Moved by this sound they start classes the same year with Lalo and Mirta Diaz, teachers of the Academia de Tango in Amsterdam. From Lalo and Mirta they learn to dance the tango and they get acquainted with the tango culture.
From the very beginning of their acquaintance with the tango, Arjan and Marianne travel to Buenos Aires (almost) yearly. In this capital of Argentina, the cradle of tango, every night they frequent the milonga's (tango salons), and take lessons.
The beautiful milonga's in Buenos Aires are for them a source of inspiration through the special feeling the dance couples radiate: a feeling for each other, for the other dance couples and for the music. Here one experiences tango at its best.
During their travel in 1991 Arjan and Marianne come into contact with Pepito Avellaneda, 'king of the milonga', with whom they take many lessons, untill he died in 1996.
From Pepito they learn a lot of milonga and in 1994 also their first steps of the tango of the late twenties: the canyengue.
In the Netherlands they got into contact with Antonio Todaro, another maestro in the world of tango. They get acquainted with his style of dancing and are able to take a few weeks of lessons.
In 1996 they choose their most important teachers, the two maestro's Aurora Lubiz and Jorge Firpo from Buenos Aires as their teachers, with whom they work up to now.
With them Arjan and Marianne further specialize, next to tango and milonga, further into canyengue and orillera.
It is Aurora and Jorge who make a number of choreographies for them for the tango fantasía and with which Arjan and Marianne regularly perform.
In the lessons, workshops and performances by Arjan and Marianne their pure approach to the tango can be found, based on their experiences of many visits to Buenos Aires, on their contact with teachers over there, and on their own teaching at the Academia de Tango, where they have been teaching for ten years.
Sexteto Canyengue, and at the homage to Hans van Manen in the Tropen Instituut, on the occasion of the Erasmus Prize awarded to him. In 2006 and 2007 they dance in the show Tango Heroes of
60 Performances were played throughout the whole of the Netherlands for a very enthusiastic public, including a sold out Concertgebouw, and abroad in the sold out (1750) The Modern House of Music in Moskow. They have been asked back twice, recently in 2009.
Flyer October 2006 . Flyer autumn 2007 . Backstage photos
For their performances they make a choice out of their wide repertory of styles - from old to modern - with a choice of music and image of time to match.
Hereby elegance and humour are important, but foremost remains the typical characteristic of the tango: introversion and expression at the same time.
They dance tango de salón (improvisation) , tango fantasía (tango with modern elements, used in a lot in shows), tango wals, milonga (also with traspies), orillera and canyengue (old style of the late twenties with humor, a style closely related to the milonga, the precurser of the tango).
Furthermore, they also make their own choreographies.
They have co-operated with various TV programs on tango.
Academia de Tango. Up to 2004 they have been teaching three nights a week at the Academia, at all levels, including special courses like milonga (also with traspies), tango wals, canyengue and tango based on different styles of the orchestras (e.g. Di Sarli and Pugliese).
As from September 2004 they give courses under their new name Tango Argentino Arjan & Marianne. The first year in the recently opened dance centre DanceStreet at Amsterdam.
As from september 2005 they start their own tango studio De Plantage in the Plantage neighbourhood of Amsterdam.
They teach five nights a week, and organize furthermore practising nights and salons.
Besides tango (including various styles of orchestras), milonga, tango wals and canyengue can be learned at the workshops for tango dancers too.
They also taught at Bergen (Norway) and Hasselt (Belgium).