Constantino "Tino" A. Bastidas

Constantino (Tino) Bastidas passed away at the age of 65 at home in Arlington, Virginia, surrounded by his family on Monday, November 23, 2020. He was the seventh of nine children born to Constantino German and Concepcion Bastidas. Born in Huancayo, Peru, his family later moved to Lima, where Tino eventually studied to become a tool and die maker. He immigrated to the United States in 1982, settling in Arlington, Virginia. Tino worked in home renovation and repair most of his professional life in this country, but he found that one career was never enough to fulfill his creative needs. Starting in the late 1990s, he became known as a teacher and performer of Argentine tango, along with his wife, Susan. They first performed in the Library of Congress and later at the Embassy of Argentina, the Millennium Stage of the Kennedy Center, Wolf Trap, and the Peabody Institute, among many other venues. Tino not only danced, but he also designed and constructed scenery for selected stage performances. Tino was also a massage therapist and an artist, creating uniquely magical works from found objects. His work was displayed at the Torpedo Factory in Alexandria, Virginia, and can be seen in the Dupont Underground gallery in Washington, DC. Tino particularly loved sharing his skills and stories with children. He was a playful and engaging teacher whose high standards didn’t get in the way of having fun. He also shared his creativity with the community, exhibiting his art in Artomatic and Art Rave events, and dancing in the Argentine Festival and other community events. Tino is survived by his brothers, Luis, Victor, Oscar, Walter, and Freddy Thomas; his sister, Maria Theresa and many nieces and nephews; also, his wife of twenty three years, Susan, and his stepdaughter, Adriana. Tino proclaimed himself “Unfinished with no Beginning” . . . and so he is.