About the artists
Astria (Sarita Apel)
Artistic Director, Dancer, Choreographer
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. Recently, 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.
Mariano Galeano
Dancer, Choreographer
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
Violin, Composer, Musical Director
Melody Quinteros, a native of Buenos Aires, Argentina, embarked on her musical journey at a young age, beginning piano studies at six and subsequently taking up the violin at eight. Her dedication and talent led her to earn a degree from the Universidad Nacional de Arte in Buenos Aires and the Santa Cecilia Conservatory in Rome. Throughout her career, Melody has been the recipient of numerous scholarships for chamber music training and has further honed her skills through participation in several Master Classes focused on piano and violin. A versatile musician, Melody has showcased her talents on various stages worldwide, participating in festivals, concerts, tours across multiple countries and recording all kind of album. Her repertoire spans a wide range of genres, from classical to tango (with different groups and companies like Tango Legends, Tango x 2, El Cxuce, ecc) , pop, and rock music. Notably, she has appeared both as a soloist and as part of orchestras and groups, captivating audiences with her expressive performances. Melody is also a familiar face on television programs, where her musical prowess has been featured. Currently, Melody Quinteros continues to enchant audiences as a concert violinist, while also spearheading her project with Nicolas Maceratesi, “Sonder Tango Orchestra,” dedicated to promoting Argentine music around the world. Additionally, she shares her expertise as a teacher and collaborates with various musical and theatrical endeavors, further enriching the cultural landscape with her passion and talent.
Nicolas Maceratesi
Bandoneon, Composer, Musical Director
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.
Christine Dakin
Dancer, former principal dancer and Artistic Director of the Martha Graham Dance Company
CHRISTINE DAKIN
For more than five decades she 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
Argentine Tango Dancer
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.
Gricel - Tango Argentino e.V. 