“I’ve been dancing since I was five,” says Gigi, owner and lead instructor at Tango Burnaby, “I get up and it’s the first thing I do.” Beginning as a ballet dancer and completing her dance-teacher training in her teens, Gigi eventually branched out, learning and competing in a wide array of ballroom and Latin dances at events across North America.
“Fifteen years ago, I met an Argentinian, did a show with him,” she says, “and fell in love with the tango.” In 2013, after teaching a broad spectrum of dance classes at other studios, Gigi decided it was time to focus on her true passion.
Burnaby, it seemed, was ready for the tango. “There was not a lot going on out here in Burnaby or Coquitlam,” Gigi explains. “Downtown there are lots of options for studios and lessons, but I wanted to bring tango to people here.” Since opening, Tango Burnaby’s group and private lessons, practice sessions and weekly alternative tango event, La Rayuela, have quickly become busy, fun and highly anticipated.
