J was introduced to social dancing at the early age of 10 and began performing folk dances at the age of 11. When he turned 14, J's aunt decided to teach him the basics of ballroom dancing. Argentine tango unexpectedly came into J's life in 2000 when he stumbled upon a beginner's class held next door to the venue where he used to swing dance.

In 2003, after withdrawing from musical theater and salsa, J plunged deeply into the world of tango, observing and learning everything he could. He was a sponge for ideas and was happily influenced by dancers such as Jaimes Friedgen, Mario Consiglieri, Luciana Valle, Komala Vos, and Stephan Wimmer. A year later, J began to teach, and started perfoming at several tango cabarets in Seattle.

For information about private lessons, workshops and his teaching philosophy, contact J at jabling@gmail.com or see his website at JArTango.com.