Argentine Tango

Artist Bio

Mitra has been exploring Argentine Tango continuously since encountering it in Buenos Aires in 1998. Her first Tango home was the Triangulo community in New York City directed by Carina Moeller which has influenced her work as a community organizer. She has also been influenced by Daniel Trenner's articulation of the relationship between roles in tango; Brigitta Winkler's approach to creating intentional learning experiences; the Dinzels’ approach to creating learning communities; and the pioneers of nuevo analysis — but her most important learning has come from partnerships forged on the social dance floor, and interactions with learners.

In 2008 she co-founded Oxygen Tango in Los Angeles with Stefan Fabry and directed the school for nine years. Mitra co-created the Tango Challenge with Stefan Fabry in 2011, has facilitated twenty cohorts, and directed its expansion to new communities and facilitators. During this period Mitra advised the Caltech Tango Club, organized the Oxygen Milonga benefit which planted over 12,000 trees, and taught and DJ'd at festivals and marathons all over the U.S. Mitra is an accomplished leader, follower, DJ, and organizer, and has nurtured a generation of Los Angeles-based dancers, organizers, and DJs.

Artist Statement

My core interest today is prototyping new social and educational formats for tango that allow for people to more consistently experience connection with themselves, one another, and the larger community. I'm exploring the role of dimensions such as explicit intention-setting, music/sound/stillness, symmetry, role-switching, solos/pairs/trios, peer-learning, time-of-day, duration, and footwear/attire, in supporting the emergence of a cocreative social field. I'm interested in social/format adaptations that may allow non-Argentines to connect more readily with the power of tango. Below you can get a taste of learning experiences I have facilitated; improvised performances I've had the joy to share; projects I'm happy to have contributed to.  

Highlights from practice sessions

My partner Stefan Fabry and I had a tradition of practicing tango in the mornings for a few years. Here are some excerpts from our morning studio time.

You’ll see a mix of orchestras and styles, and you’ll notice that we both enjoy leading as well as following.

For me, dancing socially, practicing, and just “messing around” in the studio with peers is the core of my tango experience. Everything else that most people associate with tango, like performing and competing, is just the tiniest sliver.

These are rough and silly — they are just a peek into our process!

Gallery of learning experiences I have facilitated:

A gallery of circles from my classes
Absorption and deep attunement is possible in a dance class
Absorption and deep attunement is possible in a dance class

I love using the mirror game to get people warmed up and attuned.

Sometimes using props helps us focus
Sometimes using props helps us focus

Alex and Alice working with a ball at Oxygen Tango. Over the years they have done a lot of great work partnering together and gave some beautiful public demos. 

A mini-stage for student performance
A mini-stage for student performance

I have learned so much from doing demos and performances, so I wanted to create demo opportunities for our students too. 

The beginning of a recital
The beginning of a recital

I have noticed how much more and faster people learn when they have a goal in mind! Some of the programs I've created at Oxygen Tango use goals like a recital to bring more juice and motivation to the learning process. 

Talking about the embrace
Talking about the embrace

How we embrace to ensure comfort is a big part of Tango! In this workshop Stefan and I were playfully bringing awareness to unconscious habits in the embrace. 

A really, really big circle!
A really, really big circle!

This was a beginner series I taught at Caltech. It was exciting to work with a huge group and find creative ways to reach everyone. (That's me, all the way on the other side with my hands on the ground.)

Group writing and reflection project
Group writing and reflection project

At the San Francisco Tango Exchange, I facilitated a group activity on community and invited people to write their thoughts about community on the floor before discussing it together. 

Balancing interpersonal exploration with personal reflection
Balancing interpersonal exploration with personal reflection

As an intraverted person, I find it useful to create opportunities in group classes and workshops for people to go inward and connect with themselves, as well as outward to connect with others. 

A little playfulness helps everyone relax
A little playfulness helps everyone relax

At Tango de los Muertos, organizers Carlos and Tova Moreno gave out these blue antennae. I noticed how much more students have fun when the facilitator is relaxed!  

Teachers need to dance inspiringly!
Teachers need to dance inspiringly!

As a teacher, we need to stay in practice and be able to perform in a way that kindles the mood of Tango, evokes inspiration and motivation in students. 

Learning and community begins with a circle
Learning and community begins with a circle

I love circles: they are non-hierarchical, inclusive, and connecting. 

The Tango labyrinth
The Tango labyrinth

I love labyrinths, and here is one that we made together as a community. It was not only a neat project to do together, and a beautiful tool to facilitate reflective contemplation - it also was a great floorcraft challenge! 

Learning and socializing go hand in hand
Learning and socializing go hand in hand

I love this tight little group of dancers hanging out and talking together in the middle of the dance floor. In friendly and relaxed settings like this we learn so much about Tango and connection. This was at the Tango Slumber Party I put on at Vivien LeMothe's Weller House Inn with Amy Zhou. 

A big happy connected class
A big happy connected class

Me with a beginner class at Caltech. Many times engineers and analytical people really click with Tango. It's often the combination of Tango's structure, and how much it contributes to connection in their lives! 

Checking for understanding
Checking for understanding

It's easy to tell someone what they should do. But as teachers we also need to constantly focus on the learner and check for understanding. How are they taking it in? 

Reaching together joyfully
Reaching together joyfully

I was leading the group in a game involving an imaginary parachute here...I love giving people the chance to let their inner child out. 

I have specifically facilitated tango learning in women-only settings in many ways and developed resources for women in tango: 

More Creations/Co-Creations/Evolving Projects: 

  • Oxygen Tango - a LA-based tango studio cofounded by Mitra Martin and Stefan Fabry

  • The Tango Lexicon - a notation system for tango cocreated by Mitra Martin and David Lampson

  • TangoManual.com - an open source tango curriculum project edited by Mitra Martin

  • The Tango Challenge - a 12-week beginner program cocreated by Mitra Martin and Stefan Fabry, and an organization dedicated to developing resources to support beginners and those who help them learn

  • The Badass Leader's Club - a course to teach women to lead

  • Separate Bedrooms: A Book About Tango - a self-published book about Tango

  • Mitra Martin's Blog on OxygenTango.com - including "It Takes One To Tango" series

A few of the beautiful tango events I’ve had the honor to facilitate…

  • San Francisco Tango Exchange - presenter

  • Tango de los Muertos (Boston) - facilitator

  • The Tango Teacher Co-Op (Minneapolis)

  • San Francisco Tango Marathon - moderator

  • The Heartland Tango Festival - teacher, performer

  • The Baltimore Tango Solstice - teacher

  • Stone Soup Tangotopia - facilitator, teacher

  • CONNECT (Ashland) - lecturer, teaching facilitator

  • LA Tango Marathon - DJ, panelist

  • Portland Tango Festival - instructor, performer

  • The Houston Tango Festival - facilitator, performer

  • The Denver Tango Festival - instructor

  • The Albuquerque Tango Festival - instructor

  • The San Diego Tango Festival (2012-2017) - beginner bootcamp, performer

  • Kansas City Spring Fling - instructor

  • Caltech Tango Club - instructor, advisor

  • Google - tango instructor

  • The Princeton Club of Southern California - instructor

  • The Ford Theater - arts engagement facilitator

  • Cross Campus - instructor/facilitator

Please contact me if you’d like me to be part of your unique event. My favorite ways to contribute are:

  • Interactive presentations related to improvisation, relationship between the roles, peer-to-peer learning, community

  • Organizing, designing and moderating panel discussions on innovation, musicality, authenticity

  • Guiding heart-centered intention-settings and pre-milonga lovingkindness visualizations

  • Facilitative creative elements of your event, such as labyrinth building, meaningful icebreakers

  • Moderating large group discussions to develop empathy between diverse participants

  • DJing morning and daytime milongas

  • Galvanizing innovation and a richer practice culture

  • Consultation for learning experience design and event design for in-person, online, and hybrid programming

  • Coaching, teacher training, organizer training, advising for small communities and college clubs.

  • Performances

Sitewide copyright 2022 Mitra Martin All Rights Reserved