Graciela Gonzalez
From Buenos Aires, Argentina
Graciela's Bio
Graciela Gonzalez is a worldwide known tango dancer and teacher. She is particularly highly considered among the traditional milongueros in Buenos Aires who recognize her ability in integrating new pedagogical ideas within the contest of the traditionally elegant tango salon.
Her partnership with Pupy Castello, at the beginning of her career, projected her into the incoming wave of the rediscovery of tango around the late eighties beginning nineties. Her experience is such that her body memory retains what was to dance with most of the prominent milongueros of all times, most of whom are passed away.<br>
She translated her experience into a very innovative teaching method which aims to bring the body memory of movements and feelings into natural body positions that guide the dance of both the leader and follower.
She was the first teacher that developed seminars specifically intended to introduce the dancers to a more technical approach to the tango. Now her proposal takes a challenging approach contrasting the tango technique with an approach that she calls the anti-tecnica.
Graciela's Training
Graciela started dancing Argentine tango in 1988. Her teachers, the greatest of Argentine Tango, were Pupi Castello (her most important teacher, with whom she eventually formed a dance partnership
that was famous all over the world during 20 years of their teaching and dancing together), Pepito Avellaneda, Antonio Todaro, Gustavo Naveira, Juan Bruno, TetÈ, Martha Anton and Manolo, El
Turco Jose’, Lampazo, Eduardo Pareja, Nito and Elba among many others.
Graciela's Teaching Method.
Graciela’s teaching methodology is very innovative. Forging her approach through years of dedicated study of body movement and drawing insights from her experiences dancing with milongueros, she has crafted a method aimed at guiding students from the realm of instinct and physical memory to a realm of natural body positions. Over time, these positions evolve into refined techniques that serve as the foundation for crafting each dancer’s distinct style.
Graciela emerges as a leading figure in a new generation of tango luminaries, her influence resonating far beyond her immediate circle. Her pioneering research led her to develop workshops that have become cornerstones of tango pedagogy worldwide, including the groundbreaking Followers’ Technique (1994) and Leaders’ Technique (1995) workshops, revered and emulated even in the heart of tango’s birthplace, Buenos Aires.
Among Graciela’s illustrious roster of students are renowned professional female dancers such as Mora Godoy, Lorena Ermocida, Corina de la Rosa, Elina Roldán, Tamara Juhan, Verónica Alvarenga, Vilma Vega, Karina Romero, Nancy Lousan, Florencia Taccetti, Carina Losano, Fernanda Ghi, Monica Spanu, Silvia Rajschmir, and Marcela Duran, among many others. Their artistic journeys bear the indelible imprint of Graciela’s tutelage, reflecting her commitment to nurturing individual expression within the framework of tango tradition.
Equally noteworthy are the male dancers who have benefited from Graciela’s guidance, evolving into respected teachers and performers in their own right. Among them stand luminaries like Ramiro Gigliotti, Tomás Howlin, Fernando Galera, Horacio Godoy, Marcelo Varela, Guillermo Barrionuevo, Mimmo Spanu, Pino Perria, Federico Rodriguez Moreno, and numerous others. Their collective success underscores Graciela’s profound impact on shaping the tango landscape, as her teachings continue to inspire and empower generations of dancers to explore the depths of their artistry.