianist and arranger celebrated for his unique blend of tradition and innovation. His musical journey began with classical piano studies before evolving into the rich worlds of tango and jazz. With performances spanning Argentina and Europe, Romano is known for his expressive interpretations, intricate arrangements, and ability to captivate audiences across diverse cultural contexts. Romano’s formal education includes training at the Beethoven Conservatory (Buenos Aires), the Gilardo Gilardi Conservatory (La Plata), and the National Academy of Tango, where he specialized in the iconic styles of tango piano. His academic background also includes a degree in Psychology from UCALP and a
Superior Diploma in Psychoanalysis and Education from FLACSO Buenos Aires,
adding a unique intellectual dimension to his creative process.
He co-founded the Fuego Sur Tango Orchestra and co-directs the Opustango Quinteto. He also is a pianist and arranger for the acclaimed Sonder Tango ensemble.
He performed at leading classical music festivals in Argentina and Brazil and appeared at the emblematic Colon Theater with “Gérard Depardieu en el Colón”.
Gricel - Tango Argentino e.V. 