Sakura Tango Festival 2026

Ezequiel Paludi and Geraldina Rojas are internationally acclaimed Argentine tango artists, renowned for their unique and refined style that seamlessly blends technical precision with profound emotional expression. For over two decades, they have brought tango to some of the most prestigious and unexpected stages worldwide, constantly pushing the boundaries of the dance form.

They first performed together in October 2005 in Buenos Aires during the production “Corrientes Esquina Glamor” and later joined the world tour of Forever Tango. Their work spans film, television, advertising, and international festivals, including Schitterend, Máxima: The Series, and performances with Roberto Bolle.

Since 2016, they have taught in Amsterdam, offering a unique program accessible to dancers of all levels. They also founded the Tangomatter community, sharing their expertise in movement, musicality, and connection. Their partnership balances innovation and tradition, capturing the essence of tango while introducing a fresh, contemporary sensitivity.

Bárbara Ferreyra and Agustín Agnez have been dancing together for six years.
They are the 2021 World Tango Pista Champions, as well as professional tango dancers and teachers. Their debut as producers and event organizers took place in October 2022 with their first festival, Encuentro Nacional de Tango Argentino (Penta Tango Festival), held in the province of Córdoba, Argentina.
They have completed five world tours, each lasting between four and nine months, performing in countless cities across Europe, including Spain, Italy, Portugal, Greece, Switzerland, France, Estonia, Finland, Norway, England, Scotland, and Ireland. They have also toured Africa (Tunisia) and Asia (China). While in Buenos Aires, they continue to offer seminars, private classes, competition coaching, and tango performances.
They have also participated in numerous festivals and tango weekends across Argentina and South America, including Chile, Bolivia, and Peru. Additionally, they have served as judges in various competitions, preliminaries, and the World Tango Championship.
They are currently on their fifth international tour (2025–2026), spanning nine months across Europe, Africa, and Asia.

Marcelo Ramer and Selva Mastroti started their artistic development at a very young age. He began his study at 4, with Argentinian folklore, and she at 8, with classic dance. They discovered tango at 16 years old, and received training from distinguished teachers who nurtured their love and respect for tango. This couple have been dancing together for 14 years now, and they never stop learning and developing their own dance, symbolic freshness, spontaneity and elegance combined with with simplicity, working with different companies, shows and festivals. Actually they live in Torino, as artistic directors and teachers of the most important school in the city, ‘Ateneo del Tango’, in Aldobaraldo. They inject great passion and commitment into their classes, greatly enjoying the task of transmitting knowledge, working on tango in all its stages, from the basis of technique to achieve harmonic movement, through subtle sensations resulting in complex movements, not only for aesthetic beauty but mainly for the pleasurable sensation evoked by realizing them in harmony with the music and their partner, forming new lines of improvisation. They are internationally recognized and in demand for their clear pedagogy and teaching structures that provide their students with quality learning, enjoyment and rich knowledge.;

In recent years, Noelia and René have worked together on several tours across Asia, establishing themselves as a frequent artistic duo in the region.

Noelia Coletti began her artistic career in tango 30 years ago, training both as a social dancer and a stage performer. She works as a teacher, coach, and choreographer, and has performed with the most prestigious tango companies and venues, as well as at major Tango Festivals around the world—including Seoul, Beijing, Edinburgh, Singapore, and Taipei. She has taught for Cirque du Soleil and performed for the Emperor of Japan and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands.
For more than 12 years, she has served as a judge at the Buenos Aires City Dance Championship, the BA Tango World Championship, and various preliminaries in Argentina and abroad. She is also one of the organizers of the renowned milonga De Querusa in the Boedo neighborhood.

René Torres : Tango dancer and instructor with 25 years of international experience. He has taught and performed in Argentina, the United States, Canada, Mexico, Italy, France, Egypt, Japan, China, and South Korea.
In 2018, he founded Caminito Tango Club in Tokyo together with Junko Mori, where he continues to train numerous students and build connections between Argentine tango dancers and the Japanese tango community.
Runner-up at the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Tango Championship (2010).

Christian and Nao are internationally renowned professional Argentine tango dancers.
The Argentine Christian and Japanese Nao began dancing as a pair in 2008, and in 2009, they won the Salon category of the Asian Tango Championship.
In 2010, they achieved remarkable success at the Tango World Championship held annually in Argentina, placing 3rd in both the Salon and Stage categories.
From 2011, they performed as regular dancers at Rojo Tango, the tango house of the famous Hotel FAENA in Buenos Aires. Subsequently, they have conducted workshops and performances worldwide, including in the Americas, Europe, and Asia. They have also served as judges for competitions held in countries such as the United States, South Korea, and Venezuela.
They won the Milongueros del Mundo category at the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Tango Championship twice, in 2012 and 2024. At the 2024 Tango World Championship, they placed 5th in the Pista category, showcasing their exceptional skill.

For over 10 years, they have been leading the Buenos Aires (Salón de Tango Argentino) studio in Omotesando, Tokyo, dedicating themselves to the training of the next generation of dancers.

Constanza Vonscheidt and Julian Gysel began working together as a tango couple in 2021, bringing together two regions of Argentina: El Litoral and Patagonia. Their project “Entre Tango y Mate” blends their stories and expresses a return to simplicity, sharing the culture they carry with them.
They take their tango around the world, integrating music and dance as a popular expression of the people. Their journey began in Patagonia and northern Chile, later continuing through Spain and Italy with shows and workshops, accompanying students in their learning processes across the globe. They will soon arrive in Fukuoka, Japan.

Mailen Oucharick and Miguel Santillán are Argentine Tango dancers, choreographers, and masters with a distinguished international career. They achieved significant recognition as semifinalists in both the Tango de Pista and Stage categories at the Tango World Championship in 2023 and 2024. They are also consistent finalists in the prestigious Pre-Cosquín contest in Argentina.
Based in Buenos Aires, they perform in renowned dinner shows such as "Mansión Tango" and "El Viejo Almacén". Their extensive experience in Asia includes teaching at "NPO Tiempo Iberoamericano" in Fukuoka and various studios in Tokyo. Currently, they are active instructors at Tango Life in Seoul, South Korea.
Following their performance at the 2022 Sakura Tango Festival, they return to Fukuoka to showcase their elegant and dynamic style, enriched by their deep roots in folkloric dance.

Mauricio Gorbarán : Born in Zárate, Argentina. With a background in track and field that built his strong physical foundation, Mauricio began studying Argentine tango at the age of 16.
He first came to Japan in 2008, where he spent a year working as a tango teacher and dancer. After returning to Argentina, he joined renowned institutions such as the academy led by the world-famous Hugo Patyn and the company Compañía Tango Rojo directed by Karen Di Giyoani and Luciano Caceres, performing in numerous shows.
In 2016, he relocated to Japan once again, expanding his activities through workshops and performances not only in Tokyo but also in Yokohama, Osaka, Kyoto, and many other regions.
In July 2022, he formed a partnership with Mariko and began working as a tango pareja.
• 2021 Tango World Championship (Mundial de Tango) – Semifinalist in Tango de Pista & Escenario
• 2022 Asian Tango Championship – Finalist (Escenario) / Champion (Milonguero)
• 2022 Indonesia Tango Championship – Finalist (Escenario)
• 2022 D'Arienzo Cup – Champion (JACK Division)
• 2024 D'Arienzo Cup – Champion (JACK Vals Division)

Marko Nakatsubo : From a young age, Marko developed a strong expressive foundation through artistic gymnastics, contemporary dance, flamenco, and other disciplines.
She encountered Argentine tango in 2009, and after participating and placing in various competitions in Japan and abroad, she moved alone to Buenos Aires in August 2017 for six months of intensive study with several maestros.
After returning to Japan, she was invited to perform exhibitions in Tokyo and Shanghai.
In July 2018, she again traveled solo to Argentina, earning two championship titles while competing in various events. Alongside exhibitions with her partners, she joined Jonathan Spitel’s company Lazos de Tango, performing in numerous shows.
She returned to Japan in December 2019 for what was intended as a temporary stay, but due to the pandemic relocated her base to Japan, launching online lessons. Since then, she has been highly active—teaching group and private lessons across Tokyo, Yokohama, Daikanyama, Meguro, Daimon, Tsukiji, and more—while also organizing milongas and helping run the Chiqué Tango Championship.
In July 2022, she formed a pareja with Mauricio Gorbarán. Their activities have since expanded with lessons, workshops, and performances not only in Tokyo but also in Sapporo, Ibaraki, Hanoi, and Shanghai.
• 2016 Jonathan’s Cup – Champion (Tango Pista)
• 2017 Tokyo Tango Marathon Championship (3rd Edition) – Champion
• 2018 Hong Kong Championship – 3rd Place (Tango Pista)
• 2019 Bailar... y nada más Championship – Champion (Tango Pista)
• 2019 Bailar... y nada más Championship – Champion (Milonga)
• 2019 Certamen de Boedo – 3rd Place
• 2019 Campeonato de Baile de la Ciudad – Semifinalist (Milongueros del Mundo & Vals categories)
• 2021 Tango World Championship (Mundial de Tango) – Semifinalist (Tango de Pista)
• 2022 D'Arienzo Cup – Champion (JILL Division)

He spent five years studying in Argentina from 2009, learning tango music composition, arrangement, and percussion, building on his background as a guitarist. Partnering with Natsune, he won second place in the Stage Category at the 2017 Asian Tango Championships, followed by numerous top prizes in competitions across Asia. He later founded the studio EL TANGO OSAKA and is now dedicated to promoting Argentine tango, mainly in Osaka. This year, he also won a group dance competition and continues to gain recognition for his work as a choreographer.

Ernesto Borgonovo: Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Founder and director of Academia de Tango El Porteño, an Argentine tango academy based in Kobe, Japan.
Since the 1990s, he has studied with many renowned tango masters, including Gabriel Angio & Natalia Games, Mingo & Esther Pugliese, Raúl Bravo, Néstor Ray, José Vázquez Lampazo, El Gallego Manolo, Vanina Bilous, Fernando Galera, Vilma Vega, Natalia Hills, Gabriel Misse, Petaca, Jorge Dispari & María del Carmen, and Damián Esell & Nancy Louzan.
After establishing his career in Argentina, he moved to Japan in 2001 with the aim of spreading tango as an art form.
He starred as the main character in NOSOTROS, a film selected for the Cannes Film Festival, served as tango supervisor for Cirque du Soleil’s Alegría, and has been involved in figure skating choreography, as well as collaborations with Japanese comedians and other media appearances. In addition to his artistic career, he engages in charitable activities, donating event proceeds to hospitals and schools. He is frequently invited worldwide as a judge for international tango competitions such as the Asia Tango World Championship, as well as a tango teacher and DJ.

Misun Kang: Representative of Tango Academy “Todo Tango”.
An active figure in the Korean tango scene, she is the organizer and operator of the Korea Argentina Tango Championship. She has worked extensively in choreography and artistic direction across a wide range of genres, including tango, dance, opera, and theater.

Daidai is the founder of ATer Tango studio, which is the first tango studio in China since 2007. After immersed in Chinese folk dance and Ballroom dance for about twenty years, Daidai has been hooked on Tango and then became a professional tango dancer. She has studied tango from many Maestros in Argentina. Besides teaching tango in many cities in China, she also has been invited to teach in other countries to promote tango. Daidai met Liyan in 2012 and then began their partnership. They organized many tango events in Beijing, including workshop of Argentina Maestros, regular classes, practicas and milongas, as well as some public welfare events, such as teaching the blind children to dance tango. They introduce thousands of people into the world of tango and help them to feel the magic of tango, and also bring people to attend many tango festivals abroad to promote the tango communications among various countries. They won the championship of category “Tango de pista libre” of China in 2017. They have been invited to Sakura Tango Festival for many times since 2015.

Daniel Liu: Tango dancer and teacher, co-founder of the Taipei Tango Festival since 2003 and Tanguísimo Tango Space in Taipei since 2008. Having lived his childhood in Costa Rica and Dominican Republic, Daniel is a native speaker of Spanish. Little did he know that he would encounter Argentine Tango in Taiwan in 1997, up to the point of changing his career to become a professional tango dancer. His approach of tango is mainly through dance, but also through culture with massive reading of history and lyrics, and why not, through music by singing and playing the bandoneón. He loves tango salón in its essence, in the milonga, while finding fantasía and stage exhilarating! In the current era of information boom, his biggest challenge is to remain faithful to his teachers and to keep tango as traditionally intact as possible.

Joy Chi Wang: Born and raised in Taiwan, Joy Chi Wang is active in sharing her passion for a variety of arts, she serves as a classical music radio presenter, piano instructor as well as Argentine tango instructor, tango Dj and lecturer.
The very first time that Joy acquantainced with tango is through Piazzolla’s works in her teenage, since then she fell in love with tango, often played the music on piano and started to study the dance with Daniel Liu and Samantha Kuo in 2017 at Tanguisimo, Taipei.
So far Joy has been invited to perform tango at multiple venues, at same time she continues to learn from international top dancers, digging the harmony between purity and creativity of tango. To Joy, the euphoria of dancing tango comes from the music and the intimacy of two, she is thrilled and feels honored to deliver it at Sakura Tango Festival with Daniel and hope you too will enjoy the moment.

Ou: Based in Fukuoka, Ou runs the Tango Studio Inspiración.
She began her dance career as a ballet dancer and later discovered tango.
In 2010, she won the Stage Tango category at the Asian Tango Championship.

Sakurako: Since 2024, Sakurako has been based in Buenos Aires, training under renowned maestros such as Nito and Elba.
During her time in Argentina, she actively expanded her experience by performing in historic milongas like Gente Amiga and Los Laureles, as well as participating in tango shows to further refine her skills.

They formed as a couple in 2017. They work mainly in Kyoto to promote tango.
In addition to participating in events, he holds dance practice sessions at Kyoto Tango Club every weekend, also invites foreign artists to carry out activities in Japan, and participates in the planning and management of events organized by other entities.
She also actively participates as exclusive dancers of KANSAI Tango Orchestra.
Photo ©︎ Miguel Santillan

They started tango in 2005 and established "Cafe de Tango", the oldest tango studio in Busan.
Currently, they are performing and giving lessons in Busan. And they also organize the Busan Tango Festival (BTF) every year.
They established Busan's first tango dance company "juntos". They are working to spread the beauty of tango to as many people as possible by teaching choreography and giving lessons.

[ Awards and major careers ]
■ 2012 World Tango Championship Salon 2nd place
■ 2013 Asian Tango Championship 10th place in Salon
■ 2014 Seoul Metropolitan Tango Championship Formation Ranked 3rd place
■ 2023 "El cxuce Korea" performance

An internationally accomplished tango dancer with a strong presence in competition, education, and community building.
Winner of the Seoul Metropolitan Tango Championship (KTC) 2014 in Tango Pista (Salon), and Overall Champion in Argentine Tango at the 2016 IDO World Dance Cup as a member of the Korean national team.
Founder of the tango academy and community Tango Simba, and choreographer and director of the formation dance team “SIMBA.”
Actively involved in Jack & Jill tango competitions worldwide as an organizer, judge, and champion, including winning the 2025 Shanghai Tango Festival (CMTC). Also serves as a judge at major events such as the 2025 World Tango Championship of Myongji University, contributing to the global tango scene from multiple perspectives.

Taichung Tango Academy (TTA)
Upholding the passion and belief in tango, Taichung Tango Academy was officially established in 2021 amidst the challenges of the pandemic. Our mission includes tango courses, master workshops, lecture, performance workshops, cooperative events and Tango Milonga.

Joe Wu : Founder of Taichung Tango Academy( TTA) in 2021, and keep promoting Argentine Tango in Taichung, Taiwan. Joe is an architect and Tango Dancer,Master in Architecture at TU Delft, The Netherlands and architect, Passionate for design, art and dance, with different living experiences in Europe and Asia, he draws inspirations from different cultures and integrates into dance and teaching. Over the years, he has continued to learn Tango from Argentina masters, participated in tango performances and competitions, studied tango teaching and curriculum design, becoming an all-round tango dancer.

Rebecca Hsueh : in Taichung, Taiwan. She studies education at Taichung University of Education, Passionate about art, travel and exploring the world. Besides learning dancing from different Argentina masters, she also researches tango music and DJ methods. After travelling to Argentina for a short-term study, she became a music DJ in Taiwan aiming to inherit the classical spirit of Argentina Tango, a dancer and a teacher who can inspire people in the world.

Performance experience :
2021
• Sway Choir Annual Concert at Taichung Chungshan Hall, Taichung, Taiwan
• Middle Town Suzuran Toori Festival, Taichung, Taiwan.
• Taichung Historical Building Exploration, Taichung, Taiwan.
• Moxy Hotel, Taichung, Taiwan
2022
• Middle Town Suzuran Toori Festival, Taichung, Taiwan
2024
• Esteban Moreno & Claudia Codega Master workshop grand milonga, Taichung, Taiwan.
2025
• JW milonga, Tango performance, Taichung Tango Academy, Taichung, Taiwan
• Alam Tango, Taichung national theater, Taichung, Taiwan
2026
• Esteban Moreno & Claudia Codega Master workshop grand milonga, Taichung, Taiwan.