Jae offers both group classes and private lessons, and a weekly práctica. No partner is required.
Práctica
Every Thursday, 8:30- 11pm, at the Triangle Dance Studio (TDS), in the “Upstairs Studio”, at 2603 S. Miami Blvd, Durham, NC. The fee is $10 ($5 for students with ID).
Students are strongly encouraged to attend; the práctica will help develop your skills. All experienced dancers throughout the Triangle are encouraged to participate to both refine their skills and contribute to the learning process of the newer dancers.
Group Classes
Tango Utopia offers both beginner and intermediate classes. Each class meets weekly, and for four weeks. Each series will develop your skills cumulatively, so you should register only if your schedule will permit you to attend all the classes (excepting emergencies, of course).
Beginners July 2026 class series:
with Jae Youn & assistant Coco Hare
6:30-7:30 pm TDS upper Studio (see map here)
$60/month for the whole series and $20 for drop in price if you can’t commit to the whole month, we’d still love to have you!
Our beginners space to join our community~ come explore the beautiful world, and techniques of argentine tango. If you are repeat student you are welcome to come for free to continue to grow your practice and support our newer tango dancers. Jae will approve if you are welcome to come and practice with us for free, check in with Jae via email or of course in person!
Start your journey into tango with us! We welcome you to explore and obtain the foundation of the tango dance. We will guide you with a gentle and friendly approach. Exploring the embrace, mastering your walk and adding in the building block movements of tango. We will explore the classic forms of movement within Tango, Vals, and Milongas, along with introducing your basic musicality, and importance of partner connection within the embrace.
This is a fundamental class to enter into your newfound curiosity and love of tango with clarity. Come as you are-no partner needed, friends are welcome. We can’t wait to meet you!
Check out our resources page for more information about music, technique, social etiquette, and all things tango!
Intermediate July 2026 class series:
-Thursdays immediately following beginners class series
with Jae Youn & assisted by Coco Hare
7:30-8:30 pm TDS upper Studio (see map here)
$60/month, $30/month for students repeating the class, or $20 for a drop in!
Partner not required to attend. Open role (dual role) welcome. All weekly topics are tentative and subject to change at the discretion of the instructor.
The Intermediate class covers a range of advanced skills, and is run in the style of a working seminar, with the focus determined by the goals and interests of the participants. This class is for students who are fluent in the foundational elements of tango, and is by invitation only. If you are interested, contact Jae to ask about pre-requisites.
This July, our focus is going to be on growing our musicality. We will be exploring techniques of the parada and the pasada, supported by and in depth dive exploring various expressions on different orchestras.
Week 1 – Parada, pasada with Di Sarli, Calo, D’agustino
Week 2 – rebound, ocho cortado with D’arienzo, Troilo, Biagi
Week 3 – Calecita, spins with Pugliese,
Week 4 reviews
Pasada literally translates to “stepping over” or “passing over”, and it requires a deep connection between the partners to perform it. Parada means “to stop” or “stand” and usually refers to a little play wherein the leader slides his free foot next to the foot upon which his partner is turning while at the same time leading her to take a brief “stop”!
As always we will be adding in our musicality and some basic embellishments for follows. We will always use a building approach and interconnect techniques we cover from the week prior to build a strong web of movements you can take with you into your social dancing. We will work on incorporating our turns from June into these methods entering into a wider range of circular movement we can use within tango.
Thursday 2026 Class Schedule & History:
January 8 – January 29
Intermediate class series with Gregorio & Marisol
February 5 – February 26
Dual role class with Jae
April 2nd- 30th
Beginning & Intermediate class series with Jae Youn & Coco Hare
May 7-27th
Beginning & Intermediate class series with Jae Youn & Coco Hare & Yemiko Obita.
June 4-25th
Beginning & Intermediate class series with Jae Youn & Coco Hare.
Group class logistics
- The current class schedule and registration information are posted on the home page.
(If you do not find it, please contact Jae.) - Each month is $60. $30 for reoccurring students and $20 for drop in price. You get a $5 discount to stay for the weekly práctica following lesson series from 8:30-11pm weekly to practice your skills socially.
- All Classes are held at the Triangle Dance Studio (TDS), in the “Upstairs Studio”, at 2603 S. Miami Blvd, Durham, NC.
Private Lessons
A one-hour private lesson ( one person or couple) $90 in Durham and one-hour private at Jae’s home studio (in Garner, NC) is $80.
Jae also offers semi-privates for small group.
To schedule a private, contact Jae.