Juan Manuel Rangel is an educator, musician, and radio DJ and producer. His approach to tango is uniquely rhythmical and based on connection with the self, the partner, the music, and the ronda.

Juan has always had a deeply personal connection with music. From his first memories of jumping on his parents' bed singing along to records and recreating those melodies on his father’s small Casio keyboard. In fact, this keyboard featured a rhythm preset of "tango" that did not sound like what he remembered from movies, but he found it attractive, nonetheless.

Having performed as a guitarist and singer since age sixteen; it was a particular event that would reveal an unexplored realm of music appreciation to him: finding the Continental Club at his arrival in Houston in 2010. There he saw a room full of couples dancing to Glover Gill’s piano. He knew that tango was alive and well thanks to a dance class offered by his university physics professor, but it was in Houston that he experienced its vibrancy and took a deep dive into this sea of movement and sonic waves to fish for his own voice and style.

Within two months into his journey; he had taken every class available, gone to every milonga in town; and received instruction from visiting instructors like Fabián Salas, Tomás Howlin, and Damián Lobato (whose style he particularly identified with). Soon after, he would find his tango true north with Graciela González and the generations of dancers that she influenced. Juancito, (as La Leona del Tango calls him) is a willing recipient of not only formal instruction but also the vast information that is transmitted via conversation and books. One of his dearest moments in tango happened sitting at the Continental Club, arm-in-arm with Graciela while she described the context of videos from her personal archives as they were being projected for dancers and bar patrons to see.

Another muse in his tango life has been Marcela Durán and her wonderful teachings not only within the class environment but through the wealth of stories and anecdotes of the milonga and the stage and even more importantly; dancing at the milonga "con todo tu corazón" as Marcela described it.

When applying his knowledge and experience in a lesson, Juan subscribes to the philosophy of not focusing on what to dance but on how to dance. In his classes, he shares sequences to be used as toolkits that can be adapted to any scenario rather than a choreography that fits a unique situation.  He believes each person has their own way of understanding and interpreting music and focuses on sharing tools for matching the dynamics of the movement with the dynamics of the music – or for contrasting with them – depending on the dancer’s interpretation.

He explored this philosophy as an instructor of the Houston Argentine Tango School founded by Indre Rapalaviciute (his mentor and first teacher who encouraged him to teach, perform, and DJ). As instructor, he held a Monday night residency at the Continental Club (the longest-running tango night in Houston to date) and made guest appearances at other landmarks of Houston tango like Tango Cielo and MECA; as a DJ he was the go-to DJ for visiting maestros at Milonga Cielito Lindo, he also DJ’d Houston Summer Tango Stroll, Sterling House, Two to Tango Milonga, Fiesta Paracultural, Sur Fest, and was featured in the Houston Chronicle as “The Best of the Week” aside from his weekly duties as DJ for the Continental Club milonga. He is the creator and presenter of KPFT’s “Jazz Latino Presents: Conexiones” and produces “Jazz Latino” on 90.1 FM Houston where he further explores his connection with music.

As he’s aware that the tango we dance today is imbued with the traditions, culture, and music that has been built over the course of one-and-a-half centuries; Juan synthetizes and incorporates that understanding (which is constantly expanding) into his craft – whether it’s dancing, teaching, or musicalizing a milonga. All with the purpose of connecting and communicating with others. 

When not on the dancefloor, he can be seen performing with his group The Pew, solo, or with Bayou City Swing.