Mariela
Franganillo, Argentine Tango
Mariela Franganillo is warm, personable, exciting and among the most highly
regarded tango dancers and teachers of her generation. She learned
to dance tango in the milongas in Buenos Aires before studying with Gustavo
Naveira and dancing with his Tango Troupe in 1990.
Born and raised in Buenos Aires, Mariela is a dancer, choreographer and producer. Early highlights of her career include performances of Los Tangueros at the Teatro Cervantes (1992) in Buenos Aires, and appearances at the tangueria Casa Blanca (1993), the Smithsonian Insititute in Washington, DC (1994) and Stanford University (1994-5). She was a featured dancer in the show Forever Tango in 1996 and choreographed and performed various numbers in the experimental production Tango Fusion a year later. More recently, Mariela appeared in the Broadway cast of Forever Tango, A Tribute to Astor Piazzolla at the Weill Recital Hall in New York City, the National Dance Week festival in Washington DC, a number of concerts with Fernando Otero's quintet X-Tango (for which she was partnered by Pablo Pugliese), and elsewhere in and around New York.
Mariela used her extensive choreography and performance expertise to co-produce Swango – the Fusion, an innovative evening of Argentine tango and swing dance that first gave performances in New York City in 2002 and led to the eventual development of the full-length musical Swango. She has choreographed and produced several tango shows. Mariela and her company have performed on the world's leading stages including Broadway, City Center, Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall and Symphony Space.
A
gifted and enthusiastic teacher who has given workshops across the United
States, Canada and Japan, Mariela has maintained an extensive instructional
program in New York City since October 1997. She bring a fresh enthusiasm
for tango that is melded with polished skills, years of experience, and a legacy
that stretches back to the golden-era of tango
In addition to her classes for all levels of students and numerous advanced workshops, Mariela coordinated the Dance Manhattan's program of workshops taught by guest teachers. She also conducted a program of partner dancing for teenagers with the salsa dancer Mariana Parma and lindy-hop specialist Janice Wilson. Mariela currently directs her own tango school.
