About Us

About the Austin Tango Society

The Austin Tango Society is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit charitable corporation.  We were formed in September 2013, and our purpose is to promote Argentine Tango in Austin.  We organize the Austin Spring Tango Festival, manage the Austin Tango Calendar at AustinTango.org, and sponsor the Guided Practica Program.

About the Austin Spring Tango Festival

Our festival was founded in 2005 by Vance Rightmire and Margaret Loeb. The first festival was a modest affair with 35 dancers attending.  Over the years the festival has steadily grown to around 400 dancers attending annually.  Margaret, sadly, passed away in 2010, and the Austin Tango Society was formed in 2013 to take over the management of the Festival.

Austin Spring Tango Festival Butler Park

Our Mission

The Austin Tango Society strives to promote Argentine tango in Austin, to provide opportunities to learn and dance, and to build an open and generous tango community.

Our Values

Passion

We celebrate the joy and freedom of expression in the dance of Argentine Tango.

Connection

We embrace our dance partners and celebrate the shared communication of Argentine Tango.

Inclusivity

We welcome all who want to learn, practice, and dance Argentine tango.

Learning

We seek opportunities to continue our journey of Argentine tango by learning from top Maestros.

Board of Directors

The Austin Tango Society is managed by a Board of Directors. The Society is not a membership organization, and new Board Members are chosen by the existing Board.  Board Members receive no financial compensation for their service, and Tango professionals (those who earn a substantial part of their income for teaching or selling tango-related products) are ineligible for board membership. Board Members are chosen for diversity (ethnicity, gender, and age) within the board, functional expertise, and a willingness to spearhead our projects that support the Austin Tango Community throughout the year.

Previous Board Members include Liliana Espinosa de Hoyos, Barbara Isaacs, Ken Hou-Lin, Monza Lui, Cindy Mason, Madhu Prasha, Sarah Tomlinson, and Francesco Tuzzolino.