Clay's Contact Information and Biography

Clay Nelson
333 High Street
Ashland, OR 97520

Phone: Home - (541) 488-7108 Cell - (206) 972-0728
Email: tango@claysdancestudio.com

(Click here for info on inviting Clay to to teach or consult in your community)

Clay & Maria

Clay Nelson began teaching in 1964 at Arthur Murray Dance Studio to help support himself through college at the University of Illinois. After completing a Ph.D. in Theoretical & Applied Mechanics, he taught engineering for six years at the University of Portland, and nine years at Texas A&M University. In 1990 Clay returned to his favorite part of the country--the Northwest, to pursue his favorite activity--social dancing.

For eight years he owned, operated and taught at Clay's Dance Studio in Portland, Oregon. In 1993 he experienced his very first exposure to true Argentine Tango and fell in love with the special grace, beauty, elegance, and the social and improvisational nature of this dance. From that point on he has focused his teaching and learning activity on tango. As a result he has hosted and studied with dozen of Argentine tango maestros and is the organizer and inspiration for the the well known Portland October TangoFest, the Portland ValenTango in february, and the Seattle TangoMagic in August.

Clay believes that the basic principles for good teaching are universal and apply equally well to both engineering and dance. He also believes that no other dance can compete with the passion and intensity of Argentine Tango! Clay continues this training by attending classes and workshops presented by various Argentine Tango Maestros in Portland, Seattle, San Francisco, Vancouver, Miami, Denver, Amsterdam, Buenos Aires, etc.

Clay has attended the following intensive tango camps:

  • United States Tango Congress, Miami, Florida, May 2001, 02, 03, 04. 05, 06
  • CITA, Buenos Aires, March, 2001
  • Viva Las Vegas Tango Weekend, October 2000, 02
  • Stanford Tango Week 1994 & 95
  • Portland October TangoFest, October 1997, 98, 99, 00, 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07
  • Portland ValenTango, February 1997, 98, 99, 00, 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07
  • Amsterdam Tango Magic, 2001
  • Austin Fandango Tango: 2004
  • Denver Milonguero Weekend, 2002, 03, 04, 05, 06
  • Atlanta Tango Social, 2005, 06
  • Kansas City Stone Soup, 2006
  • San Francisco Tango X-Change, 2006

Clay has taught Tango for the following communities and organizations:

  • Medford/Ashland, Oregon. Weekend workshops 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2005
  • Portland Community College. Continuing education classes from 1996-2001
  • Portland TangoFest. 1997-2002
  • United States Amateur Ballroom Dance Association in Portland, 1999, 2000, 2001
  • Portland Metropolitan Learning Center. Quarterly adult education classes 1996-1999
  • Clay's Dance Studio. Beginning-advanced classes 1996-2001
  • Green Lake Community Center, Seattle, Beginner's-Adv classes, 2002-03
  • Edmonds Community College, Seattle, Beginner's class, 2002
  • Seattle Central Community College, 2002-2004
  • Ashland, Oregon 2005-present
  • Reno Neveda Weekend Workshop, 2006
  • Boise, Idaho Weekend Workshop, 2007
  • Coeur de Alene, Idaho Weekend Workshop, 2007