Welcome to the Abrazos Tango Festival!
We are Mariela Franganillo and Dagny Miller, and it is with great excitement that we present to you the 2025 edition of the Abrazos Tango Festival! Our intention in curating this festival is to offer the New York City community a transformative experience. Prepare to embark on a journey of exploration and find yourself inspired by these great artists and your fellow tango dancers!
At Abrazos Tango Festival, we wanted to create an event that not only elevates your tango technique but also speaks to the heart and soul of why we dance. The story of The Little Prince beautifully captures themes of connection, care, and playfulness—values that resonate deeply with tango. By weaving this narrative into our festival, we aim to inject joy and levity into the often serious and rigorous process of learning, reminding us all of the magic that drew us to tango in the first place.
Each day’s theme is inspired by a beloved quote from The Little Prince:
Day 1: "What is Essential is Invisible to the Eye" reflects the subtle, unseen connections we build in tango, as we cultivate trust and communication through the embrace.
Day 2: "The Rose: The Value of Dedication & Care" reminds us that just as the Little Prince cared for his rose, tango requires patience, dedication, and nurturing to bloom into something beautiful.
Day 3: "All Grownups Were Once Children" invites us to rediscover the joy of play, bringing lightheartedness and spontaneity back into our dance.
We’ve curated this festival to be an intimate experience, with limited capacity and the highest quality maestros, so each dancer can have a meaningful and personal connection to the teaching and the community. Through this balance of depth and playfulness, we hope to create a space where you can grow, connect, and dance with joy.
Abrazos,
Mariela Franganillo & Dagny Miller
Our Team
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Our Team *
With more than 30 years of experience teaching, performing, and choreographing, her career highlights include: a featured role in Forever Tango on Broadway; performing and teaching at Midsummer Night Swing at Lincoln Center; collaborations with noted musicians including Pablo Ziegler at Carnegie Hall; and a U.S. tour with Julio Inglesias.
Her own shows include—Recuerdo Tango, Tango Connection, Tango Noir and SWANGO the Musical! with screenwriting by Rupert Holmes. Additionally she was invited to choreograph and perform in the Fall for Dance Festival at the City Center.
Mariela Franganillo
Trained as a classical ballet dancer, tango captured Dagny’s heart right as she was going into university. Premed classes kept her busy during the day, but nights filled with tango lit up her soul. She soon realized she was exactly where she was meant to be- helping others find the joy, pleasure, and community she found in tango. These days you can find her teaching in NYC and around the US, emphasizing connection above fancy steps. Her favorite thing is to see her students smiling on the dance floor as they find the confidence to be themselves.
Dagny Arizona Miller
