Meet Our DJ s and Instructors
DJ Koichiro (Chewy) Suzuki
Koichiro Suzuki has a Master’s Degree in Music Performance at Duquesne University and has performed Euphonium internationally since 1996. Koichiro incorporates his complex music background and deep understanding of musicality into his DJing. Koichiro DJs regularly in Pittsburgh, PA and has DJed in many other cities in the United States, Argentina, Canada, Mexico, Japan, and Europe. Koichiro is the founder of the annual Pittsburgh Tango Fierro Marathon & Pittsburgh Tango Festival in Pittsburgh. In 2022, he was invited to DJ at Toronto Tango Marathon, Austin Spring Tango Festival, Itacha Tango Marathon, Spoleto Tango, Toronto Tango Festival, Windy City Tango Festival, Columbia Tango Marathon, South East Tango Festival.
DJ Ken Broom
As an explorer of Argentine Tango since 2004, Ken enjoys playing tandas of sensual tango, melodic vals, and playful milonga in both traditional and alternative music. Watching a dance floor filled with dancers who share a common passion for the creative art of dance excites him.
Since he began playing music for dancers, Ken has been the primary house DJ in three different tango dance venues in Columbia, SC between 2007 and 2017. He has also been featured in events like Spoleto’s Tango on the Beach (2006 to present), Columbia’s Mad Hot Tango Marathon (2010-2012), Columbia’s Argentine Tango Regional (2014-2015), Charlotte’s Candlelight Alternative Milonga (2016), Queen City Tango Marathon (2018 to present), Dancing with the Stars (9 seasons), Las Carolinas Tango Marathons, SouthEast Tango Festival, and Milonga La Pantera along with several ballroom grand openings and numerous private tango events.
As an audio engineer, Ken has mixed live music for such artists as: Alejandro Ziegler, Osvaldo Barrios, Athens Tango Project, De La Noche, Orquesta MaCuba, and Palmetto Latin 9.
He also enjoys hosting events, such as: Tango by the Lake, WinterHeat, and The Columbia Tango Marathon as well as performing tango and other genres of dance.
DJ Javier Sanchez
Tango musician and DJ born and raised in Buenos Aires, Javier Sánchez has been playing the bandoneon for almost 30 years.
In 2016, he relocated to the New York metropolitan area and started collaborating with a variety of tango groups. In August of the same year, he won the First Prize at the renowned Che Bandoneon International Competition judged by bandoneon legend Victor Lavallén.
At the same time, he began DJing in large number of milongas in tri-state area, including All Night Milonga, Astoria Tango Club, La Nacional, Tango Café, Triangulo, NYC. For the past year he’s been a house DJ at weekly Firehouse Milonga in NJ and was invited as a guest DJ to milongas in Boston, MS, Paramus, NJ, and Nutley, NJ just to name a few.
Making him the only professional musician/DJ on the East coast.
In 2019 Mr. Sanchez completed writing a repertoire of tango arrangements specifically for social dancing and put together a tango quartet “Mala Junta”. Since then Mala Junta performed in NY, NJ, and CT.
Harby Gonzalez
From Medellín, Colombia. He started learning tango at the age of 13. By the age of 18 he was performing in local tango venues and festivals in the city and around Colombia. He competed in the National Championships held in Manizalez, Colombia where he earned first place. After that, he was hired as one of the two Colombian couples to ever join an Argentine cast in a tango show. Harby moved to the US in 1995 and settled in Columbia SC. He has been helping bring tango to the south of the US and beyond through teaching and also performing. Harby had the opportunity the travel with Quintango for 7 years performing around USA and abroad. Currently he owns Esmeralda dance studio in Columbia SC and continues to share his love for this art.
Kayla Broom
A native to Columbia, South Carolina, Kayla Broom started dancing at the age of 3. She began her journey through dance studying the ballet, jazz, and contemporary genres. Later on she was introduced to and studied a variety of smooth and rhythm ballroom styles under the instruction of Sheila Brown. At the age of 10, Kayla found her passion within Argentine Tango. Under her coach and mentor, Harby Gonzalez, she blossomed within the dance. Kayla has gone on to study, perform, and teach Argentine Tango throughout the South East, Puerto Rico, and Buenos Aires.