Argentine Tango By Brian Nguyen and Yuliana Basmajyan

I had the pleasure of joining Brian and Yuliana for their first class at Matador Studios as an independent entity.
To say that the class is amazing is an understatement. Following their own curriculum, the classes seemed more lively and closer to a private lesson than a group class. Tonight’s topic was a popular and relatively easy technique, the ocho cortado. With Brian and Yuliana’s guidance, I realized that there were fundamental issues that I still needed to work on to make what seemed like a simple movement become exquisite. Beginners and established dancers alike learned and refined themselves in the 1.5 hour class and the 1.5 hour guided practica. To parallel this to cooking, you might be using the same ingredients to make dinner, but mastery over fundamentals will make the difference between mediocre and 3 Michelin stars, and tonight the room was full of fine gourmet.
I danced with a new student tonight who had her very first class, and the instructions she got and what she acted on tonight, I thought I was dancing with a veteran. This could only be possible with the format of the class which ultimately values good technique over any fable, myth, or secrets.
If they can make an overweight guy like myself feel sexier than James Brown, I know I’m in the right class. It might be a tall order, but I feel that by the end of this series, I’ll be dancing like a professional. Might take me several years under their guidance before I dance like a national contender, but I’m confident I’ll get there someday.
I would recommend anyone who wants to experience the joys of tango to take the time and invest in themselves with Brian and Yuliana. LA is lucky to have such great talent, who are nurturing and enjoy sharing their knowledge, live among us and help our tango community grow. And did I mention that they are both the 2011 US Champions and the only American couple to receive 3^rd place at Mundial, the World Championships of Argentine Tango? If that’s not a wealth of knowledge, I don’t know what is.