About Yuliana Basmajyan
Born and raised in Armenia, Yuliana Basmajyan immigrated to the US in her early adolescent years. For many years she tested her skills in different dance forms, including modern, jazz, flamenco, and extensive training in Salsa. After several years of Latin dancing she discovered her true calling, a dance that truly inspired and challenged her…Tango. Over the span of several years, Yuliana studied and trained in Argentina under world-class dancers such as Natalia Hills, Romina Levin, Andrea Misse, Corina Herrera, and Geraldine Rojas to name a few.
Yuliana Basmajyan and her former partner Brian Nguyen are the only couple to win two Tango Salon US Championships (2010 & 2011) and to make the finals at the Mundial World Championship in Buenos Aires 4 years in a row! They are also the only US couple to ever place at the Salon World Championship by taking home the bronze medal in 2011. They have taught and performed in several festivals and milongas in the US and around the world, including events such as El Congreso in Toronto, Tijuana Tango Festival, San Diego Tango Festival, Fire & Ice Festival in Ann Arbor, Tucson Tango Festival in Tucson, Valentango in Portland, Tango Mundo Festival in Palm Springs, Mercury Cafe in Denver and La Nacional, Ukraine, and Nocturne Milongas in NYC as well as famous theaters in LA such as Nokia theatre, Wilshire Ebell theatre, Florentine Gardens and many high-end banquet halls in USA, Canada, and Mexico. Including cities such as Sacramento, San Francisco, Palo Alto, Santa Barbara, they have also taught at several schools and tango clubs such as Oxygen Tango School, Tango Room, Caltech Tango Club, Stanford Tango Club, Arizona State University Tango Club, Latin Dance Pro Salsa School to name a few.
Yuli has had the opportunity to perform with famous tango dancers such as world renowned Carlos Copello, world tango salon champion Maximiliano Cristiani, and other well known dancers: Oliver Kolker, Jaimes Friedgen, Mauro Peralta, Danilo Maddalena, Dominic Bridge, Sergio Almiron, Gabriel El Huracan, Ricardo Biggeri, Marcelo El Chino Gutierrez, Varo Boyajyan, and Meng Wang. Most recently in the Fall of 2018, Yuliana had the honor to perform with renowned dancer and choreographer Natalia Hills’ company Tangueros del Sur in their show Romper el Piso in the Arlene Schnitzner Concert Hall in Portland, Oregon and The Soraya Performing Arts Center in Northridge, California.
Yuliana’s passion for tango has expressed itself in various ventures over time. From 2009 to 2018, Yuliana hosted one of the most prestigious milongas in Los Angeles, Milonga Querida. She currently devotes her talents to teaching in LA at her new dance studio and show room in Burbank as well as teaching abroad. Yuli is also the exclusive distributor of Regina tango shoes, imported from Italy.
One of Yuliana’s grandest visions was the creation of the first international tango competition in the United States. The Southern California Tango Championship and Festival over the last 5 years has become one of the best events in the United States and has attracted competitors from all around the world. To date, it has successfully brought competitors and social dancers together for a grand event that features world renowned instructors and orchestras. Plans are underway for SoCal 2020.
In 2019 Yuliana will be teaching in Florida in April, teaching and judging at the Berlin Open Tango Contest in May, as well as teaching and performing in Yerevan at the Armenia Tango Festival in June. She will also be teaching at the Greek Island Tango Retreat in September.
MISSION
I pride myself in touching the multiple facets of this unique and beautiful dance by excelling as a tango dancer/teacher/performer, organizer and ambassador that spreads the love of tango. Through years of experience, study and research, I have gained invaluable knowledge of what tango dancers require to grow in their personal dance journey. From this understanding, I have built the foundation of my teaching methodology, art of performing, creating unique tango events, and bringing quality products to the community.
