Born in Mar del Plata, province of Buenos Aires, Ignacio Ondartz began studying tango in 2000 in his hometown with Julio Valdez, the most important referent for tango dance in the city. Mr. Valdez is renowned in Mar del Plata, and beyond, as a teacher, choreographer and organizer of the oldest tango practice (Milonga) in the city.

Ignacio benefited, in his study of tango dance, from having a solid musical foundation and training. He had pursued classical guitar studies at the music conservatory of the city of Mar del Plata “Luis Gianneo,” in his adolescence, and later studied classical voice as well.

In 2002, he joined the Tango Ballet ‘Nueva Generación’ directed by Julio Valdez, with which he performed as a dancer in various institutions and on many different stages. The Ballet performed both in tango spaces and events, and for the general public. In the same year, Ignacio began to serve as teaching assistant for several teachers and tango masters in Mar del Plata such as Enrique Ringa, Walter Rodriguez and Claudio Fortes.

In 2004, he decided to commit even more fully to tango by moving to the city of Buenos Aires, the birthplace of tango, and best place in the world to deepen one’s tango studies and involvement. That year, Ignacio joined the cast of the Show, “Piel de Tango,” created and directed by Dina Emed. In that show, he shared the stage with other outstanding dancers such as the future World Champion in stage category Hugo Mastrolorenzo. He spent three seasons with the show, performing on various famed stages of Buenos Aires, including Confiteria La Ideal, Paseo la Plaza and Salón Sur, among others. Through his involvement with the dance company, he also began teaching at the Tango School of Dina Emed.

From 2004, when he moved to Buenos Aires, to the present, Ignacio has never stopped improving his dance and professional training, taking classes, seminars and workshops with renowned masters of the genre like Fabian Salas, Chicho Frumboli, Julio Balmaceda and Corina de La Rosa, Mauricio Castro, and Gustavo Naveira, among many others. In 2015, he was part of the theater show, “El tango ha muerto,” which received great reviews from newspaper and radio critics. In 2020 and 2022, he was featured in films by the director, dancer and producer Amira Campora: “Tango19” and “Piernas de Tango.” In November 2023, Ignacio received his first P-3 artist visa and began visiting Philadelphia to teach and perform.

Just a few months later, in March 2024, Ignacio suffered a hemorrhagic stroke that nearly killed him. Over the past year, he has had to re-learn everything, from how to breathe and swallow, to how to walk and talk, to how to dance. In January 2025, Ignacio gave his first performance again after the stroke. Tango has been a significant factor in the speed of Ignacio’s recovery and the extent to which he has been able to recover. It is therefore even more meaningful than before for him to be able to help new dancers start their exploration of tango. He is humbled and thrilled to be able to teach the Beginner Track of this year’s festival with his partner, and the festival director, Meredith Klein.

Meredith Klein has been dancing tango for 26 years, including three years spent living in Buenos Aires. Meredith directs the Philadelphia Argentine Tango School (since 2008), the Philadelphia Tango Festival (since 2010), Milonga Tours (offering tango tours of Buenos Aires for dancers since 2009), and the tango record label Bochinche Records (since 2023). Before tango, Meredith came from a background in music, and has made it her life’s mission to help tango dancers and tango musicians understand each other a little better. Her Bochinche Records released Psicoporteño by Tipica Messiez in June 2023.

Meredith has taught and performed in more than 40 cities worldwide, including Istanbul, Sydney and Byron Bay (Australia), Gdansk and Brzeg (Poland), Belo Horizonte (Brazil), Beirut (Lebanon), Nicosia (Cyprus), Vancouver and Montreal (Canada), and more than 30 cities in the United States.

Like many tango dancers, Meredith is fascinated by the transformative potential of tango. When we arrive completely into the moment, in our own body, present with another person, and indeed, with an entire roomful of people (i.e. when we dance tango), magic and healing happen. She is thrilled to help more people access this magic through all the projects that she directs.

In 2024, she started a dance partnership with Ignacio Ondartz, from Mar del Plata, Argentina, who has lived in Buenos Aires for twenty years. He is an extraordinary tango dancer, and literally the very best milonga dancer in the entire world.

In July 2024, Meredith became one of very few foreigners in the world to be named an Honorary Academic of the National Academy of Tango in Buenos Aires, a program of the Argentine Ministry of Culture and Department of Education. She is overwhelmed by this unexpected honor.