Want to be an excellent dancer ? Brian Nguyen, who in just a few years became USA Tango champion and third place worldwide with his partner Yuliana, tells it like it is ! How to do it ? Well, start with “absolute destruction of the ego.” It’s inspiring to have someone with such a passion to excel as part of Oxygen Tango. Read the interview with Holly Darling, and find out how you can study with Brian and Yuliana here.
As part of our month exploring excellence in Tango, Holly Darling interviewed Oxygen teacher Yuliana Basmajyan, current USA Tango champion and third place worldwide with her partner Brian. Read what motivates her to vanquish her obstacles, and her subtle, heartfelt views on how we can “Breathe, Embrace, Excel.”by Holly Darling
Our new Oxygenation Registration Consultant, Katya, interviewed below, also happens to be a warrior of inner strength, which she cultivates (in herself and those lucky enough to be around her) through her Buddhist, psychotherapy, and tango practices.
As a Buddhist, she chants and studies philosophy in order to uncover inner unlimited potential, and foster self-empowerment. In this practice, every problem is an opportunity for growth and everyone has the capacity for enlightenment in the present moment. Beautiful!
As a psychotherapist, she helps people navigate through the array of their experiences and feelings to find balance and strength for finding self-acceptance and hope.
As a tango dancer, the challenge of staying in the moment propels Katya to keep dancing in order to discover higher and higher tango plateaus and heights. In tango and in becoming the Oxygenator, Katya has developed a stronger sense of connectedness.
by Mitra Martin
Beyond being our Runner Up Tango KaBloom winner, Edith Chen is an Asian American Studies Professor at Cal State Northridge. She’s been to almost every salsa joint in the US and now she’s on the Tango path. And she says that the most important things in her life are diet, exercise, friends, and sleep ! Hear that ? So not all Tango characters are 100% nocturnal. Edith and I had soup & sangria at Pitfire Pizza this week and talked about the role Tango plays in her life and her experiences in the community. Bottom line, “There’s nothing like it.”
How did you start Tango ?
Well dance wasn’t something that was necessarily encouraged in my household…but I’ve always liked dancing since I was little. There has always been this inner dancer within.
