Argentine tango dancer and choreographer Pampas Cortés died April 27, 2014, after a battle with cancer.

As recently as February, Cortés returned to teaching part-time in his adopted home of San Francisco..

Cortés, who was from the Argentine province of Santiago del Estero, started dancing when he was 15 years old. He had a long and storied career as a tango dancer and choreographer. His choreography career began when he toured with the tango Ballet of Juan Carlos Copes at the age of 20. His tango dance and choreography career credits are extensive, and he brought his talents to the United States first in Miami with the international tango tour of  “Tango Revue,” and then later with “Tango Forever.”

Cortés resided in San Francisco, where he produced many shows and started his own company, Tango A Media Luz, which toured the West Coast with full-length tango shows.

His work in tango was so prolific and impactful to the Bay Area that in December, the Mayor of San Francisco Edwin M. Lee presented Cortés with a Certificate of Honor that read in part: “Your elegant artistry has inspired many great performers and thousands of others worldwide. Your career spanning over five decades of work has been a significant contribution to the vitality of San Francisco.”