Sakura Tango Festival 2025

ASATO-PAIS is one of the key figures in today’s tango scene in Argentina and around the world.The duo covers various branches of the genre, from the most traditional and danceable tango, to their own interpretations of Piazzolla's music, and even incorporating contemporary music works.
Ayelén and Cristián are also known for revolutionizing the way ducational content is created on YouTube. With a fresh and dynamic style, their videos have become a hallmark of modern tango.

Ayelén Pais: Bandoneon player
Originally from La Pampa, she has been residing in Buenos Aires since 2007. Considered one of the leading female bandoneonists, she is part of a generation that has successfully opened new professional opportunities for women.
She is a member of the cast of "El Querandí," the "Tango Legends" company, and also performs as a soloist at numerous events. In parallel with her artistic career, she creates educational material focused on new approaches to learning the bandoneon.

Cristián Asato: Pianist
Born in 1982 in Buenos Aires, he is currently one of the most renowned pianists of the new generation in tango. He serves as the musical director for the "Tango Legends" company and is a member of Víctor Lavallén's septet, the legendary bandoneonist from Osvaldo Pugliese's orchestra.
In addition to his work as a professional musician, he also works in the multimedia field, contributing creatively with digital tools to enhance music education.

Naoko Iwatsu (accordion), Taeko Akimoto (Piano), Aogu Tanimoto (violin)

Since its formation in Fukuoka in 1999, they continues to thoroughly representing the dynamism and fun of Argentine tango.

Their dynamic and lively performances, centered around famous pieces from the golden age of tango, are especially popular at milongas, where people who love tango gather and dance.

So far, he has toured Argentina five times in Buenos Aires, as well as performed at festivals and milongas both domestically and internationally.

CDs "1" to "7", 20th anniversary CD "Selección", and latest work "8" released in November 2023.

Born in Mar del Plata, Argentina. He has been involved with Tiempo Iberoamericano´s project in Fukuoka, Japan since 2002.
He is a key-player in the development of tango in Fukuoka being undoubtedly the local main tango DJ for 15 years.
He is one of the organizers, producer and has played as DJ in Sakura Tango Festival since the first edition.

The floor where DJ TOMO plays always has a good atmosphere.
When asking Tomo what his secret to DJing is, he replied, "When I look at the floor, the air on that floor tells me which song to play next."
In 2002, he studied a number of domestic and foreign dances, including Argentine tango.
In 2003 he started DJing at Yokosuka's long-established Tango Club Manatee.
After that, he was first seen by a famous dancer and advanced to Tokyo, and thus began his nationwide popularity.
He mainly works in Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and Yokohama. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, he played more than 70 plays a year, and all the floors where he DJed lit up.
During these sad times of the pandemic, Tomo decided to go active online, planning and executing various projects including the "We can support project", "Esperanza", "Tecleando Virtual Milonga", etc., thus connecting Tango artists, organizers and Tango lovers. Moreover, he dedicated all profits raised in these projects to the artists. He has been working with the motivation and goal of preventing the decline of the tango culture during this pandemic period.
In addition to the above, Tomo is often invited to various events such as openings, anniversaries, and other special events.
In recent years, he has been active in "La Milonga" sponsored by JTFA, 2017-2019 Sakura Tango Festival, Tokyo Tango Festival, Kansai Tango Festival, etc.
One special event he participated in was the 2020 Mayday Virtual Milonga hosted by BsAs DNA online. Tomo has also served as the main DJ of many other events.
Needless to say, Tomo is the most extensive and recognized DJ in Japan today.
He is highly trusted by many professional dancers, and they say, "I want TOMO to create the sound of the performance."
The selection of songs is not limited to just the golden era, but includes a wide range of eras and many Orchestras. Music that are easy to dance are selected according to the atmosphere of the place.
He has a good reputation for how to play music , and it is often said that "his music play is different from other music plays that one usually hears because he leads one to hear sounds that one usually does not hear.”
He has fans in a wide range of ages and in many countries, especially from women.
The milonga he plays is never dismissed until the end.

Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, he began to dance tango in 1997. Among his most important teachers are Gabriel Angio and Natalia Games, Mingo and 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 and María del Carmen, Damian Esell and Nancy Louzan among others. Since 1999 he has been dedicated to the teaching of tango. In 2001 he settled in Japan where he has his own academy "El Porteño", and he is the organizer of one of the oldest milongas of that country (La Típica de Kitano) where he is also a DJ. In 2002 he starred in the tango documentary "Nosotros" along with other great dancers like Petaca and Hernán Álvarez Prieto. Since the fundation of the Tango Ensemble Coqueta has been performing as a principal dancer for 10 years, in his numerous concerts and shows.. He is also invited to teach in China and other Asian countries for 15 years. Lately he is tempted to teach and give demonstrations in various cities of Europe. He is also the organizer of major tango events and festivals in Japan.

Born in Yokohama and started Tango in Sapporo.
She has taken classes from a number of maestros at Cafetin de Buenosaire in Osaka and has studied under artists including Pablo & Noelia, Jorge Torres, Analia & Luiz, Gabriel Misse, Daniel & Cristina, Ernest Borgonovo, Ernesto & Paola, Roberto & Lam, Yuki & Dani. DJ Fukky started her work as a DJ at Milonga in Sapporo.
She learned piano and was initially attracted to classical music. Since then, she has totally fallen in love with Tango music and has been involved with dancing romantic selections of traditional music from the golden age of Tango. DJ Fukky currently works mainly in Osaka and Sapporo and has participated in this Sakura Tango Festival in both 2017 and 2018.

He is a dance enthusiast himself. After experiencing Social, Salsa, Bachata, and Milonguero styles, he transitioned into being a Tango DJ. A true Latin Lover at heart. With experience as an event MC, he is highly responsive to the audience's reactions. He specializes in dynamic music, from traditional numbers to Vals, Milonga, and Nuevo. Known for his song selection from a dancer's perspective, which prioritizes the joy of dancing. As a bilingual, he also acts as an interpreter and host for international dancers, embodying the dual role of MC-TDJ.
Main TDJ Experience:
• Astrorico PIEBES / Live Milonga - Tiempo de Tango
• Daniel Nacucchio y Cristina Sosa - Milonga at Osaka City Hall
• Neri Piliu and Yanina Quinones in Osaka - Cafetin de Buenos Aires
• Ekinaka de Tango / KANSAI Tango Orquesta
• Numerous DJ performances at Milongas and Tango events hosted by Cafetin de Buenos Aires in Osaka.

She started dancing Argentine Tango in 2001. After traveling to Argentina in 2005, she aimed to create a space in Kobe where people could enjoy Argentine Tango dance and music, and in 2007, she began hosting La Morocha Milonga de Kobe. That same year, she also started her career as a DJ. Currently, she is active mainly as a guest DJ at milongas in the Keihanshin area, as well as in Okayama, Hiroshima, and other regions of western Japan. In 2023 and 2024, she served as the DJ for the Kobe Barrier-Free Milonga and in 2024 for the After Milonga at the Fukuoka Sakura Tango Festival.

Michael “KB” Hsu, from Taipei, Taiwan, has been a tango DJ for nearly 10 years. He frequently DJs for the Viernes Milonga and the Saturday Milonga at Tanguisimo Salon in Taipei. Previously, he was one of the two initial resident DJs for the month-end Saturday Remolino Milonga in Taipei. In 2023 he was invited to DJ at the Manila Tango Adicto Marathon. The 2025 Sakura Tango Festival will be his first major DJ event in Japan. Michael’s music style is primarily focused on the Golden Age period sprinkled with late works from the major orchestras and the occasional modern tandas. He is looking forward to bring dancing enjoyment for the festival participants.