Welcome to Tango CLT!
About Tango CLT
Tango CLT is the brainchild of Matthew Seneca, a tanguero based in Charlotte, NC. Its mission is to make accessible to all the beautiful art of Argentine tango, including the dance, the music, and tango's history and culture. We offer classes, social dances, and concerts, and we host outstanding guest dancers and musicians who bring their knowledge and artistry to the fast-growing city of Charlotte.
About Argentine Tango
Martha Graham called Argentine tango "The fabulous dance of the past hundred years, and the most beautiful." Argentine tango is a social dance that originated in Buenos Aires and Uruguay over a century ago. It contains musical and cultural elements from three continents: South America, Africa, and Europe. Today it is danced all over the world. You can find tango communities in almost every major city from Seoul to Seattle. Tango, both the dance and the musical genre, has been evolving for many decades and continues to do so today. It is passionate yet meditative, and unlike many other dances it can express the full range of human emotion. And it is surprisingly easy to learn! You do not need to be a ballerina or an athlete to dance tango. Anyone of any age or ability can learn this amazing dance.
Matthew Joseph Seneca
Matthew Joseph Seneca discovered tango 14 years ago and has never looked back. He has learned from many instructors and attended festivals and workshops locally and internationally. He began his tango journey here in Charlotte with Daniel Arredondo. In Buenos Aires he trains with Patricie Porakova, Javier Antar, and Nadia Johnson at La Maleva. In North Carolina, he continues to study with Karen Jaffe in Asheville. He also trains remotely with Liz & Yannick Vanhove in France.
A Magna Cum Laude graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, Matthew is a classically trained actor and singer, a self-taught guitarist and songwriter, and a former certified teacher of the Alexander Technique. For 14 years, he was a high school teacher, during which time he taught everything from English to theater arts to dance. This diverse background in the performing arts informs his approach to tango. 
Add Matt's contact info to your phone by scanning this QR code!
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Sarah Hayes Harkins
Sarah Hayes Harkins is a ballet dancer with Charlotte Ballet and has danced professionally since 2008. Her career has led her to work with choreographers of many styles and genres of dance, and she has been blessed to receive many lead roles over the years. Some of her favorite roles include Choleric in Balanchine’s Four Temperaments, Grand Pas Classique, Cinderella, Tinker Bell and the Grey Girl in Jiří Kylián’s Forgotten Land. Sarah has also choreographed many works for Charlotte Ballet and Charlotte Ballet II.
Sarah also owns a small business called EveryBODIESballet, a platform for ballet instruction that focuses on supplemental technique for anyone and everyone and has the goal to prove that ballet can be useful in so many walks of life. Sarah began training in Argentine tango in 2021 and is very motivated to learn more and bring her knowledge of ballet to the dance. CLICK HERE to watch a video of Sarah and Matt on WBTV's QC @3!
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Tango CLT is supported by the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources; the Arts & Science Council with funding from Mecklenburg County and the City of Charlotte; and the arts councils in Cabarrus, Cleveland, Gaston, Lincoln, and Rowan counties.
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Tango CLT is thrilled to be selected by arts nonprofit Charlotte Is Creative to be a part of its 2023 Creative Entrepreneurs Initiative! Over 150 candidates applied for 14 slots, and we were lucky to be selected.
Charlotte Is Creative is an arts nonprofit that "develops programs and initiatives designed to break the Charlotte mold and re-make it with creativity – into a city that draws people in, excites them, and inspires them to invest their financial, social, and creative capital." 
We are excited to receive an Artist Support Grant from the Arts & Science Council of Charlotte! This grant is awarded annually to select Charlotte creatives to support them in their journey. This grant will fund Matthew's next trip to Buenos Aires to dance and train at Tangonexion!
The North Carolina Arts Council is a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources; the Arts & Science Council with funding from Mecklenburg County and the City of Charlotte; and the arts councils in Cabarrus, Cleveland, Gaston, Lincoln, and Rowan counties. |
"Developed by Charlotte Is Creative and made possible with funds from Wells Fargo, the Creative Entrepreneurs Initiative (CEI) will reward up to 10 creatives with 10 sessions of business and project management training, support and promotion created by local subject matter experts, plus additional support and promotion. CEI cohort members will be paid $75 to attend each class and will receive a $1,500 grant upon successful completion of the program." 
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