Today we’d like to introduce you to George and Jairelbhi Furlong.
George and Jairelbhi, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
We started dancing in 2000, as a hobby. It was something we wanted to do together when we started dating. We tried some salsa, and then we found argentine tango. It was hard but we liked the challenge. We met other beginners so it became not only a chance to move but occasions to get together with friends. Six months after we started we had some opportunities to do some exhibitions with other people in the community. We have it recorded and we look back on it now and we were horrible. However, we enjoyed it and kept doing it. Before we knew it, apparently we had a knack for it and we started getting gigs to perform and teach. We met incredible people and got the opportunity to teach throughout the US. It was a side hustle for about eight years when we decided to leave our day jobs in 2008(yes when the recession hit). Since then we’ve had the fortune to teach and perform outside the US in places such as Argentina, Mexico, Russia, and China.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Like most businesses there are always obstacles, however, one stands out to us. As we started getting into tango more and more, there were things we wanted to do that differed from the existing ideas in the tango community. So we clashed with some of the people that already danced. We had this feeling of people trying to hold us back. But we believed in what we were doing and kept going in the path we wanted.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about EvolutionTango – what should we know?
We teach and perform Argentine Tango. I think what we are most known for is our teaching. We have an eye for seeing flaws in movements. Wherever we teaching, that’s the first thing we hear from people. Second people notice the interaction between us as teachers and our interactions with the students themselves. The phrase we hear most is “you guys are very approachable.” What are most proud of is the growth we’ve had in different aspects of the business. First, we have come a long way as dancers. We never thought when we started this “hobby”, we would have the chance to travel China for a two-month tour. Second, the growth in the tango community. We started with one group class now we eight group classes. Three of those are performance classes so others can learn to perform as well.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
The first ones that helped us were Diego DiFalco and Carolina Zokalski, our first tango teachers. They were incredibly giving in their knowledge of this dance. Hugo Patyn, a friend and colleague, who gave us our first break to perform on stage and his knowledge about performing. Guillermo Merlo and Fernanda Ghi were our last mentors who took our dancing from good to that next level and gave us the push to quit our day jobs and do this full time. When we decided to this full time in 2008 was the same moment when we had our daughter, Gabriella. My parents Robert and Hilda Furlong and a close friend, Donna Staley(we call her the American grandmother) helped us tremendously not only with our daughter but with support overall.
Contact Info:
- Website: Our website: www.evolutiontango.com Studio22 website: www.studio22dallas.com
- Phone: 469-939-4120
- Email: evolutiontango@mac.com
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
