How I Chose My First Dance School

When four years ago I decided to start dancing tango and needed to find the right place to learn, I sampled several dance schools in Chelsea – NYU area. Triangulo and Dance Manhattan provided fabulous moments of low comedy, but were not a good fit and were thus rejected. Next on my trial-and-error list was Sandra Cameron Dance Center, which at the time rented space at 440 Lafayette Studios. When I arrived at the 440 Studios for an introductory class, the first thing I saw after stepping out of the elevator was a large sign written on the wall: THE ROBERT MOSS THEATER. It was a much bolder and rougher affair than the sleek, but anemic version installed since then and pictured above. My fate was sealed. I decided to follow Robert’s skillful way of navigating by coincidences, everyday oracles, and personal symbols, and chose to interpret the writing on the wall as a sign that any place where a Robert Moss runs the show was the place for me. For the next three years, I reaped generous rewards of this decision.

But "Where are they now?" Dance Manhattan closed in November 2014 (see DM RIP on Robert Bononno’s excellent blog Tango High and Low). Sandra Cameron closed her studio in the summer of 2013. Triangulo is still alive and kicking. Jeni Breen, who used to lead the tango program at Sandra’s studio, formed her own Jeni Breen Tango Academy and is still teaching at 440 Studios, under the newly gentrified glass sign of the Robert Moss Theater.