Invited Speaker---Dr. Sasan Rahmatian, Professor

Department of Information Systems and Decision Sciences, California State University, Fresno, USA

Biography: Sasan Rahmatian has been teaching at the university level since 1979. For the past 34 years, he has been a Professor of Computer Information Systems at the Sid Craig School of Business, California State University, Fresno. He obtained his doctorate in Systems Sciences from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, in 1982. He is the founder and instructor of a course in Argentine Tango at California State University, Fresno. He is a graduate of CITA (Congreso Internacional de Tango Argentino) in Buenos Aires. He has taught extensively around the world, twice as a Senior Fulbright Specialist. His research interests have spanned a wide spectrum: From neural networks, to the assessment of online courses, to systems thinking, to Argentine Tango. His textbook in Management Information Systems was published by Prentice Hall in 1995.

Speech Title: The Structure of Argentine Tango

Abstract: Despite its seemingly infinite variety of figures, Argentine tango has a clear, underlying structure, from which all figures can be derived. Only four variables are required to explain the diversity of tango figures: step type, step direction, step style, and intrusion mode. Understanding the role played by these variables and the rich interplay amongst them can help dancers avoid memorizing a large number of overlapping step sequences, and instead improvise figures based on the possibilities offered by the fundamental structure at any moment in the dance. With the stress from memorizing sequences removed, the door opens to enjoying the dance in its comprehensibility and simplicity.