interview by Jess McCuan . photo by Matt Rose

Name: Kehren Barbour

Age: 32

Occupation: set designer, junk seller and manager of the Asheville Tango Orchestra

So you run a tango orchestra. Do you dance? I was raised by a dancer. My mom is a dance teacher, and I’m learning to tango. I guess I would say… I like to dance, but I’m not a dancer. I do make up goofy dances by myself.

How long have you lived in Asheville? Since May. I moved here with my partner Michael Luchtan, a piano technician and the director of the Asheville Tango Orchestra.

What is the Asheville Tango Orchestra? We’re one of the only sextet tipicos in the Southeast. He directs the orchestra, and I take care of business details. We’re really the music, and other people use our space to instruct. We’re not teaching classes. We’re the soundtrack.

Is tango difficult to learn? This is Argentinian tango. Within the tango community, there’s ballroom tango and Argentinian. I’d say this is a nice mix of contact improv and classical movements. It’s really about the connection between you and your partner. You’re moving with your partner, instead of it being a rehearsed set of steps.

And what else do you do here? I find I’m always into the same three things: dance, music and food. It’s what I do. It’s how I organize and connect people. That’s how my head, heart and hands move together.