“Dancing has been my life. It’s the only thing I love … the only thing I’ve ever done, and The Tango is my soul,” so says Danel when asked what has been important in his life.

It all started in Buenos Aires, Argentina where he grew up and, at a very young age, frequented the local Milongas [Tango dance halls]. As a teenager he became a member of such organizations as Club Atletico, Velez Sarfield, El Club Bochin, and El Club Rollings. During the 40’s and 50’s all the greatest “orquestas tipicas” appeared there – among them Pugliese, D’Arienzo, Troilo, DeAngelis, Piazzolla, Alberto Castillo, and Canaro to name but a few. The best milongueros came to dance at these clubs and Danel became friends with many of them.

Over 40 years ago, while in New York, Danel studied ballet and jazz at the International Dance School in Carnegie Hall. It was in a ballet class that he became friends with Juan Carlos Copes and Maria Nieves. It was about that time that he met Maria and in the early 1960’s they presented Argentine Tango at a DMA [Dance Masters of America] convention in New York City. They also held Argentine Tango classes for professionals at the noted Phil Black Tap and Jazz Dance Studio on Broadway in New York City.

Danel and Maria were with the Arthur Murray Organization until 1978 when they purchased the Fred Astaire Dance Studio in Westchester, New York. They managed the Fred Astaire Studio until the mid-eighties.

In 1985 the musical TANGO ARGENTINO opened on Broadway. Danel and Maria saw the opportunity to arouse the public’s interest in learning Argentine Tango, and learning about Argentina and the Argentine people. They originated Tango classes for members of the cast TANGO ARGENTINO. The classes went so well in New York that they decided to present Argentine Tango in other major cities in the United States. They have been on the faculty of many tango weeks including Stanford University Palo Alto, Ca. for several years, Columbus, Ohio Tango Week, Northwestern University, University of Arizona, Santa Fe Tango Retreat – they have given workshops at Stoneybrook University, International School of Business in Glendale, Az, Cornell University, New York University, Pace University, ASU in Tempe, Az and  in various dance schools throughout the United States. For several years they demonstrated and taught the Argentine Tango at  Lincoln Center’s  “Tango Under The Stars”  Summer Festival where 400 to 800 dance enthusiasts would appear.

In 1994 they  were invited to dance at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. Their tango performance was reviewed by the Boston Globe: “…like a ritual…no upper body movement whatsoever, and full of soul to boot.” They have performed in various venues some of which are Roseland Ballroom, N.Y., The Catskill Mountains, Stork Club at the St. Regis Hotel, N.Y., Burns & Swanson’s Studio Brooklyn, Excelsior Club, N.Y, Grand Nationals Competition, Miami in October of 1986, OTI Music Festival, Tucson 1988, Treasure Island Officers Club, San Francisco 1990, Phoenix Community College 1990, Mesa Community College, 1990, Glendale Community College, 1990.  In 2000 they appeared with their Tango Dance Group and the New York Tango Trio with Marga Mitchell in Rockaway, NY and in 2001 they presented “Tango in the Argentine Manner” at the Lovinger Theatre, Lehman College, Bronx, New York. They have choreographed and trained models in Argentine Tango for a Japanese Fashion Show performed in Tokyo and Osaka.

They have taught Madonna for the movie “Evita”, Robert Duvall, Rosanna DeSoto, Joshua Mostel, Adrianne Sachs, Maria Strova, Elizabeth Berkley, Toni Basil and other celebraties as well as people from all walks of life.

Danel and Maria have appeared in W Magazine, Neiman Marcus Magazine, Nordstrom Magazine, The Best of New York 1995 Issue of  New York Magazine, The New York Times; they were interviewed in Dancing USA in 1994 and have appeared in several other magazines and newspapers. They have been interviewed on many major networks such as ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, CNN Latina, Fox 5, PBS City Arts,  Good Day New York, etc.

They try to visit Buenos Aires at least once a year.  “To see the Tango danced by native Argentinians on their native soil, to dance with them, to participate in their celebrations and be welcomed into their “barrios” and into their homes with music and dance is an emotional, uplifting, and educational experience.”