Stephen + Deb dancing Tango on the Beach
— from a photo by Jenni Keller

Debbie + Stephen have been studying Argentine tango and dancing socially for more than ten years, and have been teaching and hosting tango gatherings in Ojai since 2004.

Their earliest instructors were Brian Griffin & Fay Villanueva in Santa Barbara.

Since then they have had the benefit of many hundreds of tango classes, seminars, workshops, and private lessons — studying with more than 90 teachers and world-class tango dancers, in styles ranging from the classic "salon tango" of Nito & Elba García, to the edgy "nuevo tango" investigations of Andrés Amarilla + Meredith Klein.

Stephen with student Joann
— photo by Brooks Smothers © 2005

Stephen + Deb are frequently asked to demonstrate, perform and present tango — at Ojai Day, Santa Barbara's French Festival, Ojai Valley Athletic Club, Nordhoff High School's "Celebrate Dance!"; at fundraisers for the Ojai Retreat, Goleta Valley Community Center, Theater 150, Besant Hill School; and at weddings and private parties.

They have attended a number of major tango festivals, and whenever they travel, they aim to seek out and dance with local tangueros — with memorable outings in the Bay Area, New York, Chicago, Detroit, Seattle, Boston, Santa Fe, Vienna, and Buenos Aires.

And since summer 2009, they have offered periodic workshops and events in Nevada City + Grass Valley, the Argentine Tango EXPLORATORIUM.

When they're not dancing tango, Debbie works as a massage therapist and a life coach. She plays Brazilian percussion informally with a local ensemble in Ojai, and has played piano and sung backup vocals with two Latin bands. Her dance background before tango includes African, Brazilian + salsa.

Stephen taught screenwriting at Columbia College in Chicago, is a long-time member of Ojai's Theater 150, and owns the small business East-West TeaHouse. He's also an award-winning writer, a writing coach, and works as a story analyst + script consultant for motion pictures.