About Tango Bohemia:

• Why:

Ilya started his school of Tango "Tango Bohemia" in 2006 to promote
a social style of Argentine Tango, here in the Atlanta area, and help build the Atlanta Tango community. In addition to teaching group classes, workshops, and private Tango lessons, he also hosts a monthly Milonga - an Argentine Tango Dance Party, to provide more opportunities to dance tango in Atlanta.

• Who:

Born in Russia, he emigrated to the U.S. in the late 1980's. In 1993
he began to study partner dancing in Atlanta GA. First it was ballroom - Smooth and Latin, with a lot of attention to the technique. Then ten years later Ilya discovered the world of Argentine Tango, and soon began to focus exclusively on tango.

His preference is Apilado style of Tango, also called Milonguero style (see sidebar description), the classic social style of Tango danced in the salons of central Buenos Aires. This style stresses the improvisational nature of Tango and the connection between partners. You can find out more about this style by reading its description on the sidebar. Our Video link will take you to great examples of some of the best dancers of this style.

• How:

The emphasis in teaching tango lessons is on quality of movement, connection between partners, and musicality. In Tango these qualities are even more important than in other dances because we dance to the melody as well as to the rhythm (in fact, we can also dance to the vocal if there is one). The improvisational nature of Tango means that every step and turn are led, and it calls for a strong connection between partners to make sure that even a subtle movement by the leader is felt by the follower. Another important aspect Ilya focuses on is ...Fun. He believes it is important to have a good time not only when dancing at parties, but when taking dance classes also. Getting to know people and using humor helps in keeping students relaxed and enjoying their time in a class.

Ilya takes his tango classes, (though not himself), seriously.
His approach is a result of years of dance training experience combined with a touch of precision and clarity of instruction acquired in his "other" life as a technical and business professional.

It is Ilya's personal goal to create something different for Argentine Tango: A Fun, Relaxed, and Efficient Dance Class Environment.

In addition to taking Tango classes with Barbara Durr and other Atlanta teachers, Ilya has learned from well-known tango instructors, including: Susana Miller, Alicia Pons, Cacho Dante (Argentina), Robert Hauk and Robin Thomas (USA), and Eric Jorissen (The Netherlands).

• Unique "El Corte" Training:

In August of 2006 Ilya attended an International Teacher Week at El Corte in Nijmegen, The Netherlands – a week-long training course for Tango teachers conducted by Eric Jorissen, the owner and founder of world-famous Tango Center El Corte.

In August of 2007 Ilya traveled to El Corte again to attend the second level of Eric's teacher training, International Teacher Week Comeback. Ilya is one out of only two Tango teachers in the US who went through two levels of training by Eric Jorissen.

• The "Bottom" Line:

Ilya believes that Eric Jorissen's training and the unique experience gained at the El Corte School of Tango resulted in the new perpective for teaching Argentine Tango and building the community of Tango dancers in Atlanta.He looks forward to sharing this experience with his students...

Contact Ilya via E-mail or call at 404.754.8272