Updates — Pandemic + After ...

These days, Deb has refocused most of her creative energy on music, and on how her extensive background and experience in tango can deepen and inspire new explorations into other forms of dance.

As things "reopened," Stephen returned to tango, where he continues to average more than 200 tandas a month on the social dance floor, at events throughout the region and beyond.

He also DJed at the 2022 Gavito Tango Festival + was on staff again in 2023 ... dances + teaches in Albuquerque during his frequent visits to New Mexico ... has helped mentor an emerging Tango community in nearby Topanga Canyon ... and continues to host Tuesday Night Tango in Ventura, now in its 16th year — one of the longest running weekday milongas on the West Coast.

	Stephen + Deb at Caltech Marathon, 2014 — photo by Momo Smitt

From before the pandemic —

Deb + Stephen have been dancing + improvising together on Tango's social dance floor since 1998 — more than 20 years — making their partnership one of the longest + most enduring on the West Coast.

Based in Ojai, California, Deb + Stephen have also been hosting and teaching locally since 2003, sharing Tango by way of their one-of-a-kind "All Levels" Workshops on 1st + 3rd Monday Nights — offering more than 300 sessions over 16 years — and in the unique "X" Session, an interactive exchange which is part of their weekly Tuesday Night Tango gathering in Ventura.

Unlike most learning opportunities, these forums present + explore the dance from a Principle Based perspective, with the aim of helping dancers find, discover, consider + engage Tango's many possibilities for themselves, on their own terms.

Over the years, Stephen + Deb have found that an approach like this allows and encourages each individual dancer + couple alike to create a more personal and potent Tango — one that is not only flexible, creative and technically rich, but also one that is built on a solid foundation of our essential shared humanity, leavened with a mindful helping of awareness, attention, presence and non-judgment.

Fluent in many modes, methods, "styles" and aspects of Tango, Deb + Stephen are both skilled at both roles — leading + following. They are more likely to be found studying in class as students than operating in front of a class as "teachers." And in any given month, together, they typically spend a combined 60-plus hours on the social dance floor — more than 300 tandas a month — improvising Tango with each other and with a wide variety of partners, of all experience levels, in both roles, with all kinds of music, in all kinds of embraces, situations, venues + floor conditions.

Stephen + Deb dancing Tango on the Beach, 2005
— from a photo by Jenni Keller

Deb + Stephen's earliest instructors were Brian Griffin & Fay Villanueva in Santa Barbara. Since then they have had the benefit of many hundreds of tango classes, seminars, workshops, and private lessons — between them, studying with some 500 teachers and world-class tango dancers.

Along the way, Stephen + Deb have embraced and explored a wide variety of tango approaches, techniques, and pedagogies — ranging from the end of the "Golden Age" (Nito & Elba García, Ricardo Vidort & Muma Valino), through the "Tango Renaissance" of recent decades (Brigitta Winkler, Graciela Gonzalez, Daniel Trenner, Tomás Howlin, Oscar Casas), to the ongoing discoveries + cutting-edge investigations of today (Homer + Cristina Ladas, Chicho Frumboli + Juana Sepulveda, Andrés Amarilla + Meredith Klein).

Beginning in 2006, they have also organized and presented dozens of events, Workshops and "Tango Labs" with visting guest artists in Ojai, Ventura, and Santa Barbara.

Stephen with student Joann
— photo by Brooks Smothers © 2005

Stephen + Deb are frequently asked to demonstrate, perform and present tango — at Ojai Day, Santa Barbara's French Festival, Ojai Valley Athletic Club, Nordhoff High School's "Celebrate Dance!"; at fundraisers for the Ojai Retreat, Goleta Valley Community Center, Theater 150, Besant Hill School; and at weddings and private parties.

They have attended a number of marathons and tango festivals, and are a regular presence at milongas in Los Angeles and Santa Barbara. Whenever they travel, they aim to seek out and dance with local tangueros — with memorable outings in the Bay Area, New York, Chicago, Boston, Seattle, Portland, San Diego, Tucson, Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Ann Arbor, Paris, Vienna, Maui, and Buenos Aires.

Since summer 2009, they have offered periodic workshops and helped mentor an emerging tango community in Nevada City, and they have been guest instructors in Santa Barbara, Reno, and at the Esalen Institute.

Along with their colleague Brigitta Winkler of Berlin, in spring 2017 they also presented "La Valle Rosada" - Ojai Women's Tango Retreat, an intensive weekend of study, practice and bonding for experienced women dancers who lead + follow.

When they're not dancing, Deb works as a massage therapist, and sings and plays percussion with a local ensemble in Ojai. Her earlier work in music includes singing backup and playing piano + percussion in two Latin bands — and her dance background before tango includes African, Latin + Brazilian.

Stephen taught screenwriting at Columbia College in Chicago, was a long-time member of Ojai's Theater 150, and owns the small business East-West TeaHouse. He's also an award-winning writer, a writing coach, and works as a story analyst + script consultant for motion pictures.