About Michelle Badion

I hate to brag about my qualifications teaching partner dancing, but sometimes it’s necessary.  Lately I keep running into people learning Argentine tango, salsa, or west coast swing from other partner dance teachers, which is OK, but they seem to think that I don’t teach.  Sometimes I let them know that their teacher is excellent, because I was their first teacher.  I am happy that so many good teachers started their dancing with me!  I am starting a blog and thought this might be a good time to tell you a little bit about myself.

1.  I am one of Seattle’s most experienced teachers.  I was Seattle’s first Salsa teacher and third Argentine Tango Teacher. I was also part of Seattle’s second wave of good WC Swing teachers.
2.  I have been teaching full time for over 20 years.
3. I have continued to social dance every week for all 20 years. This is how you keep up on local trends and keep your dancing skills sharp.
4. I have taught at and participated in many Argentine Tango Festivals, Salsa Congresses and WC Swing conventions.  I still go to several of each dance every year. These are where you keep up on worldwide trends in the dances. 
5.  I continue to take private lessons from the great masters of partner dance.
6.  I have analyzed the different technique needed in different dances and can dance each dance with my own style, but not with an accent.  No one at a Tango festival would ever say I dance like a salsa or swing dancer, or vice-versa, unless I tell them and do so on purpose.
7.  I perform as much as possible.  This keeps me creating new ways to engage people in dance.
8.  I love to dance and totally believe that social dancing will enhance every person’s life. 
9.  I currently teach beginners, intermediate, and advanced classes for both teachers and advanced performers and social dancers. For group classes listing visit www.exco.org  or my website.
10.  I consistently dance will all my students during classes, as both a lead and a follow.  This helps me to be aware and connected to the needs of my students.
    
    
    I have been honored to perform with many of the best Argentine Tango Dancers.  Sometimes we were on stage, but many were demos at milongas.  I continue to get asked to partner out of town maestros. Carlos Gavito, Fabian Salas, Omar Vega, Eduardo Saucedo, Patricio Touceda, Daniel Lapadula , Manuel Ortis,  Pedro 'Tete' Rusconi, Norberto "El Pulpo" Esbrés, “El Indio” Pedro Benavente, Metin Yazir, Cacho Dante, Jaun Bruno, Pampa Cortes, Marcos Questas, Ruban Terbalca, and Jorge Nel are some of the wonderful dancers I have performed with. Most of these I also taught with and I have social danced with all of them. Watch for videos of these on my website in the coming months.

I have been enchanted by Argentine Tango since the first time that Forever Tango came to Seattle in the early 1990’s. I was hooked, but it took a long time to learn because there were no experienced teachers locally. Now there are several good teachers, for both Argentine tango and other partner dances, but a flood of inexperienced ones. This blog will help students of partner dance get off to a good start and guide them along their journey