Tango Mercurio

Contact Us | Contribute

Learn to Dance Tango
For Beginners
All Other Classes
Curriculum
Local Instructors
Visiting Instructors

Tuesday Milonga
Upcoming Events

Mercurio FAQ

Local Instructor Team

Our instructors collaborate based on three shared goals: 1. the commitment to personal, ongoing education and development; 2. the desire to discuss and evolve teaching approaches together; and 3. the perspective of tango dancing as beneficial and worthwhile in a broader social context of urban community building and enrichment.

Sharna Fabiano is Executive Director of Tango Mercurio and Artistic Director of its performing ensemble, Sharna Fabiano Tango Company. She has a background of classical and modern dance and began her life as a tanguera in 1997. Over the past decade, she has played many significant roles in the tango world as a social dancer, performer, choreographer, teacher, translator, DJ, organizer, producer, writer, and community leader.
While juggling multiple hats, Sharna is nevertheless committed to the eternal learning and discovery process offered by tango improvisation. To that end, she has been educated in several traditional social dance styles by some of the greatest names in the modern Tango Renaissance, and is regarded as an innovator who has remained connected to the tango's roots while exploring its ever-changing modern aesthetics and vocabulary.

Sharna's complete bio

Noora-Lisa Aberman began dancing as a child of five. Starting with intensive ballet training, she later branched out to modern dance, flamenco, and Barata Natyam. Eventually discovering partner dances, she dabbled in samba de gafiera, lambada, salsa, meregene, and finally Argentine Tango. Since discovering tango, it has become her primary dance passion. She began teaching and performing in 2007.

Noora loves the subtlety and depth of the dance. She sees the communication and connection achieved between leader and follower as that which make tango unique among dances. As a teacher she works to make this available to her students by developing their technique and lead and follow ability, while emphasizing that the fundamental purpose is to enjoy the experience with one's partner. Her main influences in Argentine Tango have been Luren Bellucci and Michael Walker, Sharna Fabiano and Isaac Oboka, Jaimes Friedgen, Diego Benavidez and Natasha Agudelo, and Javier Rochwarger.

Dima Berk was attracted to Argentine tango music and the unique sensuality of the dance shortly after moving to DC. Between 2001 and 2006, Dima made several journeys to Buenos Aires to study the art of tango with legendary maestros. Dima spend next several years investigating the complexities of the dance with local and guest instructors. Fabian Salas, Chicho Framboli, Javier Rochwarger, and Sharna Fabiano heavily influence his style, which is characterized by fluidity and seamless transitions between traditional and modern tango. He has over nine years of dance experience including a variety of modern dance and martial art influences. Dima has been teaching since 2004 and has performed at Fiesta DC, the World Bank, and the 9:30 Club, as well as numerous private events. His teaching style emphasizes musicality, improvisation, and strong communication between partners.

Isaac Oboka grew up in Denver, Colorado. In 2002, the tango captured his imagination and sent him on a quest across hundreds of dance floors throughout the United States. With the smooth, effortless quality attributed to the most sophisticated social dancers, his tango is full of surprises, originality, and humor!
In 2005, Isaac moved to Buenos Aires for an intensive study of three months, and the following year began his professional career as an instructor and performer. He has taught and performed in dozens of cities across North America and Europe and has appeared locally at the Kennedy Center, Dance Place, the DC Tango Marathon, Dance DC Festival, and numerous other venues.

Isaac is greatly inspired by the innovative dancing of Argentine artists Chicho Frumboli/Eugenia Parrilla and Gustavo Naveira/Giselle Anne. His tango path has been influenced by many people including Nick Jones, Alex Krebs, Jaimes Friedgen and Homer Ladas. Isaac also works as a photographer, maintaining a personal photo blog and an online portfolio of striking images.

Bright Small began dancing tango over six years ago in Boston, where he was well-known for the comfort and subtlety of his close embrace style. In 2007, he left his career as a military officer to study tango in Buenos Aires, where he spent 13 months doing intensive training and a comparative study of traditional and modern tango styles. Some of his most influential teachers include: Gachi Fernandez, Sebastian Achaval, Fabian Peralta, Valentina Villaroel, Jose Halfon/Virginia Cutillo, and Nancy Louzan.

Bright's love for tango stems from his passion for music and his fascination with the elegance of tango figures and technique. His teaching reflects a blend of sensory and analytical approaches to unlocking the complexity of the tango. He helps students to find a technique and style that best fits their bodies and personalities, emphasizing comfort and creativity over dogmatic rules. In addition to tango, Bright also studies modern dance and Alexander technique. Growing up, he played violin for over 15 years, playing his final performance under the direction of legendary bandoneonist Hector Del Curto at the Tango de los Muertos festival in 2005.

Contact Us \| Contribute





Learn to Dance Tango For Beginners All Other Classes Curriculum Local Instructors Visiting Instructors Tuesday Milonga Upcoming Events Mercurio FAQ		Local Instructor Team Our instructors collaborate based on three shared goals: 1. the commitment to personal, ongoing education and development; 2. the desire to discuss and evolve teaching approaches together; and 3. the perspective of tango dancing as beneficial and worthwhile in a broader social context of urban community building and enrichment. Sharna Fabiano is Executive Director of Tango Mercurio and Artistic Director of its performing ensemble, Sharna Fabiano Tango Company. She has a background of classical and modern dance and began her life as a tanguera in 1997. Over the past decade, she has played many significant roles in the tango world as a social dancer, performer, choreographer, teacher, translator, DJ, organizer, producer, writer, and community leader. While juggling multiple hats, Sharna is nevertheless committed to the eternal learning and discovery process offered by tango improvisation. To that end, she has been educated in several traditional social dance styles by some of the greatest names in the modern Tango Renaissance, and is regarded as an innovator who has remained connected to the tango's roots while exploring its ever-changing modern aesthetics and vocabulary. Sharna's complete bio Noora-Lisa Aberman began dancing as a child of five. Starting with intensive ballet training, she later branched out to modern dance, flamenco, and Barata Natyam. Eventually discovering partner dances, she dabbled in samba de gafiera, lambada, salsa, meregene, and finally Argentine Tango. Since discovering tango, it has become her primary dance passion. She began teaching and performing in 2007. Noora loves the subtlety and depth of the dance. She sees the communication and connection achieved between leader and follower as that which make tango unique among dances. As a teacher she works to make this available to her students by developing their technique and lead and follow ability, while emphasizing that the fundamental purpose is to enjoy the experience with one's partner. Her main influences in Argentine Tango have been Luren Bellucci and Michael Walker, Sharna Fabiano and Isaac Oboka, Jaimes Friedgen, Diego Benavidez and Natasha Agudelo, and Javier Rochwarger. Dima Berk was attracted to Argentine tango music and the unique sensuality of the dance shortly after moving to DC. Between 2001 and 2006, Dima made several journeys to Buenos Aires to study the art of tango with legendary maestros. Dima spend next several years investigating the complexities of the dance with local and guest instructors. Fabian Salas, Chicho Framboli, Javier Rochwarger, and Sharna Fabiano heavily influence his style, which is characterized by fluidity and seamless transitions between traditional and modern tango. He has over nine years of dance experience including a variety of modern dance and martial art influences. Dima has been teaching since 2004 and has performed at Fiesta DC, the World Bank, and the 9:30 Club, as well as numerous private events. His teaching style emphasizes musicality, improvisation, and strong communication between partners. Isaac Oboka grew up in Denver, Colorado. In 2002, the tango captured his imagination and sent him on a quest across hundreds of dance floors throughout the United States. With the smooth, effortless quality attributed to the most sophisticated social dancers, his tango is full of surprises, originality, and humor! In 2005, Isaac moved to Buenos Aires for an intensive study of three months, and the following year began his professional career as an instructor and performer. He has taught and performed in dozens of cities across North America and Europe and has appeared locally at the Kennedy Center, Dance Place, the DC Tango Marathon, Dance DC Festival, and numerous other venues. Isaac is greatly inspired by the innovative dancing of Argentine artists Chicho Frumboli/Eugenia Parrilla and Gustavo Naveira/Giselle Anne. His tango path has been influenced by many people including Nick Jones, Alex Krebs, Jaimes Friedgen and Homer Ladas. Isaac also works as a photographer, maintaining a personal photo blog and an online portfolio of striking images. Bright Small began dancing tango over six years ago in Boston, where he was well-known for the comfort and subtlety of his close embrace style. In 2007, he left his career as a military officer to study tango in Buenos Aires, where he spent 13 months doing intensive training and a comparative study of traditional and modern tango styles. Some of his most influential teachers include: Gachi Fernandez, Sebastian Achaval, Fabian Peralta, Valentina Villaroel, Jose Halfon/Virginia Cutillo, and Nancy Louzan. Bright's love for tango stems from his passion for music and his fascination with the elegance of tango figures and technique. His teaching reflects a blend of sensory and analytical approaches to unlocking the complexity of the tango. He helps students to find a technique and style that best fits their bodies and personalities, emphasizing comfort and creativity over dogmatic rules. In addition to tango, Bright also studies modern dance and Alexander technique. Growing up, he played violin for over 15 years, playing his final performance under the direction of legendary bandoneonist Hector Del Curto at the Tango de los Muertos festival in 2005.