Warning About Tango Teacher "tango Piola"

[PolarVortex]

I wanted to spread my story about a Tango teacher who groped me and kissed me during our private class. Since posting about it in other groups, five other women messaged me and told me they had the same experience. Trip Advisor deleted all of our reviews (we are reposting) but I also wanted to make it known,so this doesn't happen to other women...

So, it was my first week in South America. I was excited to find that I could take private lessons for women for unbelievably cheap ($13 an hour!). I now suspect that he offers it that cheap to get young women alone.

At first the lesson was great. He is, bar none, the best tango dancer I have ever had the pleasure to dance with. He started teaching me these really dramatic fun moves that I was excited to learn (at first).

He started to dance with me in a way that was extremely sensual. At first I gave him the benefit of the doubt because it was my first week in South America and I thought that they might just do it differently in Argentina. Now that I have been to several milongas I know that is not the case at all!

He would run his hands up and down my body, and more then once over my chest. He rubbed his lips against my mouth and I had the distinct impression that if I opened my mouth, he would be kissing me. I kept my mouth firmly closed.
However, at one point, almost near the end of the hour, he actually put his fingers to my mouth to open it and started kissing me. I was stunned so I allowed it for a moment. I don't know why - I suppose it is the women's role to de-esculate in these situations. After a moment I turned my head away and he led me to begin dancing again. I felt sick to my stomach. We danced for a short time and then he tried to kiss me again. This time I told him that I didn't want to.

He was not awkward or nervous in this at all, in fact it felt almost practiced. I am sure he has done this before.

He said okay, and said that we had a lot of chemistry. Then he offered me Tango lessons for free, saying that he needed a Tango partner in new york for shows and pictures. I agreed - I don't know why - but figured that I could just say no if he tried to make a move on me again.

What happened next is rather predictable. He did teach me, but still more dramatic sensual moves. Leg wraps and the like. And he continued to touch me in a way that no other tango partner has touched me. Deliberately running his hands over my chest, etc.

I asked him once to try not to breathe in my ear (it grosses me out). He got all huffy and ended the class early.

The next class or so, I called him out on running his lips against mine. I said "Don't kiss me" in the middle of a dance, on the third time he had brushed his lips against my lips. He got super defensive and said "You think I am going to kiss you? How can you possibly learn Tango if you think I am going to be kissing you?!"

Uh....exactly. I can't learn Tango it all if I am worried about you kissing me. And I have never had anyone brush their lips against mine without the intention of kissing me.

I am not sure how old he is, but he is significantly older than I am (26). My guess is in his 40s. It was beyond creepy and I am CERTAIN that I am not the only one. In fact, I know I am not, because someone else mentioned it to me as well.

And, he wasn't actually teaching me much technique. He was teaching me primarily showy moves and often ones that involved me wrapping my legs around him.
He might be a good teacher to a group, but I strongly suspect he abuses his Tango skill to serially seduce women. I would never recommend him to a female alone

His business is called Tango Piola, his name is Cristian Castano (with an accent on the n)

 

[Bajo_cero2]

FYI this is a crime in this country if and only of you do the criminal denunciation.

Women do not need private clases, they should take technique clases only and dance at the milonga.

Tango itself is sensual, If it is overacted, then it is an abuse.

 

[RichardP]

Guys like that likely figure a foreigner won't want to go through the trouble of making a denuncia and it might not make much difference anyway since it just might be seen as his word against yours. If 5 other women come forth, then that could make a difference. I hope you do because slimeballs like that need to be dealt with.

 

[PolarVortex]

Mine word alone wouldn't have done anything. He stopped when I said stop. I posted here partially to leave it as a warning for others who might search these forums, and partially to see if there were any other women who had the same experience. We tried submitting reviews to trip advisor, but trip advisor deleted all of them!

Mine because it was "sexually explicit" (it contained the words "breasts" and "sexual"), another girl because it contained information about someone else's opinion, and the third because it was too old. They had reasons for all of them, but it made me a little suspicious that it was systematized.

Edited to add: Two of us resubmitted, so we will see...

 

[Alicia karr]

Polar vortex thanks for alerting our communities about your experience. Ignorance is fundamental to this perps being able to abuse. Similar to child abuse, this guy preys on his victims trusting him...he should definately be officially investigated. What a scumbag!

 

[Lulu-Kyoko]

It is true... Tango Piola is a predator. His students are tourist women and are usually beginner tango dancers. They find him on Tripadvisor and are attracted by the absurdly low price he charges. I had a class with him in 2012 (2013?) and I can see that he hasn't changed his ways.

 

[Bajo_cero2]

For the pictures I saw at FB he just teach figures that has nothing to do with tango dancing and yes, all of them improper.

 

[Girino]

Why did you actually went back if it made you uncomfortable the first time?!

 

[GS_Dirtboy]

Sorry to hear of your experience. Really, it is up to you to set limits on people. I learned that from being in Argentina for 10 years. The women here are 100 times worse than the men.

 

[garryl]

First, i think the price sounds right. If you are a man, the price is much higher because he needs to hire another female teacher/dancer to dance with you. His price is not credibly cheap. Secondly, what he did is pretty common on Tango floor in Argentina. Many dancers " fall in love" with their partners during one song, the dance is very intimate. I am not saying what he did is right. But I think there is a culture difference here. As a foreign student, it would be helpful to signal him earlier that you do not like that kind of style. But of course, he is the one to be blamed, I am with you.

By the way, he is not the best dancer, it's so much easier to find better dancers and better teachers in BA. Lacoqueta can introduce one to you.I took lessons from him before. Sorry to hear about this, and it's good that you brought this up before more serious bad things happen.