Tango Northside Marathon: March 13-15, 2026
Come dance with us!! We're excited to welcome you to our Tango Northside community with a weekend dedicated to the tradition of social tango. Our guest DJs, among the most esteemed in North America, will ensure that every tanda will delight and inspire. Plus, we'll have brunches and presentations to keep you fueled and enlightened. All activities will be held at the charmingly historic Hoffner Lodge in either our regular studio or the vintage ballroom.
Attendance will be limited to a role-balanced 100 dancers, a number we feel is optimal for an intimate event, so get your registration in soon!​​ Once you've signed up, join our Facebook group for important updates and to connect with other dancers!
schedule
Look at this exciting line-up! All events take place in either the 2nd Floor Ballroom or our 3rd Floor Studio. Note that the final Milonga on Sunday will be open to non-registrants from our dance community.
FRIDAY 3/13
Opening Milonga
feat. DJ Felipe Martinez
8:00pm-1am+ / 3rd Floor
​
SATURDAY 3/14
Brunch
11:30am-12:30pm / 2nd Floor
Presentation by Ayano
"Tango Poetry" (full title TBA)
Noon-1pm / 2nd Floor
Afternoon Milonga
feat. DJ Ayano Yoneda
1-5pm / 2nd Floor
Evening Milonga
feat. DJ Avik Basu
8pm-1am+ / 2nd Floor
SUNDAY 3/15
Brunch
11:30am-12:30pm / 2nd Floor
Presentation by J:
"Musicality" (full title TBA)
Noon-1pm / 2nd Floor
Milonga
feat. DJ J Abling
1-5pm / 2nd Floor Ballroom
Closing Milonga
feat. DJ Rachel Moon
7:00pm-11pm+ / 3rd Floor
Open to the public
•schedule subject to change
dj line-up
J Abling
J Abling has been a dj at many major cities and events all over North America since 2002. His DJ style is characterized by his ability to move the rhythmical feet and sway the melodic hearts of every dancer in the room. His choice tandas carefully strike the right balance between familiar classic tangos and pleasantly surprising ones.
J will provide one of his signature presentations about Musicality on Sunday.
Avik Basu
Avik began his tango journey in Ann Arbor in 2002 and has since become a highly sought after DJ, playing at many of the major tango events in North America. Some of his more interesting adventures include DJing at Salon Canning, teaching tango to a Bollywood actress in Mumbai, and touring the U.S. as the bandoneon player tango band Trio Folias. Avik’s musical selections are grounded in the Golden Age classics, but he also enjoys pushing the boundaries of the familiar (in small doses) and offering dancers a chance to explore something new.
​
Felipe Martinez
Felipe Martinez is a full time tango dancer, teacher, DJ and organizer based in the San Francisco Bay Area. He has been DJing tango for more than 20 years and is a resident DJ in the Bay Area at The Beat, Genesis, Alberto’s, The Verdi Club and El Valenciano. He has also played music all over North America and in Buenos Aires, where he was invited to play music at El Beso and Villa Malcolm Club on several occasions. He has also played extensively in Europe and Asia. Felipe’s musical selection is based on the Golden Age classics that ensure a great atmosphere for dancing.
Rachel Moon
Since falling for tango in 2009, Rachel’s tango journey has led her to live and train in Buenos Aires, to travel widely in North America & Europe (DJing & teaching along the way), and to give dozens of presentations on tango history, orchestras, and music.
As a DJ, Rachel’s goal is to provide the soundtrack for both a great party and an emotional journey. She aims to inspire dreamy smiles, pounding hearts, playfulness, and at least a few moments of joyful delirium.
When not traveling, Rachel teaches tango in Minneapolis with her partner in tango and in life, J. Abling. Their most recent project is a comprehensive training program for aspiring DJs and for dancers seeking a deeper knowledge of tango music.
Ayano Yoneda
Ayano travels frequently for tango, dancing in milongas around the world, including a pilgrimage she makes yearly to Buenos Aires. She regularly DJs at the local milongas in the San Francisco Bay Area where she is based. She has been invited to DJ in prominent tango festivals, marathons and encuentros around the world.
Since 2019, Ayano co-founded the Tango Poetry Project, www.tangopoetryproject.com (an online source for translated tango lyrics and explanation videos) to promote the world of tango poetry.
Ayano will present on the topic Tango Poetry on Saturday.
how to register
REGISTRATION:
To secure your spot, complete and send the registration form. Once the form is received, you will be emailed payment instructions. Your payment must then be received within 72 hours in order to secure your registration. Please see the Policies section below for additional information.
​
COST:
Marathon Pass: $175/person*
Includes five milongas, two brunches, two presentations, and any other snacks/beverages provided throughout.
*$225/person after February 12, 2026
​
:REQUIREMENTS:
• Full Marathon Passes only — no drop-in (except for Sunday Closing Milonga which is open to the public)
• Each attendee must register individually
• Role Balance: To preserve role balance, dancers are asked to commit to dancing primarily lead, primarily follow, or dual-role. Dual Role dancers are expected to have competency with both roles, and be ready and willing to switch roles as the environment requires
• Help us get to know you! Please make sure to provide the name of a reference contact (an organizer or teacher from your dance community) and tell us something about your experience as a tango dancer.
• All attendees are expected to conduct themselves in a respectful manner and to abide by the accepted codes of the milonga ​
​​​​​​​
policies
Please review these additional important details:
​
Late Registration
If there is space and you register after midnight February 12th, 2026, the cost for a Marathon Pass is $225/person.
Wait List
We will cap registration at 100 participants with equal numbers of leads and follows. If you register after we have a full number of participants, you will be placed on a Wait List. You will receive an email letting you know this before you are asked to send payment.
​
Cancellations
If you need to cancel your registration you can up to midnight February 12th, 2026. You will be reimbursed your attendance fee minus a $25 processing fee ($150).
​
​Please contact Michael with any questions or concerns.
​
additional info
We'll be adding helpful information for our visitors here as it becomes available. Registrants can also join our Facebook group to plan and share resources with other attendees.​
​
Lodging
A number of hotels are on convenient bus lines or within an easy drive from the studio. The Northside neighborhood is also home to several air b&b's, and some of our locals may be willing to host. Watch this space for more information coming soon.