Main Site : Tango Santa Cruz : About : Iris Mayo

Iris Mayo, founder of the Santa Cruz Argentine tango community, first began bringing guest teachers in 1996. She organized tango shows and events in the area and co-taught classes with Fernando Fillipelli and Roberto Forte.

Of Colombian Heritage and born into a family of many generations of Latin dancers, Iris was first exposed to tango as a child watching her parents dance and listening to her grandfather's tango collections from the early 1900s. She is also an accomplished salsa dancer. In 1994, she won the Central Coast Championship Latin Dance Contest and, with her partner William Acevedo, was a featured dancer on the popular Miami-based Spanish television program Sabado Gigante.

In January 2003, she appeared on the cover of the Monterey Coast Weekly Magazine with Fernando Fillipelli the founder of the Monterey Bay tango community.