DC Queer Tango Weekend!!!
June 12th & 13th, 2026
@ Montgomery College
Silver Spring, Maryland
You are cordially invited to join the DC Queer Tango Collective for two, fun-filled days of queer tango learning, sharing, and dancing, culminating in our annual:
Be Here Queer! Pride Celebration Milonga
on Saturday evening, June 13th, 2026. The DC Queer Tango Weekend is sponsored by Montgomery College (MC)’s Department of Visual and Performing Arts and the Cultural Arts Center, with funding provided by the MC Arts Institute. One main goal of the Weekend is to provide participants with excellent queer tango instruction. There will be four workshops led by an impressive group of highly-experienced visiting teachers. See class descriptions and teacher bios below. The workshops are free, but registration is required. On Friday night, we will gather for a community conversation (with dinner provided) followed by a social gathering and a tango sing along. The discussion will include queer tango organizers from across the US and abroad. And we will enjoy three hours of tango practice time Saturday afternoon as well as special treats and surprises during the Saturday evening milonga. Two outstanding DJs (Karen from Philly and Sandeep from the Bay Area) will spin the tunes for us.A detailed schedule and information on the location are also found below. We hope to see many of you there. If you have any questions or special requests, please send them via the contact form on this webpage or via email to DCQueerTangoCollective@outlook.com.
ANNOUNCEMENT (May 31, 2026)
Sadly, due to unforeseen circumstances, Phi Lee Lam is unable to teach the workshops on Saturday June 13th. Instead, Andrés Ozzuna and Matías Donadío will be teaching—Andrés the first workshop at noon, Matías the second workshop at 1:30pm. If you are holding a ticket for a Saturday workshop, we look forward to having you. Both Andrés and Matías are experienced queer tango teachers and beloved members of the queer tango community. You can read more about them in the teachers bio section below. If you do NOT plan to attend, please let us know right away so we can offer your spot to others.
You must have registered and received a ticket to attend any of the workshops or the Friday dinner. To be placed on the wait list for any workshop, email us at dcqueertangocollective@outlook.com. No registration is required for the Saturday practica (2pm-5pm), for the Saturday evening milonga (8:30pm-11:30pm), or for the pre-milonga “tango taster” class (7:30pm-8:30pm). Drop ins are welcome to those events!
Weekend Activities and Schedule
You must have registered and received a ticket to attend any of the workshops, or the Friday dinner. As of May 31, 2026, only a few spots are open for some of the workshops. Registration for the Friday dinner is closed. To be placed on the wait list for any workshop, email us at dcqueertangocollective@outlook.com.
No registration is required for the Friday night sing along and social (10:30-11:30pm), the Saturday practica (2pm-5pm), for the Saturday evening milonga (8:30pm-11:30pm), or for the pre-milonga “tango taster” class (7:30pm-8:30pm). Drop ins are welcome to those events! .
All events take place at the Cultural Arts Center of Montgomery College’s Takoma Park Campus, located at 7995 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, Maryland. The building is about a 15-minute walk from the Silver Spring Metro Station, on the Red Line. There is parking in the lot next to the building or in the garage across King Street.
Teacher and DJ Bios
Elly Fernandez (she/they)
Elly will teach a workshop Friday night. Raised in the strength and love of the Philadelphia Tango community and studying both roles from the get-go, Elly brings her background as a public educator to teach tango in US communities that are both robust and emerging. As a project-based communications educator, she roots the expression and listening of movement dialogue in real world contexts: creating dialogue together, as a community, on the social dancefloor. Her students gain a better understanding of who they are, what mystery they are mastering, with a curiosity to explore within their connections, and know more of the whole dance - not just half of it - as a result. Expect an impish look when she supports you turning a dance constraint into a feature, helping to make this dance your own unique expression. You can merge your tango journeys with hers in New England in the spring, in Chicago & Michigan in the summer, on the West Coast in the Fall (Abrazo Queer Tango in Berkeley & Queer Tango San Diego), and in VA & NC (Queer Dance Roanoke & Queer Tango Durham) in December.
Matías Donadío (he/him)
Matias, a Uruguayan tango dancer, embarked on his tango journey in 2011 and has always been deeply connected with queer tango communities. He has made significant contributions to the tango community as an instructor, milonga organizer, tango DJ, and performer. His deep passion for tango music has led him to explore dance and has kept him actively engaged in diverse tango scenes, both as a milonguero and as a stage tango dancer.
Karen Johnson (she/they)
Karen will teach a workshop Friday night and will DJ the Saturday night milonga. Karen Johnson is a queer dual role dancer, tango DJ, instructor, and facilitator based in Philadelphia, PA. After studying open role tango, Karen co-founded Philly Queer Tango in 2016. She is passionate about creating and supporting spaces where diverse communities can experience the joy of queer tango. She has taught queer tango across the United States, and is part of the organizing team for La Nuestra Tango in New York City. Her teaching focuses on queer centered embodiment, body acceptance, musicality, and developing individual, personal tango styles for every body. As a TDJ, she builds primarily traditional sets with contemporary accents, focused on keeping people energized to dance all night long. (Photo credit: Luis Orlando)
Andrés Ozzuna (he/him)
Andrés grew up on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, where he learned tango from his grandfather and developed a lifelong love for Argentine culture and social dance. After immigrating to California, he found community through queer tango and became deeply involved in teaching, DJing, and organizing events. Today, Andrés regularly teaches and DJs throughout the United States and has been invited to teach and DJ in Queer spaces in Buenos Aires. He is a co-organizer of Intimamente Queer Tango Festival, serves on the organizing committee of Conexión Miami Queer Tango Festival, and helps create queer tango spaces centered on connection, belonging, and community care. His teaching focuses on close-embrace, milonguero-style tango, emphasizing connection, musicality, and quality of movement.
Sandeep Tata (he/him)
Sandeed will DJ the practica Saturday afternoon. Sandeep fell in love with Tango one cold winter in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He loves Golden Age Tango music. He's amazed that this nearly 100-year old music can get complete strangers to be present and vulnerable with each other. He enjoys playing music for people in various stages of falling in love with Tango.
Other invited guests:
Arno Cuca (AUT)
Karen Curtis (CA)
Registration Links
Although all events are free of charge, registration for the workshops is required (no drop ins!). As of May 31, 2026, only a few spots are open for some of workshops. Registration for the Friday dinner is closed. To be placed on the wait list for any workshop, email us at dcqueertangocollective@outlook.com.