Humans of Tango

Liz Sabatiuk
  • 5.0 (10)
  • ARTS
  • UPDATED SEMIMONTHLY

Bimonthly-ish podcast exploring what tango has to teach through the experiences of those who dance it.

  1. FEB 14

    Creating spaces to grow, with Astrid Weiske

    After 13 years organizing the renowned and beloved International Queer Tango Festival in Berlin, Astrid Weiske reflects on why she started the festival, how queer tango has evolved since she started dancing, and what’s next on her tango path. Producer/Host: Liz Sabatiuk | Music: "Gipsy Vals" by El Cachivache Quinteto Tango | Image Credit: Ksusha Ivanova, © QTFestival Berlin Show Notes Visit Astrid’s website, check out her YouTube channel, then read about the 13th and final International Queer Tango Festival Berlin, held in July of 2025. Read a brief summary of Berlin’s queer history. Listen to “Roles and evolution - body and mind, with Brigitta Winkler.” Watch archival footage from the original TangoMujer tour, then check out a video Astrid filmed of Brigitta Winkler and Rebecca Shulman performing in 2006. Read an article from 2007 about Marga Nagel y Ute Walter. Learn more about Augusto Balizano (a.k.a. La Marshall, a.k.a. Godfather of Queer Tango) in the first episode of Humans of Tango. Browse posts by The Queer Tango Project about Mariana Docampo, another trailblazer of queer tango in Buenos Aires and order her book on queer tango in Buenos Aires! From bullying to online censorship, learn more about the biggest challenges to LGBTQ+ progress today. Read a transcript of Astrid's episode here.

    30 min

  2. 12/07/2025

    Viviendo sueños, con Emmanuel Trifilio [Castellano]

    Argentino y lector (así se auto-describe) Emmanuel Trifilio habla de su experiencia tocando bandoneón, componiendo música y viviendo como inmigrante y artista en Washington, DC. --- Argentine and reader (as he describes himself) Emmanuel Trifilio talks about his experience playing bandoneon, composing music, and living as an immigrant and artist in Washington, DC. [In Spanish with an English translation here.] Creadora/Producer: Liz Sabatiuk | Música/Music: "De Cayetano" grabado por Trifilio Tango Trio y "El Eco de tu Amor" grabado por QuinTango | Image(n): Eric Booth Notas / Show Notes Lee más sobre Emmanuel en su sitio web. Luego escucha sus composiciones para Trifilio Tango Trío y QuinTango y ve el vídeo donde bailamos yo y Rubén. / Read more about Emmanuel on his website. Then listen to his compositions for Trifilio Tango Trío and QuinTango and watch the video where I dance with Rubén. Conoce el cuento de Julio Cortazar que menciona Emmanuel, "La noche boca arriba." / Read an English translation of the story Emmanuel mentions by Julio Cortazar, "The Night Face Up." La Casa del Tango en La Plata todavía existe / still exists. Para descubrir el Rock Argentino de la niñez de Emmanuel, ¡revisa esta enciclopedia! / To discover the Argentine Rock of Emmanuel's childhood, check out this encyclopedia! Lee la historia de los bandoneones “AA” y mira a Astor Piazzolla tocar su homenaje “Tristezas de un doble A.” / Read a history of "AA" bandoneons y watch Astor Piazzolla play his homage “Tristezas de un doble A.” Lee más sobre Carlos di Sarli, el compositor y pianista que inspiró el tema “De Cayetano.” / Read more about Carlos di Sarli, the composer and pianist who inspired the song "De Cayetano." Emmanuel “cita” a un amigo en el episodio; se refiere a Miguel Di Genova de Otros Aires. / Emmanuel "cites" a friend in the episode; he's referring to Miguel Di Genova de Otros Aires. Read an English translation of Emmanuel's episode here. Ve una transcripción del episodio de Emmanuel aquí.

    38 min

  3. 10/27/2025

    Roles and evolution - body and mind, with Brigitta Winkler

    “I change because I can.” German tango pioneer Brigitta Winkler shares what she's most passionate about 40 years into her tango journey and why she believes in tango's ability to unite. Producer/Host: Liz Sabatiuk | Music: “Margo,” by Armando Pontier with lyrics by Homero Expósito | Image Credit: Unknown SHOW NOTES Visit Brigitta's website or watch her dance with Rebecca Shulman, Tomás Howlin, and Astrid Weiske. Two tango humans previously featured on this podcast consider Brigitta a mentor: Aja Fenn and Mitra Martin. Read an interview with Brigitta that includes the iconic black and white photo described in the episode. Watch a video of Brigitta's and Angelika's teachers, Gloria and Eduardo Arquimbau. Learn more about Eric Jorisson via interviews for Joe's Tango Podcast and DonAgucho. Watch clips from Tango Mujer performances featuring Brigitta. Learn more about movement systems Brigitta has studied: Body-Mind Centering; Release, Alexander, Feldenkrais, and Klein techniques; contact improvisation; Authentic Movement; Axis Syllabus; the Franklin Method; and Fighting Monkey. Read the lyrics of "Margo" in English thanks to the Tango Poetry Project. Visit the Queer Tango Project website and read Birthe Havmoeller's  "10 Dogme Rules For The Dance Style of 'Queer Tango.'" Follow Manu Sanz on Facebook or through her collaboration, "Poetry, Tango y Otras Hierbas." (Bonus points if you nerd out in Spanish about her inspiration for the term "emirecs"!)  Listen to Brigitta's interview for Joe's Tango Podcast. Read a transcript of Brigitta's episode here.

    33 min

  4. 09/01/2025

    Somatic tango wisdom for everyday life, with Simona Ciampi

    Almost 4 years after making the case for why we should all be dancing tango, Simona Ciampi is back to share her experiences with healing through art and how she's using skills learned through tango to improve her daily life. Producer/Host: Liz Sabatiuk | Music: "El Carillon de la Merced" by Enrique S. Discepolo, performed by Carlos Molina y Su Orquesta | Image Credit: Alejandra Rúa Álvarez Show Notes Listen to the original episode, "Why we should all be dancing tango, with Simona Ciampi," and follow Simona on Instagram. Learn more about Simona’s somatic coach, Chen Lizra. View the painting Simona created inspired by her family history. Watch examples of the Italian folk dances Simona mentions: Tarantella, Tammurriata, and Pizzica. Read a transcript of Simona's episode here.

    25 min

  5. 05/28/2025

    Love takes practice, with Mitra Martin

    "...through, just, love and committing to your own journey within a culture and within a craft and within a practice, you can embody whatever you want to. And there's nobody to tell you that it's not authentic or real or enough." Co-founder of Oxygen Tango School and Awaken Tango Mitra Martin talks about her Persian heritage and the value of research, innovation, acceptance, and attention in tango. Producer/Host: Liz Sabatiuk | Music: “Zorzal”, arranged and recorded by Orquesta Típica Misteriosa Buenos Aires with music and lyrics by Dorita Zárate | Image Credit: Glenn Campbell Show Notes Learn more about Mitra's perspectives and work on her website. (Bonus points if you learn more about “The Romance of the Rose” and gardens in Persian poetry or even read Mitra's thesis!) Read some background about Iran’s history and government, then read Mitra’s reflections on Iran's 2022 protests. TriANGulO changed locations but is still going strong as a studio and community under the leadership of its founder, Carina Moeller. Listen to “Instinct Tango, with Aníbal Dominguez” for another perspective on how contact improv relates to tango. Read why Mitra recommends learning tango one-on-one rather than in conventional group classes. Listen to different versions of the same song, “El Choclo,” to get a sense of the different styles of Carlos Di Sarli and Juan D’Arienzo. Learn more about Marshall Rosenberg’s framework of nonviolent communication and read a post by the student Mitra mentioned, Andrei Andreev, applying Rosenberg's framework to tango. Listen to “Flowing together, with Avik Basu” and visit Awaken Tango to read the Inner Experience of Tango report. Mitra shouted out the following folks as key sources of inspiration and support in her tango journey: Avik Basu, Stefan Fabry, Jaimes Friedgen, Korey Ireland, Dave Lampson, Carina Moeller, Rebecca Shulman, Daniel Trenner, and Brigitta Winkler. Read a transcript of Mitra's episode here.

    36 min

  6. 03/17/2025

    Free-heeling, with Scott Boddye

    In summer of 2021, Scott Boddye said goodbye to all but two-suitcases worth of worldly possessions and became a digital nomad. Since then, he's traveled on 4 continents and counting, learned to dance in heels, and created a social media platform for tango dancers. Producer/Host: Liz Sabatiuk | Music: "Loca" composed by Manuel Jovés, arranged and recorded by Tango Bardo | Image Credit: Kappu Chino Show Notes UPDATE: Mundo Tango is up and running! Check it out and create a profile, then learn more about Scott on his website. Learn more about Daniela Borgialli, Scott's first tango teacher, then read an article about the Tango Club at Arizona State University - which is still going strong almost 20 years after Scott studied there! For a deeper dive on gender norms and tango, check out any or all of the following HoT episodes: Small movements toward tango for all, with Arno Plass; Embracing to change the world, with Alex Pacheco Castillo; Image, authenticity, and building bridges, with Phi Lee Lam; Reflections of a queer tango trailblazer, with Augusto LaMarshall. Read a transcript of Scott's episode here.

    26 min

  7. 01/29/2025

    Context/o, con/with Matías Mauricio [English + Castellano]

    FIRST BILINGUAL EPISODE! / ¡PRIMER EPISODIO BILINGÜE!  After a youthful stint in a rock band, Matías Mauricio turned his artistic inclinations to tango. Today he teaches and writes essays, books, and lyrics, and generally lives and breathes tango in his hometown of Buenos Aires. / Luego de un paso juvenil por una banda de rock, Matías Mauricio volcó sus inclinaciones artísticas al tango. Hoy enseña y escribe ensayos, libros y letras y, en general, vive y respira el tango en su ciudad natal de Buenos Aires. Producer/Host: Liz Sabatiuk | Music: "Capullo de Miel," composed by Javier Arias with lyrics by Matías Mauricio, performed by La Orquesta Típica Misteriosa Buenos Aires with Eliana Sosa | Image Credit: María Aimaretti (Matías is pictured holding a photograph of Enrique Santos Discépolo) Show Notes/Notas Learn more about Matías’s work on his website. / Aprende más sobre el trabajo de Matías en su sitio web o leyendo estos artículos. Read full translations of / lee traducciones completas de "Capullo de Miel" and / y "Mi Noche Triste" courtesy of / gracias al Tango Poetry Project. Listen to "Instinct Tango, with Aníbal Dominguez" to hear Daniel Melingo's musical interpretation of "En un Bondi Color Humo" / o puedes escuchar el tema directamente aquí y leer el poema aquí. In the episode Rubén reads this translation of "Tormenta" by Poesía de Gotán. I also recommend checking out Jake Spatz's translation with additional historical context. / En castellano, Tangos al bardo ofrece un buen resumen del contexto histórico de "Tormenta."  Read more about the compadrito. / Lee una definición de "compadrito." Meredith Klein leads many tango-related projects, among them / guia muchos proyectos relacionados con el tango, entre ellos Philadelphia Argentine Tango School and / y Bochinche Records. Read more about Meredith (in English) and watch her dance / o lee un artículo sobre ella en castellano. Here are the contemporary tango artists Matías mentioned in his interview (with links) / Aquí van les artistas del tango contemporáneo que mencionó Matías durante su entrevista (con enlaces): Luis Alposta; Roberto Selles; Orquesta Típica Pichuco; La Juan D’Arienzo; Los Reyes del Compas; Romantica Milonguera; Fernandez Fierro; Astillero; Rascasuelos; Cuarteto La Púa; Bombay BsAs; Marisa Vasquez; Cintia Trigo; Patricia Malanca; Alfredo Tape Rubín; Jorge "Alorsa" Pandelucos; Victoria Di Raimondo; Carlos Rossi; Cucuza Castiello; Walter "El Chino" Laborde; Sandra Luna; Lidia Borda; Black Rodríguez Méndez; Eliana Sosa. Read a transcript of Matías's episode here. / Lee la transcripción del episodio de Matías aquí.

    51 min

  8. 10/30/2024

    Our mentors, ourselves, with Aja Fenn

    Aja Fenn on the value of committing to our teachers, the significance of the yin-yang symbol to tango, how performance culture has evolved since she started, her philosophy on social dancing, and what's inspiring her 24 years into her tango journey. Producer/Host: Liz Sabatiuk | Music: "Duo de Amor" written by Astor Piazzolla, performed by Tango Bardo | Image Credit: Maurice Kaplan Show Notes Learn more about Aja's current activities through Fabrica Tango's website or by perusing her YouTube channel, then watch Aja perform with Fabrica co-founder Masha Abapolnikova (in Philly, as mentioned in the episode). See the trailer of the film that inspired Aja to try tango, The Tango Lesson. See what Aja's first maestro, Matías Facio, is up to these days, then learn more about legendary milonguero Tete Rusconi and Aja's first practice partner, Mitra Martin. Learn more about Sharna Fabiano's current work exploring the relationship of lead and follow, then watch clips from TangoMujer performances and a performance where Sharna and Aja switch roles. Nerd out about the origin of the yin yang. Watch Brigitta Winkler perform or visit her website, then watch a performance by Nancy Lavoie. Nerd out about tango nuevo. Read a transcript of Aja's episode here.

    35 min
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5
out of 5
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About

Bimonthly-ish podcast exploring what tango has to teach through the experiences of those who dance it.

Information

  • Creator
    Liz Sabatiuk
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    30
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2022 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Humans of Tango