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Sebastian Arrua​
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A true tanguero, Sebastian Arrua was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and began dancing when he was eight years old in a local dance company. By 18 he had graduated from the Escuela Nacional de Danzas de Buenos Aires (National Dance School of Buenos Aires) and knew that Tango was his passion.
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As a teacher Sebastian focuses on the mechanics of movement as a way to facilitate connection and fluidity. For Sebastian, tango is an incredible world that expresses a culture and a way of being, which he strives to share with his students.
Sebastian has performed in some of the most prestigious theaters of Argentina, including the Teatro Colón. Since 2010 he has spent much of his time touring and teaching abroad, including in Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Brazil, Germany, Holland, Denmark, Italy, Slovenia, Canada and the United States. He is currently based in Wellington, New Zealand, where he travels frequently around the country and abroad.​
Sebastian Arrua & Soledad Larretapia, Buenos Aires, 2016
International festivals that he has taught and performed at include: the 4D Tango Festival (Holland, 2015); the New Zealand Tango Festival (2015, 2017, 2023); and Lindy on the Rocks (Hot Night Fusion, United States, 2016).
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For more info, visit Sebastian's website.
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Mira Barakat​
Mira Barakat has been dancing tango since 2006 when she happened upon a milonga in her hometown in CA, USA and immediately felt a connection to the dance. She moved to Buenos Aires in 2010 to study, dance, sing and generally soak up tango. During more than two years there, she studied with some of today’s best dancers.
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Since then Mira has taught and performed tango in New Zealand including on behalf of the Argentine Embassy and at the Wellington Opera House, and also on tour to Samoa representing Argentina. She currently has a private tango studio in Oakland, California, USA, and she teaches group classes around the Bay Area. She was a member of the all-women’s tango company group Tango Con*Fusión for three seasons and toured with them to Buenos Aires and Berlin.
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Mira has been returning every year to Buenos Aires and has worked with Sebastian Arrua to create and lead the first Tango Evolution trip in 2015, continuing almost every year since.
As one of the Tango Evolution guides, Mira brings with her her talents for tango - dancing, teaching, and singing; languages and translation; organization and planning; as well as her experience integrating herself into the tango life of Buenos Aires.
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For more info, visit Mira's website.