Oliver Kolker – Bio

Oliver Kolker is a multifaceted artist with a background in business, tango, film, and music. He is an accomplished tango dancer, screenwriter, film producer, director, and actor.

Born in New York City and raised in Argentina, Oliver discovered tango 26 years ago and has been a professional dancer for 20 years. He has performed and taught at some of the world’s most prestigious tango festivals and communities across Russia, the United States, France, Italy, Turkey, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Ukraine, and China.

Since 2006, he has visited the Portland Tango community more than ten times, partnering with Luna Palacios and Silvina Valz.

As a music producer, he created three albums in collaboration with Maestro Lisandro Adrover:

• Bandoneón Soliloquy
  – Kol Nidrei
  – Live Tango Concert at Temple Libertad

He is also the creator and producer of Pelando Variación, one of the most demanding tango competitions in the world, which has expanded to the United States, China, and Greece.

Oliver entered the film industry 15 years ago, co-writing, co-directing, and producing the acclaimed tango film Fermín, starring Héctor Alterio and Gastón Pauls. He has collaborated on the script for Viaje Inesperado (dir. Juan José Jusid) and produced several feature films, including:
– Contrasangre
– La Valija de Benavidez
– You Only Live Once
– Unexpected Journey
– Rumbo al Mar
– Búfalo
– I Had the Heart

Oliver’s latest tango film, I Had the Heart, was released theatrically in 2024 to critical acclaim.