fall student showcase

“The Tango Showcase program was instrumental in helping me develop as a dancer”
— Regina Z.

Photography by Frank Winter

Do you want to be in a Tango show? Well now is your chance!

This 12 week intensive choreography program will prepare you to be part of two spectacular group tango performances. We are partnered with Carlos Urrego, a world renowned tango dancer, instructor, choreographer and stage performer to offer this life changing program for you.

The commitment for this program involves 2 hours of group training per week, short daily homework assignments (solo drills), 1 hour of compulsory practice time per week with your performance partner, and one private lesson for pre-performance refinements and preparation! Your tuition fee covers all this plus the cost of a stunning custom hand-made costume.

Spots for our performance program are extremely limited and we always receive and overwhelming number of applications (some of whom we must sadly turn away) so if you don’t get in this time, don’t be discouraged! There is always more!

We invite you not to let “limitations” stop you from applying. The show will be made up of different performance troupes and material is curated to the ability (and experience) levels of each group, and to some extent, each couple.

You must enroll with a partner who must also apply.

Participants are required to commit fully, and show up to the entire program (emergencies excepted). Applicants with prior commitments during the assigned program period will not be accepted into the program.

”How might training for stage tango benefit my social dancing?” we hear you ask. Practicing and perfecting a choreography is an intensive training in tango movement, form, connection and expression. You will safely build strength, mobility and flexibility, and gain competence in executing complex tango vocabulary (most of which can theoretically be used in an improvisational context, ie. on the social dance floor), making it directly beneficial to your social dancing! Trust us, we speak from experience here.

The training and performance dates for the 2026 Performance Program will be announced soon. Please stay tuned.

Photography by Frank Winter

Production Team

Aja Fenn & Masha Abapolnikova (School Directors, Choreographers, Producers)

Aja & Masha have been serving the Washington metropolitan area and the global tango community as teachers, performers and event organizers for conjointly more than 35 years. They have run popular milongas, brought world class teachers to town, worked with musicians, built a non-profit, trained teachers, appeared in documentaries, danced in theater productions, and taught thousands of people how to dance tango! Their student base spans the full spectrum of complete beginner to teacher-in-training. During their time in the non-profit sector they served populations such as veterans, seniors, underserved youth and the LGBTQ+ community. Masha and Aja met in 2010. Their combined vision, skills and creativity have been explosive ever since. They are passionately committed to ensuring that the Performance Program is a truly enriching and transformative experience.

Carlos Urrego (Master Choreographer)

Carlos has been dancing & teaching Argentine tango full-time since 1997.

Tango Championship Awards:

  • 1st place International tango festival medellin 2010 dance companies category

  • 1st place in the 2015 Florida Tango Festival Tango Category

  • 1st place 2017 Southern california tango championship - Los Angeles CA (4 categories: Tango, Milonga, Vals & Stage)

  • 1st place 2018 Atusa Tango championship (Tango & milonga)

  • 1st place 2025 Atusa Tango Championship (Tango & milonga)

Teaching & Performing Artist at Global Tango Festivals:

  • Colombia 2001-2023 (Medellín, Manizales, Cali, Pereira, Bogotá, Bucaramanga)

  • Fandango de Tango 2013 (Dallas TX)

  • Nola Tango Festival 2014-2016 (New Orleans LA)

  • Burning Tango 2016 (McCloud CA)

  • Valentango 2022-2023 (Portland OR)

  • Accordion Tango Festival 2019 (Victoria -Canadá)

  • Cebú Tango Festival 2023 (Philippines)

Principle Dancer in Stage Tango Productions:

  • Pablo Tobon Uribe Theater Medellin

  • Medellin Metropolitan Theater

  • Theater University of Medellin

  • Jorge Isaac Cali Theater

  • Jorge Eliécer Gaitán Theater Bogotá

  • Los Fundadores Theater Manizales

  • Opera Maria of Buenos Aires,
    2010 University of Antioquia
    2017 New Orleans

  • Thalia Spanish Theater in New York in 2015- 2016

  • Tango Untangled in New York 2024 sold out two times at Teatro Círculo.

Carlos has performed on stage with world-renowned tango orchestras, such as; Ariel Ardit, Sextet Mayor, Nelson Alberti Sans Souci and sexteto milonguero.