Who Are We?

Welcome to TangoLab! We are Argentine tango teachers and dancers located in Ann Arbor, Michigan who are deeply in love with this beautiful and most fascinating social dance and are excited to share our love and knowledge with you.

Yelena believes that having a passion in life is as necessary as the air we breathe. Passion gives you energy of purpose and feeds your soul. For Yelena that passion is Argentine Tango: tango as music and dance, tango as a way of discovering her inner world and others’. Tango found her in 2001. It literally transformed her life and ever since she shares her passion with her students.

As a dancer, she is recognized for her innate musicality and heartfelt connection and although she experimented with different styles in tango, her first and everlasting love remained social tango. As a teacher she emphasizes good technical skills necessary to dance with ease and elegance while encouraging her students to seek deeper tango experience through emotional connection with the music.

Yelena has been actively involved in cultivating her home tango community in Ann Arbor where she dances, teaches, DJs and hosts popular tango events, such as Sunday Milonga Gitana Rusa and Ann Arbor Tango Marathon. Besides her regular classes in Ann Arbor, she taught numerous workshops around the country, including Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Denver, Albuquerque, San Diego, and Salt Lake City.

Edmond has been dancing since he was young, starting with Balkan folkloric music. While exploring this connection between rhythm and body movement, he discovered and fell in love with Argentine tango in 2010. 

Edmond approaches teaching and learning tango in a detail oriented and pedagogical manner. The main focus is placed on the connection between the two partners, and their connection to the music. Tango has helped Edmond immerse himself in learning and growing, not only as a dancer and teacher, but also on a personal level.

Aside from dancing and teaching, Edmond is also an experienced and sought after tango DJ. Inspired by his passion for tango music, he has developed a rich style full of rhythmical presence and lyrical complexity.  DJing regularly in Ann Arbor and nearby communities, Edmond attentively manages the flow of energy to enhance the dancers’ connection while keeping the crowd invigorated with playful cortinas and milongas so fast they’ll make your feet hurt. Edmond is frequently invited to DJ at various festivals and marathons, including Ann Arbor, Montreal, Toronto, Boston, Tampa, Buffalo, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Indianapolis and Cleveland.