About Tango Social Club
Argentine tango is more than just a dance, it is a practice in mindfulness and improvisation, built by two empowered individuals working in complete harmony. Tango Social Club is more than just a dance studio and school, it is a place for genuine human connection. Tango Social Club offers tango workshops and courses, and hosts social dances (milongas) and other events. The approach is lighthearted, eclectic, and respectful of tango’s true essence.
About Kristin Berg, Director
Kristin has been a student of dance since the age of 4 and can never sit still. She trained in classical ballet for 14 years, and after countless competitions, exams, performances, and pairs of pointe shoes, she let her hair down and performed in musical theatre productions of Hello Dolly!, Guys ‘n Dolls, and Bye, Bye, Birdie. She stepped away from dance for many years while completing a degree in mechanical engineering and advancing her career in energy efficiency and sustainability. But this girl’s gotta move! Modern dance grabbed her attention and she started taking classes and performing with Orchesis at the University of Alberta.
In 2009, on a whim, she chose to study tango in Buenos Aires while completing her Master’s degree in communications. She wrote an autoethnographic research paper on how training in dance can influence personal development and either limit or expand social freedoms. This paper was infused with story-telling about her experience learning tango. She feels so fortunate to have studied exclusively with Horacio Rodriguez while in Buenos Aires. Now, she believes with her whole heart that tango never comes into someone’s life by accident.
About Burak Ozkosem
Burak combines social dancing with teaching in different cities, organizing tango events, and DJ-ing. Burak is recognized for his creative and expressive style and his bold and sensitive interpretations of both traditional tango music and the eclectic, non-traditional music that he incorporates into his DJ-ing and instructional repertoire. Burak’s performances are always warmly accepted and loved for their expressive creativity, wittiness and playfulness.
Though he is considered a virtuoso of “Tango Nuevo”, in his dancing Burak is not adding anything new or “modern” to tango. Every movement he uses is taken strictly from the tango vocabulary. He respects the music and responds in the traditional places; his syncopa, or rhythm, is flawless. What he does is deconstruct the usual tango marcado (marking) and reconstruct it in his own surprising way. Burak’s non-traditional use of the vocabulary prompts curiosity and inspiration for other dancers.
Burak is the creator of several prestigious tango events in the United States, such as the Tango Joven Festival 2006-2007, Chicago Tango Week 2008-2009, and the Miami Beach Tango Marathon. He also co-founded the ARTango Center in Chicago. Burak frequently teaches and performs in Miami, New York City, Los Angeles, Portland and Chicago.
