Lee began dancing tango 25 years ago. Completely enchanted with the dance, Lee found himself traveling regularly to Buenos Aires to attend all the best milongas, where he met and developed lifelong friendships with many Porteños. It would be fair to say that BA is Lee's second home as he has an apartment and a business in Argentina. He also enjoys traveling and attending encuentros within the United States and in Europe. For the last 10 years, Lee has worked to help develop, sustain, and grow the local tango community by hosting milonguero style milongas as well as bringing in well-known tango teachers, such as Monica Paz, to his venue, the amazing and unique Las Puertas. As a dedicated milonguero, Lee looks forward to sharing his love of close embrace tango with fellow milongueros at Encuentro Encanto.
Maggie began deeply immersing herself in Argentine tango in 2016 after returning from Buenos Aires at the end of 2015. After studying with many maestros and watching Alicia Pons perform with her partner, she found herself naturally drawn to the milonguero style.
She later returned to Buenos Aires twice more and felt grateful for the opportunity to dance with the old milongueros, whose presence and tradition deeply influenced her tango. Since then, Maggie has continued to grow by studying with different maestros, further developing her connection to close-embrace tango.
Tomas began his dance journey in 2000, exploring salsa and other Latin rhythms before stepping away for more than a decade later to focus on his professional career at the Water Company in El Monte, CA.
In 2022, he returned to the dance floor on a whim — a simple visit to a local studio that quickly rekindled a deeper passion. He spent his first year studying salon style tango, gradually finding himself drawn more and more to the intimacy and subtlety of close embrace.
After attending his first encuentro, he discovered the milonguero style — and in that moment of connection, everything clicked. It was the feeling he had been searching for all along.
Since then, he has continued exploring tango at encuentros across the United States, with plans to experience the dance overseas as well. He dances for connection, for the quiet conversation within the embrace, and for the shared moments that make each tanda unique.
Tuan was perfectly happy as a zoot-suited Lindy Hopper then his world changed when he got his arm twisted into giving tango a try. What began as months of confusion, despair, and humiliation eventually turned into a two-decade obsession. He's still a work in progress, but these days, he wouldn't have it any other way.
Over time, Troilo slowly edged out Basie from his daily soundtrack. The boisterous brass of the big bands gave way to the bandoneon's soulful lament. And his hepcat baggy pants no longer fit. Swing was the cat's pajamas until he discovered that there was nothing like the connection that lived within the milonguero embrace. This pursuit eventually led him to Marni, and a few years later, to an encuentro in Newport News where they finally found their tribe. Now, they travel across the US and Europe chasing that milonguero high.
For Tuan, nothing beats the encuentro experience: a smaller intimate crowd, Golden Age music, mindful navigation, and the sweetest of abrazos.
