Los Angeles Tango Academy

The Los Angeles Tango Academy is the best choice for tango instruction at all levels in Southern California.
I say this from the perspective of a tango student who has studied under numerous instructors, some of who are world renown dancers. Great tangeros, however; are not always great teachers.
Emma and Richard are both great dancers and consummate teachers. They have created a highly structured curriculum which progressively and incrementally increases the student’s tango skills. Additionally, they are very well versed in the kinesiological and biomechanical aspects of tango. This allows them to reveal the nuances and details of tango. This is important because the essence of an art is always in the details.

I highly recommend Emma and Richard to anybody who wants to learn tango. They explain every move so well and are just phenomenal. I love taking classes with them, it’s very fun.
I wish all my friends had interest in tango and we could all dance together.

My first tango class ever. After dancing Salsa for many years, I have cross over to Tango. This dance draws me in mainly because of the intense connection between dancers. Richard and Emma are spectacular teachers. Definitely, a very open friendly place to learn this beautiful art. Looking forward to this new dance adventure…

#LaTangoAcademy is the best place to learn Tango in LA! Richard and Emma are fantastic — the teachers are so kind and supportive — the whole atmosphere is full of the joy that is dance!

I started taking tango classes 45 days ago for the first time. I was always fascinated with tango but never really found a good place until I encountered LATA (La tango Academy) …
What makes this place the best is the professionalism, skills, and communication of the whole team. Richard and Emma are so kind and talented. James is sweet and professional and always gives historic knowledge on tango. Christa’s technical classes are so helpful.
I take classes at LATA 2 – 3 times a week. My posture and body strength has improved so much. My body feels tighter and my balance is better than before. All these have created bigger confidence in my walk which in return has opened more doors in my artistic endeavors… What I love most about tango is the classical passion that you are introduced through each moves that slowly effects you internally in becoming the same… an individual passionate about life with a classical taste ;)
Love it!

I can’t say enough great things about the la tango academy!!!
This is the only place to learn tango !
The teachers are amazingly skillful and patient — super friendly atmosphere and great results — I m in love

Brian, Yuliana and James are exceptional dancers and teachers. When I heard they started an academy, I signed up for all available classes immediately. I’ve attended two classes so far. I’m very impressed by the class structure. The direction is clear and easy to understand. The teachers provide ample space to figure things out on your own while still providing some guidance so you don’t learn bad habits. There are at least six experienced dancers in each class on hand – including Richard and Emma who are extremely talented and helpful.
These classes are helping me clean up my basics and gain some experience with leading. As a follower, I enjoy leading in order to figure out what qualities feel good to a leader.
In a social dance community, there is nothing better than being a popular dancer. You get to dance the night away feeling good and helping others feel good. Brian, Yuliana and James are the most sought after dancers in our community. They know firsthand what qualities are needed to help you and your partner enjoy tango to the fullest extent. Even better, they know how to teach these qualities in an easy to understand, practical manner.
Brian, Yuliana and James all have the ability to diagnose issues quickly. For example, I was having problems with walking forward and Brian helped me fix it within five minutes. I was walking towards my own axis instead of identifying and walking towards my partner’s axis. I had this issue for a year and Brian found a solution in five minutes! For those who haven’t experienced tango, walking is one of the hardest parts. Just so you don’t thing I’m a crazy lady who doesn’t know how to walk ;)
LA Tango Academy provides everything I want in a class: excellent teachers and assistants, clear instruction and a warm environment.

What I enjoyed most from the Salon 101 class is that experienced dancers were scattered throughout the room, not as regular attendees but as assistants and team members. It gave me the opportunity to observe proper form not just from the instructor but from elite dancers directly in front of me and also to my right and left.
To recapture my experience, I remember watching Yuliana’s form directly in front of me to help me adjust while I independently practiced forward ochos. She is one of the many championship ranked dancers I enjoyed watching on YouTube when I started taking lessons 1 ½ years ago. Listening to Jaimes the instructor describe the structure, form and benefits of the exercise in a very clear and concise way followed by being able to practice with Brian Nguyen (Yuliana’s partner) to my left, then later Yuliana and Richard Cepeda (tango dj) helping to build on the exercise was a very unique and enjoyable experience. They all contributed their unique gifts to the high vibration of the class. Class ended with a great conversation with Emma reminding me about the importance of holding your own axis regardless of the height or skill level of the leader leaving with a great goal in mind.
My overall impression is that the class format was well thought out and delivered to produce an academic enriched dance environment hence the name of the studio. When you have a class geared towards absolute beginners and intermediate dancers it becomes challenging to practice what you learn as a follower when leads are lacking in number or experience. They seem to have this issue covered by having assistants stategically scattered throughout the room.
I love people that are innovative and can add a fresh approach to a learning environment. I have no doubt they will have continued success. Definitely worth the drive out to the Valley from Venice. Looking forward to the next opportunity to attend.

I have greatly enjoyed my private lessons with Yuliana Basmajyan. She makes me work hard, which I need. She explains things clearly and really wants to male sure I get what she is saying.
I also took a group class from Yuli and Jaimes and it was very good. I would say anything that they are involved with is worthwhile… Tango, technique and heart.

I have been dancing Argentine Tango since 2012 and two of my biggest inspirations have been Brian Nguyen and Yuliana Basmayjan. They have «changed my life» in Tango several times and I truly appreciate the dedication and overall quality of their teaching and commitment to the dance.
Whether you are brand new to the dance or a seasoned veteran, both Brian and Yuliana will give you the necessary insight to fix everything from the most subtle nuance in your technique to the most glaring weakness in your walk, embrace, etc. They have studied with many of the most famous dancers from around the world and they are truly two of the best dancers period.
I am proud to call Brian and Yuliana my teachers and coaches. They are masters at giving the right advice at the right time. They are great at judging what you need in the present moment. Brian is very good at summing up his advice to one specific point. As a person who leads in Argentine Tango, there are many little things that often go overlooked. They are great at refining your fundamentals and giving you super advanced concepts that can be applied throughout the dance. Many of their lessons took me almost a year to fully comprehend and appreciate their advice.
I can definitely say that having Brian and Yuliana as my main teachers has taken me through many levels in such a short time. They are great teachers and even better friends.

I had a choice to make in June last year to either continue dancing tango socially or to stop for a while, since I was getting nowhere with trying to ask new partners to dance and other personal issues. I was tired of going to milongas and festivals only to feel terrible and rejected. The dancer in me won the argument and thankfully Jaimes is in town, I decided to try one class based on many friends’s recommendation. It was the best choice I could have made and changed every thing in my social life.
He was dead on with pointing out and explaining the techniques and mindset I had that held me back, to my surprise it wasn’t quite what I expected. As a social experiment, I tried stopping to please /​worry about making mistakes and simply be in the music, the partner and that moment. People that wouldn’t even look my way asked me to dance that exact night. I went back for private class packages because it was obvious to me that I found a great teacher who understood what plaques so many dancers, someone who’s able to explain and suggest different ways of working with one’s own mind and body.
I remain and continue to work on Tango as a social dancer. But I have seen many who are looking to teach or perform benefit so much from Jaimes as well. If you are reading this and feel on the fence about his classes, don’t. Try it, and take it to heart. Take full ownership of your learning and dancing. Experiment what he and this dance has to offer.