About Tango Renaissance, USA

Tango Renaissance USA, was founded in 2004 as a non-profit organization directed by three women, united by their friendship and passion for tango. With the goal of bringing growth and diversity to the Sacramento, California tango community, Tango Renaissance quickly began organizing events to promote Argentine tango, culture, folklore and music. 

By hosting the first Argentine tango festival in California ’s capital in 2005, Tango Renaissance USA established the Neo Tango Sacramento Festival, which provided the opportunity to tango aficionados nearby and worldwide the prospect of studying with renowned tango masters Sebastian Arce & Mariana Montes, for the first time in the United States, and Esteban Moreno & Claudia Codega.

Tango Renaissance USA continued to present major festivals, where the maestro line up grew to include Mariano “Chicho” Frumboli, Mariana Dragone, Pablo Inza, and Anne-Sophie Ville.  Tango weekends, seminars, free workshops, and benefit milongas were also developed for our global community continuously up through 2006.  These events have resulted in tremendous success as evidenced by the positive response of our participants and the growth and connectedness of our community at large. 

Tango Renaissance USA is back in action! Founding directors Michelle Wright and Kendra Kambestad continue their dedication to the organization. They have expanded their focus on events throughout the northern California region, and they share gusto for creating high quality, moving, down to earth tango events. Above all, Tango Renaissance USA strives to provide a chance for friends and colleagues to gather and share this dynamic, improvisational dance.

Past Events by Tango Renaissance USA:

Milonga de Beneficio (Tsunami Relief), Sacramento 2004
Neo Tango Festival, Sacramento 2005
Antipanico Tango Weekend, Sacramento 2005
Neo Tango Festival, Sacramento 2006
Operation Tango III & V, April & Sept 2006
Neo Tango School Seminar, Berkeley, CA 2006
Antipanico Tango Weekend, Sacramento 2006
Antipanico San Francisco 2010 Tango Festival

Upcoming Events by Tango Renaissance USA:

Antipanico San Francisco 2011 Tango Festival

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Michelle Wright (founder)

Michelle's passion for tango started in 1999 and since then she has traveled throughout the US, Argentina and Europe to experience tango. She has studied extensively with maestros Sebastian Arce and Mariana Montes, Chicho Frumboli, Fabian Salas, Carolina del Rivero, and Oscar Mandagaran. Michelle has taught and performed tango within the Northern California area, working and performing with visiting instructors such as Oscar Mandagaran, Homer Ladas, Ney Melo, Sean Dockery, and Guillermo Garcia. She performed solo and group numbers in Debbie Goodwin's stage productions Tango! A Story of Sacramento's Tango Community and Tango! Rhythms of the Heart. She interviewed and performed with Sebastian Arce for CBS13's Better Body segment: Tango Your Way to a Trimmer Figure. While living in Paris 2004-2006, Michelle attended various European festivals including the International Tango Congress of Paris CITP 2006; as a participant, volunteer, and liaison of the artists, she gained a deeper understanding of the organizational aspects of successful festival production.

Michelle is the founder of Tango Renaissance USA which brought Sebastian Arce and Mariana Montes to the US for the first time in 2005. Throughout 2005 and 2006, TR USA was the first on the west coast to create contemporary festivals featuring the world's most popular tango artists such as Sebastian and Mariana, Chicho Frumboli, and Claudia and Esteban. Since 2006, Michelle has continued to organize and promote workshops and events with visiting instructors such as Homer and Cristina Ladas, Ney Melo and Jennifer Bratt, Michelle and Murat Erdemsel, and Amy Lincoln and Santiago Croce.

Michelle holds a BA in Art Studio from UC Davis and she is a fully certified STOTT Pilates instructor. Currently she is working to become a Pilates Instructor Trainer, and continues to explore dance and body movement taking classes in stretch, yoga, acroyoga, contact improvisation, release, African and belly dancing.

Kendra Kambestad

An Argentine tango dancer since 2002, Kendra has extensive experience in the performing arts, modern dance, and stunt competitions. Her approach toward tango has been influenced by Sebastian Arce & Mariana Montes, Rodrigo 'Joe' Corbata & Lucila Cionci, Donato Juárez & Carolina del Rivero, Yanick Wyler, Evan Griffiths, and Homer Ladas. She has served as a moderator at the San Francisco Tango Exchange, co-led seasonal Tango X Sessions in New York City, and co-organized monthly milongas with La Alternativa of Sacramento. She balances her time between tango and modern dance and has performed contemporary choreographies throughout New York City with Gallo Dancers and Passed Dance Company.

In 2006, Kendra moved from California to New York City in order to pursue Dance/Movement Therapy and to research the integration of healthy movement behavior and psyche. She weaves her experience of tango and creative movement expression while working as a Dance Therapist with a psychiatric population. She holds an M.S. in Dance/Movement Therapy and a B.A. in Theatre Arts (Acting/Dance/Design).

As a founding director of Tango Renaissance USA, Kendra is preparing Antipanico San Francisco 2011 Tango Festival. Concurrently, she is rehearsing and performing with two modern dance companies in New York City. She looks forward to seeing you at these upcoming events.

Photo by Jani Keinänen.