Maria Filali is a professional dancer who has put tango at the heart of her life for the last 15 years. Trained in classical, modern and contemporary dance (Gold medal at the Bordeaux Dance Academy in 1995), Maria discovered tango in 1997, and began working on her tango dance in Paris with Christophe Lambert and Judith Elbaz, as well as in Buenos Aires which she visits regularly.

For the last twelve years, she has been performing with Jorge Rodríguez, along with great artists like Juan José Mosalini (shows Noche Tango and the Grand Orchestre on tour), Sandra Rumolino as well as Gustavo Beytelmann, Cesar Stroscio or the Quinteto El Después. Maria and Jorge have been acclaimed for María de Buenos (Piazzolla’s tango opera directed by R. Werthen), Café de los Maestros (2008), and 3 Tangos directed by Alfredo Arias at Théâtre du Rond-Point, Paris (2010).

But Maria is also multi-faceted stage artist, who loves combining dance, theater, opera and film. In the run of the years she coaches actors and creates choreographies for tango sequences in the french cinema (notably Bellamy by Claude Chabrol or Coco Chanel by Christian Duguay) and theater (Le Vol (Cie la porte au Trèfle - 2012).

As a stage dancer, she balances tango with contemporary dancing : she goes on international tour with Gotan Projet (La revancha del Tango, 2005), participates in Fleur de Cactus (Catherine Berbessou Company) in 2002, in Tango Mon Amour by Jorge Zulueta in 2004. Actually, she is the dancer of the solo … des Papillons dans le Ventre (Jean Gaudin Company).

Last but not least, Maria is a renowned tango teacher in France and Europe.

She teaches regularly alone, for her much in demand technique and private classes, but also collaborates with different partners recognized at an international level, providing long-term support for her students in Paris, as well as travelling around the world for tango festivals (recently with Daniel Carlsson, Gianpiero Galdi, Fausto Carpino, Oriel Toledo, Marcelo “El chino” Gutierrez, Mazen Kiwan, Sebastian Escobar…)

In 2011, Maria provided the initial inspiration for the “Elles du Tango” project that she is now directing.

For more details : www.mariafilali.com

Gwen-Haël Denigot is a milonguera who travels to dance and dance while traveling. She is currently living between Paris, Beijing and Buenos Aires, where she is engaged in the unlimited process of learning Tango Salón. Trained in philosophy and social science, she works as a journalist and tango organizer on the long run (milonga and workshops by Argentine maestros in Beijing) or for one-of-a-kind events (Tango bal at the Dance Celebration by Blanca Li at the Grand Palais, Paris, septembre 2011). Gwen-Haël is in charge of organization and communication of Les Elles du Tango in France.

Cécile Gerin graduated in arts and design; she is professionally involved in a broad range of activities, all of them artistic-related projects: stage costumes making, graphic design, cultural center management... Cécile was practicing contemporary dance and theatre when she discovered tango while playing in a show with live tango music. She immediately decided to move to Buenos Aires where she still goes regularly. Well aware of the Argentine culture, she considers herself as a ‘volatile’ Tanguera.

Born in Milano, Raffaella Grassi is an amateur salsa, bellydance and tango dancer.

She took her degree in public relations and grew up in the show and enterteinment world which lead her to her career in organisation, promotion and production of movies and theatre shows.

As she entered the magic of tango world she turned all of her career into tango and since, she constantly cooperate with one of the most successful milonga in Italy organizing tango events and shows.

After meeting Maria and realised how many things they had in common, she immediatly accepted to be part of this team and proudly cooperate with Les Elles since 2011.

Amaya Lainez, née à Barcelone en 1978.

Suite à une maîtrise à Salvador de Bahia, un master en mise en scène à Paris et à plusieurs expériences dans le théâtre public français en tant que comédienne et assistante à la mise en scène, j'ai décidé de partir à la rencontre d'autres façons de faire du théâtre. C'est en 2004 que je prends l'avion pour Montréal où commence mon périple, il finira à Buenos Aires, ma destination finale, ma Mecque... du théâtre.

De nombreux projets se sont réalisés tout le long de ce parcours, mais je tiens à parler ici de l'un d'entre eux, que j'ai co-organisé, "Antroporteño, rencontre sur la formation d'acteur". Né d'un véritable besoin de partage, d'échange et de discussion entre les différentes écoles théâtrales présentes à Buenos Aires, notre projet à remporté un franc succès et a été publié grâce au soutien de nombreuses institutions publiques argentines et étrangères.

C'est aussi lors de ce séjour à Buenos Aires en 2006, que je vais tomber de plein pied dans le tango ! Un jour, en sortant de mon cours de capoeira, au fin fond de Villa Devoto, curieuse de cette musique si typique que l'on entendait résonner dans le bâtiment, je monte à l'étage, où je découvre une cinquantaine de personnes d'un certain âge dans les bras les uns des autres. Je n'ai jamais depuis voulu quitter cet abrazo....

Depuis, autant au travers de mon parcours professionnel que de mon expérience de voyageuse, je continue de penser que c'est à la croisée des chemins, en créant des espaces de confluence, qu'il est possible de partager et de transmettre l'impalpable, le vécu, pour générer ce que de "simples cours" ne peuvent pas englober ...... un véritable échange !

C'est pour cette raison que lorsque María m'a proposé de participer à Les Elles du Tango, j'ai accepté avec grand enthousiasme, ce projet correspondant absolument à ma propre démarche artistique et humaine.