Dear dancers,
May the tango sun shine on us this month!
- Beginner and Intermediate Queer Tango Classes + practica every Sunday Mira Barakat. Discounts for students and folks who take a full series. Walk-ins welcome! Mira is just back from BsAs and teaching at the Miami Queer Tango festival – expect some inspiration this month.
- Abrazo, the queer milonga, with Mira teaching and DJ Jonas, May 18th – expect a big old cake to celebrate our May dancers, why not!
- A Queer Tango Camp from La Nuestra and Queer Tango Boston is about to light up your summer – still time to grab a flight.
If you’d like to come to any event for free, sign up for an hour of work-trade: abrazoqueertango@gmail.com
LOCATION ALL EVENTS
Finnish Hall | 1970 Chestnut St, Berkeley, CA 94702
🎉MAY BEGINNER AND INTERMEDIATE QUEER TANGO CLASSES
We give a discount for the series, but you are free to take individual classes – walk-ins welcome every week.
TEACHER SCHEDULE for both classes: our very own Mira Barakat, just back from Buenos Aires and teaching and performing at the Miami Queer Tango Festival. Check her out here.
SUNDAY SCHEDULE
3:15-3:30 pm Check-in
3:30-4:30 pm Beginner class
4:30-5:30 pm Practica
5:30-6:30 pm Intermediate class (Requires pre-approval)
Classes limited to 22 dancers
DJ SCHEDULE
May 5 Frida
May 12 & 19 Andrés
May 26 Douglas
COST
Honor system sliding scale*
$15-25 per class, includes practica
$10 Students with ID
$5 Practica, free with any class
SERIES DISCOUNTS, includes a bonus: the pre-milonga class and milonga are free
4-Week Beginner or Intermediate Series
$55-95 honor system sliding scale* per series, $30 students with ID
Honor system sliding scale: We ask that higher income folks pay a higher rate so that folks with less income and students can attend at a lower rate. Thank you!!
Walk-ins welcome all month!
REGISTRATION Venmo, paypal, Zelle: info below. Cash, check at the door.
No refund or exchanges
Come as you are – Dance as you wish!
SATURDAY, May 18th
6:00-7:00 pm all-levels class Mira Barakat
7:00-10:00 pm DJ Jonas is back – it’s been too long!
8:30 pm Birthday Vals + Chacarera break later in the evening, and we may just break out a cake!
COST
$15-25 Sliding Scale (Students with ID $10)
Thanks so much for supporting Abrazo Queer Tango. Our honor system sliding scale allows us offer discounts to students and dancers who need it while paying teachers, DJs and our rent.
Registration is not required for Abrazo events and you can pay at the door.
Please note what you are paying for in the comment section, if you register.
Venmo: abrazo-tango (Karen Curtis) (No fee for us)
Paypal: abrazoqueertango@gmail.com (We pay a fee)
Zelle: abrazoqueertango@gmail.com (No fee for us)
No Refunds or Exchanges
DONATIONS Abrazo Queer Tango is a volunteer run organization and all donations are accepted and appreciated and go towards keeping our events running and affordable.
WORK TRADE and volunteer times available, fun and very much appreciated – consider becoming a Work Trade Wonder, even a half an hour of your time goes a long way. Contact us at abrazoqueertango@gmail.com!
COVID PRECAUTIONS
- Keeping up to date on your Vax + booster is highly recommended
- Mask, recommended, but optional
- Excellent ventilation: all windows open, fans out. The air quality, and we’ve measured it, is great at the Finnish Hall.
- Limited size events
- If you’re not feeling 100% well, please stay home – let’s keep each other safe. We will be here when you’re feeling good.
Also, these precautions may change as needed.
📣 MORE QUEER TANGO NEWS
Dance Dance Dance! We encourage you to check out all the great queer tango events available to you! We gather queer tango news, local, across the US and abroad, over here.
Featured event – There is still time to buy tickets for Queer Tango Camp in June!
Queer Tango Camp, May 31 – June 2 at Pinewoods Camp in Plymouth, MA. Organized by La Nuestra Tango and Queer Tango Boston. Tango and movement workshops, discussions, and milongas with our international DJ lineup. All queer instructors, organizers and DJs, including our very own Andrés Ozzuna! Sliding Scale, $320 – $380. Limited need-based scholarships are available. More info and registration at lanuestratango.com.
Some of the most talented, thoughtful and interesting folks working and dancing in queer tango will be at this one of a kind event including Alex Pacheco (Mexico City) – I really can’t list all of the great teachers – top to bottom queer excellence from teachers to DJs to organizers. Check the website! A sweet contingent of west coast dancers are going.
IT TAKES A VILLAGE
And a number of dedicated, generous and talented folks to pull-off hosting Alex Pacheco last month. It was a two year project that led to a fantastic time in the tango sun thanks to all of you. Deep bow of gratitude and thanks the folks who made Alex’s time with us possible:
Dan and Pier for hosting Alex and our milonga at the magnificent Dome
Christy Shepard for hosting Alex during the week
Karen Johnson and Mira Barakat for donating private tango lessons for our raffle
Andres Ozzuna of Wooden Table Baking Company for donating goodies for our raffle
DJ Nico for donating his DJ fee for the night and sharing his awesome tandas
Ravi, Cat, Alisa, Christy, Janette, Nik and Sandeep, work-trade wonders, for making the milonga possible
Ivette for in person, FB and IG promo
Elly Fernandez for working the abrazo IG promo for Alex in advance and all month
Liz Sabatiuk of the Humans of Tango podcast for her discussion with Alex and promo help
Frida Wahlin-Lubisch for every edit, counsel, encouragement, and support along the way
All of you beautiful Bay Area dancers who came to dance and prance, learn and share over the weekend with Alex. It’s not a party without you all!
All of our Donors: a number of you dear dancers lit up our donation box, venmo and paypal for raffle tickets and donations for Tango Disidente, tango entre nosotraxs in Mexico City. We were able to surpass our fundraising goal to support Alex’s work. The SF Bay Area queer tango community has a long history of showing up to make queer tango possible not only for ourselves but also the queer tango communities abroad – THANK YOU.
Lastly, deep thanks to Alex Pacheco – it takes a tremendous amount of work to plan and complete a trip to the USA to teach tango in a second language, with folks you’ve never met, in places you’ve never been. What a joy it was to have you with us Alex. Thank you for your beautiful classes and discussions, your creativity and your passion for queer tango and community.
Wherever you are in the world, may you dance until your heart is full this month!
Abrazo Queer Tango 