2017 Javier y Moira Hong Kong Workshop

2017 Hong Kong Workshop

Javier Rodriguez y Moira Castellano

The Artist

Javier Rodriguez is no stranger to the Hong Kong tango community. Having completed his 10th visit to Hong Kong last year, he returns to Hong Kong in November with his new partner, Moira Castellano. Javier is one the most influential Argentine Tango maestros in the world. He started learning tango at the age of 18 with his father, Jorge Rodriguez. Since 1998 he has been touring extensively in Europe and Asia, participating in the most prestigious tango festivals where he never failed to inspire the participants with his dance, pedagogy and charm. His previous partnerships with Geraldine Rojas and Andrea Misse were one of the most iconic and beloved partnerships in the history of tango, and continue to be the references of many tango dancers today. He has taken an indispensable role in cultivating the traditional tango environment as we see now especially in many Asian cities, introducing the cabeceo and the codigos of the milongas, and nurturing many of today’s best tango dancers. He was also frequently invited to be part of the Jury for the World Tango Championships in Buenos Aires.

Moira Castellano returns to Hong Kong this year since her first visit to the city in 2013 with her previous partner, Gaston Torelli. Moira has an extensive dance background going back to her childhood, when she studied ballet and modern dance. She discovered tango in 1996, and have studied with Vanina Bilous and Roberto Herrera, Natalia Games and Gabriel Angio, Fabian Salas, Gustavo Naveira, among others. For seven years she has worked for a dance company in Paris in productions incorporating tango, theatre and modern dance. After partnering with Pablo Inza for a few years, in 2008 she began her partnership with Gaston Torelli, with whom she traveled all over the world to teach and perform. Together, they organized the Misterio Tango Festival, one of the most important tango events held yearly in Buenos Aires. Moira is currently one of the references in the tango pedagogy, where she focuses on basic concepts, body conditioning, connection and sensibility. She is known for the quality of movement in her dance, in which she projects elegance, personality, tradition, and innovation.