Diane Lachtrupp and Johnny Martinez, teachers/dancers/choreographers, are co-directors of Tango Fusion Dance Company. Until recently, they lived in New York City and were co-owners of Stepping Out Studios in Manhattan, featuring 80 group classes a week and employing 30 people. They recently moved their family to Saratoga Springs and brought with them their passion for teaching and dancing. Diane is a prize winning Tango, Salsa and Swing dancer. She holds a B.A. in Theatre from the University of Vermont and a Masters from NYU in Musical Theatre Choreography.
Diane has choreographed and performed for stage, video, television and film including working with Meryl Streep, Merv Griffin, and film director Whit Stillman. She was invited to perform with "From the Horse's Mouth" (NYC) and recently, she choreographed the indie dance film Falling in Rhythm.
Johnny holds a BME in engineering from Pratt Institute and before joining forces with Diane, was a concert dance and musical theatre performer. He performed in the National and European tours of "West Side Story", "Damn Yankees", and "Fiddler on the Roof". He was a member of the Nanette Bearden Contemporary Dance Theatre and the associate choreographer of the Anabella Gonzalez Dance Theatre.