Planet Ant Training Center

Queer Tango Detroit is committed to teaching tango beyond the binaries! We teach the beautiful art of improvisational partner dance to anyone and everyone committed to creating a safe and queer-friendly space. Classes will balance improvisational games, tango technique, and practice time so that we integrate what we learn. Expect to walk away with a broad set of tools for body awareness and connection, useful on an improv stage, on a tango dance floor or at your cousin’s wedding. 

We hope to see you! Bring a friend or bring a crush…make a friend or develop a crush! 🤗🦄✨
NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY. We hope your curiosity gets you in the door…and we hope the community we build together gets you to stay! 

Details for Queer Tango at Planet Ant

Tango...beyond the binaries! 🌈🏳️‍⚧️⚧💛🤍💜🖤🦄✨ Tango is an improvised partner dance from Argentina and Uruguay with 100+ years of history, now danced globally. While popular culture paints a monolithic picture of tango steeped in normative gender roles (think

Scent of a Woman, Dancing with the Stars), tango has always been alive in queer and counterculture spaces. Queer tango communities are alive and thriving around the world and it’s time to bring one to life in Detroit!  

In this class series, everyone dances in the role of their choosing – leading or following – and we will encourage you to try both! No partner or previous experience necessary.  

What to expect:

• Improv games to get you connecting to your own body and to each other 
• Lots of abrazos (hugs)
• To learn about traditional music styles (Tango, Vals, Milonga) as well as the breadth of non-tango music that you can also dance tango to
• To learn how just a few simple steps (weight changes, side, front, and back steps, and pivots) can create incredible collaborative expression in movements like cruces, giros, calisetas, sacadas, & more! 

BUT WHAT DO I WEAR?!

Anything that makes you feel fabulous and that you can move freely in.

Specifically, footwear will matter more the further we get into the series. You'll want to have shoes that are comfortable and stay on your feet. You also will want to be able to pivot freely.  

❌ high grip rubber shoes or flimsy sandals
✅ leather soles, dance shoes, sneaker with a sock over it

✅ your favorite old shoes with the rubber run down and plasticized
✅ Taygra dance shoes

Who is this for? 

• If you’re queer, trans, or non-binary → this series is designed by and for you!  
• If you're an ally and want to be part of building a supportive, inclusive space → it’s for you, too!  

We hope to see you! Bring a friend or bring a crush…make a friend or develop a crush! 🤗🦄✨
NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY. We hope your curiosity gets you in the door…and we hope the community we build together gets you to stay! 

Organizers: Elly Fernandez & Alex Moore

Connect with QTD on Instagram: @ queertangodetroit

Norms to expect in a Queer Tango Space

This is a social & learning environment where we build trust together, make mistakes together, and grow together. Here are some of our welcoming practices:  

Tango Roles

• We share and ask role preferences rather than make assumptions. We also understand that they can change at any moment based on our learning curiosities, capacity or collaboration comfort.

Language Around Roles

• In some partner dance spaces, you hear roles associated with gender. When talking about roles in Queer Tango, we’ll use “leader / follower” or “proposer / interpretor”. 
• Expect to dance with and be asked to dance by everyone of all genders, as well as dancing both roles (of course, it is a dancer’s choice to focus on one role for a day or your whole journey).

Flexibility over Rigidity

• Leaders are always following, and followers are always leading! The actions each dancer does are extremely fluid and change moment to moment - both roles give and receive, suggest and amplify, express and listen. 

Pronouns

• We share and ask about pronouns (stickers/pins are provided). It’s normal and okay to make mistakes - be willing to be corrected if misgendering occurs.

Step Up, Step Back

• Bring awareness to how much time and space your voice and movement expression is taking up. Bravery is in sharing perspectives when we’re often more reserved as well as gaining wisdom through listening so other perspectives can be heard.

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STUDENT HANDBOOK

Planet Ant's regularly updated student handbook offers students a central location for all the information you need to know about our classes, policies, and more.