About this Artist
YANINA FAJAR (Director of Choreography) was born in Pergamino, Buenos Aires on June 9, 1977, and started dancing at the age of six. She studied dance at Fracasi Conservatoire of Dance, obtaining a degree in Arabian bellydance, Spanish folklore dance, and Argentine folklore dance. She has studied with many of the best tango dancers in Argentina, including Sandra Butz, Gabriel Ortega, Silvio Lavia, Nito and Elva García, and Pepito Avellaneda. She performed with the Juan Carlos Copes Tango Ballet from 1996 to 1997 and the Gloria & Eduardo Youth Tango Ballet during 1997 and 1998.
Over the last 12 years, Fajar and her dance partner NELSON CELIS have performed in the most prestigious tango houses in Buenos Aires. In 1994 they won the National Tango Competition, which toured Italy and Spain, and they participated in the 1996 International Dance Festival in Arequipa Peru.
Fajar and Celis have toured internationally with many of the best tango companies and orchestras. In Buenos Aires they have danced with the Opera Theater of Buenos Aires production of Una Noche de Tango; with the Jorge Dragone Orchestra; the Cervantes National Theater with Alberto Castillo, Jorge Valdéz, Enrique Dumas, Nelly Omar, and Hugo del Carril (son); and the Auditorium Theater of Mar del Plata with Ruth Durante with the Oscar Bassil Orchestra.
Fajar and Celis have made many appearances on TV in Argentina, including The Mirror Program, América 2: Honoring Alberto Castillo, Night with Friends, and Solo Tango Channel program El Firulete.
Yanina Fajar has worked with Tango Fire since 2005, performing in many countries around the world, including Scotland, England, the United States, Canada, Germany, Switzerland, China, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia.
INES CUESTA studied Corporeal Expression and Rhythmic Dance before spending seven years studying the art of tango. MAURICIO CELIS studied tango for eight years and appeared in the acclaimed Tango Mitos, Opera Bay. As a couple they have performed in many tango houses, including Cafe Tortoni, The Querandí, Taconeando, Esquina Carlos Gardel, and Cambalache. Cuesta and Celis have toured to Peru, Spain, Italy, Brazil, Paraguay, and Chile. They joined Tango Fire in 2005.
GERMAN CORNEJO & CAROLINA GIANNINI studied tango from the ages of 10 and 14, respectively. They learned classical and contemporary dance and tango with many of Argentina’s most respected teachers, including Mercedes Serrano, Mónica Fracchia, Cristina Cortés, José Garófalo, Carina Lozano, Guillermina Quiroga, Javier Rodríguez, and Geraldine Rojas. Cornejo also studied jazz, ballet, and acrobatics. He has received many awards for dancing tango, most notably Nuevos Talentos de Oro, Concurso de Baile de Oro, awarded by the television program Susana Gimenez, and World Champion of Show Tango in 2005. Both Cornejo and Giannini have performed at tango houses and milongas in Buenos Aires, including Café Tortoni, La Manufactura Papelera, Señor Tango, Boca Tango, Mambo, Chiquin Buenos Aires, and El Viejo Almacén. German appeared in Bien de Tango with Director Osvaldo Berlingeri, and together the couple toured throughout Japan with Buenos Tangos, directed by Fabio Hager. The couple joined Tango Fire in 2006.
CRISTIAN MIÑO & JORGELINA GUZZI started dancing together in January 2007 and joined Tango Fire in May 2007. They have taught master classes all over Europe and performed in Germany, Austria, Croatia, Italy, and Belgium. They dance in the Tango Salon style with some elements of Tango Nuevo. Guzzi has performed at tango festivals around the world, including Festival Berlin, Tokyo Tango Festival, Festival Internacional de Sitges, IV World Tango Festival in Buenos Aires, and Festival Internacional de Tango Fireworks in Los Angeles. In 2006 she was a judge in the World Championship of the Tango in Buenos Aires in the category “stage dance.” Miño has worked with Masters of the Tango Argentinos, Miguel Angel Zotto, Mariano “Chicho” Frumboli, and Sebastian Arce. He has performed in some of the most important milongas in Buenos Aires, including Canning, Niño Bien, and Porteño y Bailarín, and appeared at many of the famous tango houses, including Boca Tango and Che Tango. He also teaches at tango schools in Buenos Aires: Mora Godoy, Tango Brujo, and Tango Elite Argentino.
SEBASTIÁN ALVAREZ & VICTORIA SAUDELLI started dancing together in 2000. They have danced in some of the famed Tango Houses and 5-star hotels in Buenos Aires, including the Hilton, Dos Meses, and Esquina Carlos Gardel. The couple has toured together internationally since 2000, performing in Egypt, Spain, the U.S., Russia, and extensively throughout Central and South America. They joined Tango Fire in 2008.
JAVIER ‘CARDENAL’ DOMINGUEZ was born in Buenos Aires, where he started singing tango at age 26. He has performed in the Casa Rosada (the Presidential Palace) in Buenos Aires for the Argentine President and at the Congreso de la Nación (National Congress) as part of the 70th anniversary of Carlos Gardel’s death, and he is a regular at the International Tango Festival in Buenos Aires and many other festivals all over Argentina. He has appeared regularly at tango houses in Buenos Aires, including Café Tortoni, Café Homero, Club del Vino, La Esquina Carlos Gardel, and Café de los Angelitos. Cardenal has toured internationally including appearances in Germany, Japan, and throughout South America.
QUATROTANGO was created in mid-2000 as a bandoneon and piano duet (Hugo Satorre and Gabriel Clenar). In 2002 Marcelo Rebuffi joined as the group’s violin player. The present lineup came together in 2005, when Gerardo Scaglione joined the group on bass. Quatrotango has worked professionally with tango since the beginning of 2001. Its repertoire includes traditional as well as modern tango with diverse arrangements for male and female singers by Gabriel Clenar. In September and October of 2002, Quatrotango toured. In July and August 2003 the group toured Australia and New Zealand with performances at the Sydney Opera House, Hamer Concert Hall (Melbourne), and as part of the Christchurch International Arts Festival at the Royal Theatre. Since 2002 they have performed regularly at some of Buenos Aires’ most famous milongas, including Salon Canning, La Ideal, La Catedral, Cochabamba, and La Calesita. In Argentina, the group has also played in the VI Buenos Aires Tango Festival, organized by the Culture Secretary of the Buenos Aires city government. In March 2005, Quatrotango opened the VII Festival Buenos Aires Tango in the Gran Milonga in front of a crowd of 20,000. They also presented their show in the Fernandez Blanco Museum, Piazzolla Tango, and the National Radio Station of Argentina. Since 2005, Quatrotango has toured exclusively with Tango Fire. For the 2009 spring tour of Tango Fire, Quatrotango is joined by guest pianist Gustavo Casenave.