Argentine Tango with Mira Barakat

"Mira is a gifted teacher and lovely person. She is able to convey the intricate and powerful movements of Tango in a way that allows her students to integrate them and grow in the process. Her private studio in Oakland is lovely. Alisa W"

"I have been taking private tango lessons with Mira Barakat for the last two years. Before I started, I was very uncomfortable being on any kind of dance floor because of the conservative cultural environment I grew up in and so my goal was not just to learn how to do the movements of dance, but to learn how to be in the moment and really experience the freedom of dancing. I have been amazed by how much I have learned from Mira. I am not sure whether or not she would describe herself this way, but I have experienced her as having gifts as a somatic bodyworker, insofar as there has been transformative healing work that she has facilitated with me in her dance studio when psychologically complicated barriers have come up for me while learning to dance. She has so much wisdom about the body and how it holds our experiences and our histories, and I have felt very safe working through barriers in a surprisingly deep way with her because of her sensitive, attuned and kind presence. I am gradually learning to dance well under her instruction, and it's exciting to be gaining good technique. When I attend group classes with other teachers, they have said things like, “Beautiful posture,” or “Excellent following.” I am also achieving my goal of learning to be free, open, expressive on the dance floor, and this is something that I didn't think I was capable of a few years ago. Mira has played an instrumental role in that. I would highly recommend working with her, even if you have no background in dance and feel intimidated at the thought of attempting it."

"I've taken private lessons, Zoom lessons, and attended workshops with Mira. Not only is she an excellent instructor who will give you the best advice on how to improve your tango skills (whatever level you are at), she also shows up with a presence and energy that make her classes as fun as they are insightful."

"Mira is an exquisite tango teacher, for both group classes and for private lessons. She provides clear, practical, and friendly information to beginners and advanced students alike, for both leading and following. She also paces lessons well; rather than dragging students through a fixed agenda of steps and figures, she makes sure they can actually do the fundamentals before moving on to the things that depend on them. If you can manage private lessons, I highly recommend it! Mira has an eye and a feel for what you really need to change in your dancing, beyond just where you put a foot or when. Plus, if you have training in some other movement art, odds are Mira can apply that model to your tango instruction so you can learn all the faster."

"I have been working with Mira for over a year. She is an excellent teacher who has helped with a strong grounding in fundamentals that has elevated my dance. She has her own studio/practice space which makes it incredibly easy to get to and schedule."