Ivan terrazas & Sara Grdan
Ivan is from Mendoza, Argentina, where he started his artistic career as a soloist at 12 years of age. He was trained by his parents Eduardo Terrazas and Beatriz Herrera in competition Malambo and other forms of Argentine Folklore, as well as classical ballet and Argentine Tango. Upon his arrival in the United States, Ivan added salsa and tap to his repertoire.
Kinetic since an early age, Sara studied regional folklore dance and classical ballet technique in Zagreb, Croatia. Her obsession with Argentine Tango started in the late 1990s at the milonga, and she subsequently learned Argentine folklore. In order to better understand body mechanics and to teach movement technique, Sara also became a Gyrotonic™ and Gyrokinesis™ instructor.
Ivan and Sara met in New York City and have dedicated themselves with passion and intensity to Argentine Tango. Trained primarily by Diego DiFalco, Pablo Pugliese and Natalia Hills, and also drawing from many other influences, such as Jorge Torres, Roberto Herrera, Guillermina Quiroga, Gabriel Misse, Carlitos Perez and Raul Bravo, together they are among the youngest and most recognized teachers and performers in the world of Argentine Tango.
As instructors, they have developed a modern systemic approach to teaching traditional tango. Their goal as teachers is to instill strong fundamentals by emphasizing technique, analytical thinking, logic, naturalness and comfort in both the close and open embrace. Ivan and Sara encourage students to look for connection, quality of movement, creative expression and musicality to make their dance uniquely their own.
After living for 7 years in United States and Argentina, Ivan and Sara are currently based in Europe, and in addition to being members of the prestigious company ‘Tangueros del Sur’ directed by Natalia Hills, they have performed with ‘Tangox2’ and ‘Miguel Zotto in Concert’ directed by Miguel Angel Zotto, ‘Obsesion Tango’ directed by Tamara Bisceglia, and ‘Compania Roberto Herrera’ directed by Roberto Herrera. In addition to their theatre credentials, Ivan and Sara are festival and workshop favorites, and have participated, among others, at the Belgrade Tango Encuentro, Sultans Tango Festival in Istanbul, Perugia Tango Festival, and Puerto Rico International Tango Festival.
Their latest project involves creating a curriculum for the online tango video instruction giant Tangomeet. Ivan and Sara’s online teaching videos appeared in the spring of 2016.
Carlos & Mirella Santos David
Carlos & Mirella are partners both on the dance floor as in life. They have been together for over 12 years and have been happily married for 6 years.
Together they strive for perfection in their dance & their company, they push their boundaries and their motto is: ‘As a dancer you never stop learning’! Because to be a true professional is to be committed to lifelong education.
The couple is known and loved for their elegance, subtlety and musical finesse as well as their spectacular and breathtaking shows.
It was after years of hard training that in 2016 they were the very first Dutch couple ever to represent the Netherlands in the Final of the world Championship. Already for 6 years since 2016, Carlos & Mirella have the honor to represent the Netherlands in the finals! They also several titles in Europe, as they were tango champions in UK and Germany among others.
Mert Moran began Latin Dancesport at age six, winning four Turkey National Championships and six Turkey Republic Cups. Thanks to his parents, who were pioneers of tango in Turkey, he later transitioned to Argentine Tango. After two years of study, he traveled to Buenos Aires to learn from a renowned Argentinian maestro.
At 15, Mert debuted in Buenos Aires, performing in milongas like Maldita Milonga and Villa Malcolm. He then returned to Ankara and taught there ever since. Since 2009, Mert has participated in various national and international tango events.
Mert’s experience includes teaching, performing, choreographing, and stage art. In 2024, he embarked on a new international journey with Francesca Aracri.
Francesca Aracri, a passionate tango dancer, relocated to Rome and worked with renowned Argentine Tango Masters. She performed in Italian Theatres as a soloist and in a company.
Her notable achievement was performing at the prestigious Trieste show with TangoX2, directed by Miguel Angel Zotto. She also taught two courses in musicality and tango escenario at the Zotto Tango Academy.
Francesca’s love for dance began at age three. She trained in classical dance until she was 24. She also explored modern dance, theater, and acting. She studied at the prestigious conservatory and performed with esteemed tango orchestras.
Francesca’s exceptional talent and hard work earned her recognition at the Italian Tango Salon Championships in 2022.
