Carlos Sampelayo

Carlos has been involved in tango since childhood. His parents loved tango and lived within the tango culture all their lives. In his house, tango music was played every day and for the entire day. After seeing the show “Tango Argentino” in 1985, Carlos began studying Argentine Tango with a variety of instructors. His main teachers with whom he studied extensively were Diego di Falco, Carolina Zokalski, dancers from the show “Forever Tango”. He also studied with Osvaldo Zotto (from Tango X 2), The Dinzels (From Tango Argentino), and Hugo Patyn (From Forever Tango), Carlos Copello.

 Chosen as the “Best Argentine Tango Teacher in Westchester 2010” by the Westchester Magazine. He is also  now a Certified Argentine Tango Instructor earning his teacher’s certification in Nov 2012 from The Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing Incorporated.

Carlos, along with his partner Karen, was chosen as Sub-Champions in the 2013 US Tango Championship.

 In 1998 Carlos began teaching privately and hosting his own milongas. At present he teaches at 26 Broadway Dance Studio in Hawthorne, NY and at several venues throughout Westchester:

          Carlos has performed in a number of venues such as The Elmwood Theater in Nyack, Stamford Public Library, Byron Public Library, The Pelham Woman’s Club, Mamaroneck Jewish Temple, and a variety of other venues.

Karen Schneider

 IN 1997 Karen attended the performance of “Forever Tango” and fell in love with the emotion, culture and difficulty of the dance. She began tango lessons with various instructors in the area but never experienced the level desired under their guidance.

Originally trained in tap and jazz at a very early age, Karen began ballroom with performances at the Copacabana and earning 1^st and 2^nd place in the 1998 Fred Astaire TriStar Championships and, as a ballroom teacher, choreographed the performance of The Cubist Works of Pablo Picasso televised by Local News 12.

While still teaching ballroom, her ongoing romance with Argentine Tango finally brought her to Lynn and Carlos Sampelayo in 2004: both who are responsible for turning her interest into an all consuming passion. Soon after, a partnership was formed with Carlos Sampelayo and she has been dedicated entirely to the dance and its teachings that started 17 years ago.

She is now a Certified Argentine Tango Instructor earning her teacher’s certification in Nov 2012 from The Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing Incorporated.

Karen, along with her partner Carlos, was chosen as Sub-Champions in the 2013 US Tango Championship and will compete again in 2014.

With imaginative thinking, Karen Schneider (Keni) – the creator of KENI’s CORRIDOR© – uses her innovative and copyrighted technique in her classes to teach dancers how to avoid obstacles on the Tango dance floor.