| Steve and Diane Neely are 2 of the founders of ATC and presently the primary teachers. | Tina Eaton (from Atlanta) is a frequent instructor with ATC |
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| Steve and Diane Neely In the late 1990’s, while working in Puerto Rico, Steve encountered Salsa. Diane had wanted him to start dancing for years, but when he saw Salsa he got interested (“I don’t know what that is but if I’m going to dance—I want to do that”). Back on the mainland, Steve and Diane became regulars in the local Salsa scene.
They began their interest in Argentine Tango a few years later at a local Ballroom Studio. Then a trip to Honolulu, Hawaii taking classes with George Garcia opened their eyes to the greater world of Argentine Tango. Subsequent trips to workshops in Atlanta, and to milongas in Atlanta and New Orleans, set in motion a journey that continues today. In the past 10 years, Steve and Diane have received instruction from teachers via private lessons as well as at tango festivals and weekend workshops in Denver, Tucson, Atlanta and others. Exploring the greater world of tango lead them to receive instruction from Rick and Linda Wilson (Atlanta). Their first and most important mentors were Barbara Durr (Washington D.C.) , Angel Montero (Atlanta), and Susana Miller (BA). Their dance has also been heavily influenced by Alex Krebs (Portland), Robin Thomas (NYC), Brigitta Winkler (NYC, Germany), Hsueh-tze Lee (Boston), Tomas Howlin (Montreal), and many others. Diane and Steve have considerable experience dancing in milongas across the nation (particularly Portland, Seattle, Tucson, Boulder, Denver, and New Orleans). They dance regularly in milongas across the Southeast US. They have traveled internationally as well, receiving training and attending milongas in Dublin, Ireland, Vancouver, BC, Victoria, Vancouver Island, Bogota, Colombia, and, of course, Buenos Aires. After 10 years of dancing Argentine Tango, they remain dedicated to dancing, performing, teaching, and growing social Argentine Tango in Augusta/CSRA. |
Tango Eco Argentine… Tina Marie Eaton: Tina’s dance background involves a lifetime in the arts and in dance education. In early 2009 she began a tango journey which quickly became her true sense of belonging to an art and expression of the heart. The study of tango and the desire to share her passion with others led her to seek out the best teachers along the way and finally in early 2012, she would travel to Buenos Aires, Argentina to live for 3 months, attending daily intensive classes, workshops, and seminars with world renowned teachers, and dancing tango nightly in all the famous Milonga Halls. Upon returning, Tina founded Tango Eco and started teaching and growing Tango in the North Atlanta region. Her philosophy is that of holistic learning in the art of tango social dancing. Her classroom is filled with passion, authenticity and cultural traditions, and she draws from her classically trained background to solidify movement knowledge, musicality, understanding of the singular tango body, the dual tango body, the art of partnering and the art of expression through tango. Tina is known for her extensive knowledge in both leading and following, the ability to breakdown movement, and her unwavering patience in teaching.
Tina Marie Eaton |