Juan Carlos Copes

Who is Juan Carlos Copes?

Juan Carlos Copes is an Argentine tango dancer, choreographer, and performer. He contributed to worldwide revival of tango as a dance form after 1970.

Born in Buenos Aires, he debuted at age 14 in a Luna Park Stadium competition where he won first prize by popular acclaim. His first professional performances were with Francisco Canaro's orchestra in 1955, and in 1958 he debuted in Europe and the United States, later starring in a 1962 production at the Alvin Theatre on Broadway as well as appearing on numerous episodes of The Ed Sullivan Show from 1962 to 1964.

He returned to Argentina and was instrumental during the 1960s in creating the modern tango show concept in Buenos Aires. He married one of his dance partners, and also performed regularly with her two sisters. Copes choreographed Tango Argentino on Broadway in 1983, which contributed to worldwide revival of tango; his notable stage credits also include his work as chief choreographer of Ástor Piazzolla's María de Buenos Aires, in the Spanish National Dance Company's Dance Icons series, and a leading role in Manuel González Gil's Entre Borges y Piazzolla. His second wife was also a dance partner, and their daughter Johanna joined her father in his troupe in 1994.