Adam Hoopengardner

Teaches at You Should Be Dancing

Adam Hoopengardner excels in many styles of tango which gives him the opportunity to dance with everyone from the most traditional salon dancer, to the milonguera, to the more nuevo dancers. Adam’s philosophy of tango is centered on the energy one feels from one’s partner, which he believes should dictate the style and movement of the dance. He doesn’t believe in restricting himself to either an open or close embrace instead he attempts to create a connection with his partner and allows that to dictate what evolves on the dance floor. His teaching style reflects this philosophy. He bases his classes on the abilities of the students and uses different exercises to help them explore the dance. On the social dance floor you will see him moving close or open depending on the connection, space, and music.

Adam has studied extensively with Andres Amarilla, Gustavo Naveira y Giselle Anne, Tete Rusconi, Chicho Frumbolli y Lucia Mazer in Buenos Aires, and Robin Thomas, Brigitta Winkler, Tomas Howlin and Alex Krebs in the US. In addition to teaching in NYC at Empire Dance, Adam regularly guest teaches in Pittsburgh, New Haven, CT (Yale); Princeton, NJ; State College, PA; Bethlehem, PA (Lehigh UN). Adam has also DJ’d tango music in Buenos Aires, San Fransisco, Montreal, Toronto, Ann Arbor, Cleveland, NY, Providence and Pittsburgh, to name a few.