Primavera Tango - Sydney

Primavera Tango is a Sydney-based Argentine tango studio founded by Dean James Beattie and Genevieve (Gigi) Silva, two accomplished tango professionals with over 20 years combined experience. The studio teaches Argentine tango at all levels, from absolute beginners through to advanced dancers, with an emphasis on technique, skill and professionalism.

Dean began his tango journey in London in 2013, rooted in stage tango, and migrated to Australia in 2015 where he discovered Tango Pista, the social floor dance. He has travelled to Buenos Aires three times (2017, 2019, and 2022) to train with world-renowned champions and maestros. His background includes gymnastics with numerous gold medals in his youth, and he is an accomplished architect who led major projects including the Melbourne Metro CBD Platform Design, Rockdale Bicentennial Park, and the Canberra Light Rail. He won London Architects of the Year (Royal Institute of Architects, 2015) and the Invisible Cities Project award (2010).

Gigi's first encounter with tango came at age 8 during a family holiday in Argentina. Her diverse dance background includes ballet, jazz and belly dancing. She performed weekly in a tango show in Puerto Madero, Buenos Aires, and worked at the Institute of Betsabet Flores as a professional photographer. Her photography focuses on capturing the emotion and connection of tango through intimate portraits.

Together, Dean and Gigi have competed in 10 international tango competitions and achieved significant recognition: Sub-Champion in the 2024 preliminaries for the World Tango Championships Oceania; Third Place in 2023 in a highly competitive stage tango competition in Buenos Aires (Copa Marabú); Sub-Champions at Tango Pista Melbourne in 2018; and First Place in 2018 for People's Choice in a televised international talent competition. Their work has been featured in The Heiress Blacklisted Her Husband, a vertical series on ReelShort with over 100 million views, where they choreographed and performed a powerful tango scene. They have also appeared in a documentary, a short film under review for an independent film award, and a feature on 7News Morning Sunrise. They have performed at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and the Sydney Opera House precinct.

Classes are held at Lachlan's Line Auditorium, 15 Halifax Street, Macquarie Park. Group classes run on Mondays and Thursdays at structured levels: Beginners (Letters) Monday 7–8 PM, Intermediate (Words) Monday 8–9 PM, Combinations (Sentences) Thursday 6:30–7:30 PM, and Social Dance/Practica (Conversations) Thursday 7:30–10 PM. The studio welcomes solo participants with no partner required, and registration is not required but recommended. Casual drop-in is $25 per person per class, with packages available: 5-class pack for $110 ($22/hr) and 10-class pack for $200 ($20/hr), both valid for 6 months. A dual-class option is available for $40 when back-to-back lessons are offered.

The Auditorium is conveniently located 8 minutes walk from North Ryde Metro Station, with free street parking in Jarvis Circuit and Halifax Street, and paid parking at Coles Car Park (2 hours free or 3 hours for $5). The venue is adjacent to Lachlan's Square Village, which offers cafes, restaurants and retail shops. The studio operates a dedicated student Facebook group for class videos, updates and community support.

You'll learn tango as a language of connection, rhythm and emotion, starting with posture, embrace and essential movements in the Beginners class. No partner or prior dance experience is required, and the welcoming, inclusive environment means you can learn at your own pace with expert guidance from Dean and Gigi.

Dean James Beattie and Genevieve (Gigi) Silva are the founders and principal instructors. Dean trained in stage tango in London from 2013 and has made three transformative trips to Buenos Aires (2017, 2019, 2022) to study with world-renowned champions. Gigi has diverse classical and contemporary dance training and performed weekly in tango shows in Puerto Madero, Buenos Aires. Together they have competed in 10 international tango competitions and performed at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and Sydney Opera House precinct.

Beginners are fully welcome; the studio teaches posture, embrace and essential movements from the foundation, with no partner or registration required.