Our History

The history of LexTango is the history of Argentine tango in Lexington. In 1995 Ron and Judith Gariepy attended a performance of Forever Tango in San Francisco. They returned to Lexington, Kentucky, with "The Passion" for tango. They shared with their dancing friends their discovery and their hope of learning this exciting dance. (Could they have imagined back then that they would become fast friends with both the creator of Forever Tango, and its most famous star?)

LexTango originated in 1996 with a group of seven aspiring tango dancers. The only source of instruction was a monthly visit by Michael Wizer from Cincinnati. “The Group of Seven” practiced every Wednesday evening in the basement of Barker Hall on the University of Kentucky campus in order to be ready for Michael's next visit. They also traveled to Cincinnati for lessons with Michael and to study with visiting teachers. After about three years The Group of Seven*, then Eight**, moved their practice sessions to ArtsPlace, which continue to this day as LexTango's Wednesday Night Practica.

Around 1999 Judith and Ron were asked to teach a beginner's class in Argentine Tango at ArtsPlace under the aegis of the Lexington Vintage Dance Society. They taught six-week sessions for beginning dancers for many years. With more tango dancers in the Lexington area, the Wednesday Night Practica grew. In 2007, Lu Ann Pelle started began hosting a monthly traditional milonga called “2nd Sunday” which ran for more than 13 years. Though not technically sponsored by LexTango, its primary support was from the LexTango community. Judith and Lu Ann organized many special LexTango milongas at a variety of venues over the years. LexTango also sponsored classes by Marcela Duran, star of Forever Tango, who moved to Lexington with her family in 2006, and occasional workshops with visiting teachers to hone our skills. Many of us travel widely to attend festivals and milongas in other wonderful places.

The world-wide Covid-19 pandemic brought things to a grinding to a halt in March of 2020. We remained on hiatus for about two years.

Thank you Ron and Judith for creating a community of Argentine tango dancers in Lexington,Kentucky!

*Group of Seven: Ron and Judith, Dwight and Lynda, Wayne and Lucie, and Mary Susan.
**Group of Eight: Ron and Judith, Dwight and Lynda, Wayne and Lucie, Mike and Kathy.