Up Close at the Dance Hub 2024

Geraldine Freitag, milonguera, was born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where she began dancing Tango at a very early age in 1997 when she attended mythical Milongas (tango parties) and would watch and learn from Tango legends. She is a genuine milonguera (social tango dancer) that came back to the dance years ago. She is the current USA National Champion in the Tango Vals category and placed 3rd in Tango Pista. She obtained both titles in July 2022 at the official Argentine Tango USA Championship (ATUSA). She has dedicated herself to improving her own tango while being involved in the dissemination and promotion of Argentine culture, especially Tango, in southern California through various activities such as teaching Tango (in Los Angeles and Santa Barbara) as well as organizing and participating in shows and events.

Born in Argentina, Claudio Otero began dancing at the age of four. His talent was quickly recognized, and he soon joined the National Tour in Argentina, sharing the stage with renowned stars of tango throughout the country. Claudio’s thrilling performances were sought after for commercials and television shows. He captivated audiences with his presentations at theaters such as the Teatro Alvear and Astral, and with dinner shows at Michelangelo and La Ventana – most prestigious places in Buenos Aires for this discipline. In the United States, his tango and gaucho performances continue to dazzle and amaze. His dancing has been featured in television shows as well as in commercials. He was the assistant director and choreographer for the International renown Rhythm and Passion Show which toured around Asia, Europe, Canada, and all the United States. Claudio received the Gold Star Halo Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Entertainment industry by the Southern California Motion Picture Council. Claudio is one of the few dancers who have perfected both the tango and the gaucho dances. His energetic gaucho performances reflect the soul of the Argentine countryside while his tango style ignites the stage with the passion and intensity of Buenos Aires.

Aimee Lopez received her early dance training from Bob and Carol Hanlin at the Goleta School of Ballet, from Michele Pearson and Denise Rinaldi at the Santa Barbara Festival Ballet, and the Rock School in Philadelphia under the direction of Bo and Stephanie Spassoff.  Ms Lopez’s teaching style is influenced by her studies in the Royal Academy of Dance and Cecchetti syllabi, as well as the Balanchine technique.  Ms Lopez has taught students ages children through adult.  She was artistic director of the Santa Barbara Festival Ballet’s pre-professional dance company for five years where she worked primarily with high school to college age dancers.  Ms Lopez has completed teaching certifications through Cecchetti USA, the American Ballet Theater teacher training curriculum and Progressing Ballet Technique.  Ms Lopez performed as one of the founding members of Carrie Diamond’s Ballet Santa Barbara.  Her class emphasizes proper placement, movement dynamics through musicality, and artistic expression.  

Carrie Diamond, President, AD&M and Executive and Artistic Director of The Dance Hub; Artistic Director, AD&M Performance Group, is a 2019 Recipient of the Apogee Award for Excellence in Education. Her lifelong interest in dance developed early on by the mentorship of three individuals: Don Hewitt (ballet), Marilyn Allen Suleiman (choreography), and Virginia Storie-Crawford (modern dance). She later trained with Cecchetti master teacher, Margaret Craske, and such luminaries as Lawrence Rhodes, David Howard, and Benjamin Harkarvy. She danced professionally in New York City for over fifteen years and holds an M.F.A from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. After graduating, she founded New American Ballet Ensemble, a New York City company that promoted new music and choreography. She was an instructor for the Alvin Ailey School, the 92nd Street YM/YWHA, Peridance, and Marymount Manhattan College. In Santa Barbara, Ms. Diamond co-founded American Dance and Music in 2006 with Eric Valinsky, where she directed the AD&M Studio, AD&M Performance Group, and Moving To Learn, a curricular dance program for elementary school children. In 2017, the AD&M board of directors opened The Dance Hub, a thriving community dance space where Ms. Diamond serves as the executive and artistic director and principal ballet teacher for adults of all levels and ages. She is dedicated to bringing as many people as possible into and back to dance at The Dance Hub, whether they are 18 months or 84 years old.

A native Manhattanite, Eric Valinsky has, for more years than he would like to admit, maintained dual careers in computer systems architecture and music. He was educated at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and the University of Illinois, finally achieving his DMA in music composition from Columbia University. He studied composition with Walter Aschaffenburg, Salvatore Martirano, Jack Beeson, and Darius Milhaud; piano with Sara Crawford Drogheo and Emil Danenberg; and conducting with Harold Farberman. While living in Los Angeles, he became music director and composer-in-residence or The Storie-Crawford Dance Theatre Ensemble. Returning to New York, he served in a similar capacity for Danny Buraczeski’s Jazzdance, Uris Bahr and Dancers, and The New American Ballet Ensemble as well as composer-in-residence for The Rachel Harms Dance Company, Opera Uptown, and the Dance Department at City College of New York. He currently moonlights as founder and partner of Inlineos LLC, a strategic Internet consulting company. He is also President of the Santa Barbara Music Club.