Our team
Simona Faro
Simona Faro has been in love with Argentine tango since 2015 when she began studying with Svetlana Petkovic in Albuquerque, NM. Her interest soon grew into a full-blown passion for the tango experience, which led her to travel extensively in the U.S. and Europe for tango classes, milongas, workshops, marathons, and festivals. She co-founded Amilonga in Albuquerque in 2018 with Kipp Chynoweth and Gail Womack, and, recently joined Jaimes Friedgen and Christa Rodriguez at the 8th Style School of Tango, as an assistant teacher. Simona has been a tango DJ since 2019 and has become a mainstay in the Albuquerque and Santa Fe tango communities within just a few years. She is also highly regarded for her tango photography. She has co-founded Albuquerque OpenTango in 2022 to create a collaborative space for tango dancers of all levels and to expand the New Mexico tango community. Simona is the Albuquerque OpenTango primary instructor.
​
Allison Shewmake
Allison first became enchanted with Argentine tango in 2015 while exploring various Latin dances. Through tango she found a new connection with herself and the world around her. Her passion and drive to find deeper understanding for the dance lead her to travel around the US for tango marathons, festivals, workshops and milongas. She now studies with Jaimes Friedgen and Christa Rodriguez at the 8th Style School of Tango. Recently she has had the privilege of joining Simona Faro at OpenTango, excited to add her enthusiasm and experience to the team. Her goal is not only to help grow the tango community, but to help create a positive, safe environment for people to explore Argentine tango and have fun.
Martin Arrambide
My tango journey started in 2007 but not in the usual manner. My friend wanted to dance tango at her niece's wedding. We both knew nothing about tango and I conditionally said I would take lessons IF she found a tango instructor in Albuquerque. She found one and I was now obliged. Long story short, in the 5 months preceding the wedding, we took several lessons, practiced weekly, and on the wedding day, we never got the opportunity to dance. Bummer!
But by now I was hooked by the elegant movements and expressions of musicality exhibited by many couples. Later I would learn about how the connection was the secret ingredient that made tango so attractive. I continued to learn more about this alluring dance by taking more lessons and attending tango festivals. Some of the instructors who influenced my journey were Michael Walker, Ney Melo and Jennifer Bratt, Homer and Christine, Brian Nguyen and Yuliana Basmajyan, Paloma and Maxi, Monica Paz, just to name a few.