Carlos Rivarola

Carlos Rivarola is a tango dancer, choreographer, director and teacher whose birth date is recorded as 22 February 1952 ^[8]. He began dancing as a child with folk dance in Villa Ballester and made his professional debut as a teenager in Mar del Plata ^[1][2].

His career included the stage show *Tango Argentino* from its Paris opening through its Broadway run, work in film as both dancer and choreographer, and a long association with Japan, where he directed shows and founded tango clubs and academies ^[1][2][3]. He co-founded AMBCTA, an Argentine association of tango teachers, dancers and choreographers, which he later chaired ^[1].

Much of his career was shared with María Rivarola (María del Carmen Rodríguez), whom he met around 1972 and later married ^[2]. He continued to tour and perform in the 2020s, including a 2024 European tour and a filmed performance in July 2025 ^[5][6].

Early life and training

Rivarola's birth date is given as 22 February 1952 ^[8]. Around the age of eight, about 1960, he began studying folk dance with the teacher Ana María Pérez in Villa Ballester ^[2]. He later trained with Mario Bustos and with the ballet master Alfredo Gurquel ^[2].

He made his professional debut at about the age of 15, around 1967, at the Teatro Auditorium in Mar del Plata, in a show with Mariano Mores and Hugo del Carril ^[1].

Partnership with María Rivarola

Around the age of 20, about 1972, Rivarola met María del Carmen Rodríguez, known as María Rivarola, at the King Club in Buenos Aires, and the two began a lasting dance partnership; they later married ^[2]. Around 1975 the couple toured Peru, Colombia and Venezuela in a Nélida y Nelson show, and danced on *La Botica del Tango* ^[1].

A 2024 report on his European tour described María Rivarola as his partner both on and off the dance floor ^[5].

Tango Argentino

In 1983 Rivarola opened *Tango Argentino* in Paris as a member of the original cast ^[1]. By 1985 the show had reached the Mark Hellinger Theatre on Broadway ^[3]. In 1986 he was nominated for a Tony award together with the *Tango Argentino* dancers ^[1].

Work in Japan

In 1984 Rivarola made the first of what became annual trips to Japan to perform and teach ^[1]. In 1986 he created and directed the first tango show performed entirely by Japanese dancers, musicians and singers ^[1].

Around 1996 he directed *Los Grandes del Tango Argentino* in Japan, and by this period he had founded tango clubs and academies there ^[2]. His connection with Japan was also the theme of the Ireland Japan Association's report on his 2024 European tour ^[5].

Film and stage choreography

In 1989 Rivarola danced in and choreographed Marcos Zurinaga's film *Tango Bar* ^[1]. Around 1998 he was principal dancer with Eleonora Cassano in Tangokinesis and appeared in Carlos Saura's film *Tango* ^[1]. For his work on Saura's *Tango*, he received the 1999 choreography award of the Academy of Dance on Film in the United States ^[1].

Later career

In 2001 Rivarola co-founded AMBCTA, the Argentine association of tango teachers, dancers and choreographers, and he later served as its chair ^[1]. In 2023 he gave a filmed interview on the state of tango today, released with English subtitles ^[4].

In 2024 he toured Europe, performing and teaching with María Rivarola; the tour included his fourth visit to Ireland ^[5]. A video from July 2025 shows him dancing with Weilung Chang to Osvaldo Pugliese's 'La rayuela', indicating that he was still performing at that time ^[6].

Dance partners

A video listing records Rivarola dancing with a number of partners, without dates ^[7]. Partners recorded there include: