September 4th-7th, 2025

NY Queer Tango Weekend

UPDATE: Saturday Milonga Location Change – Balance Arts Center 3rd Floor

The location of the Saturday Milonga has been updated to the 3rd floor, Karl Kemp Room! See below for the updated location!

New York Queer Tango Weekend is back!

Join us this fall for a weekend full of learning, sharing, discussion, community-building, celebration, and dancing!

Registration for the workshops is now open! There is no registration necessary for the milongas.

All payment will be taken at the door on an event-by-event basis (no weekend passes or pre-payment).

Click here to register for the Saturday workshops

If you are coming from out of town and need a place to stay for the festival OR live in the city and would like to offer a space in your home for visiting queer tango dancers, please fill out the forms below:

Click here to request a place to stay

Click here to offer a place to stay

Program

Thursday, September 4th, 2025

Opening Night Milonga

8pm – 12am
Intermediate Class: 7-8pm with Liliana Chenlo & Leonardo Sardella
La Nacional (239 W 14 St. Manhattan, NY)
$25
DJ: Georges Nassan
Featuring performance(s) by: Liliana Chenlo, Mariana Parma, Leonardo Sardella, & Walter Perez

Friday, September 5th, 2025

Friday Night Milonga & Drag Night

8pm-12am
Balance Arts Center (6th Floor, 151 W 30th St., Manhattan)
$25
DJ: Leonardo Sardella
Featuring performance(s) by: Philly Pina & Gemini Dabarbay

Saturday, September 6th, 2025

Saturday Lunch Picnic & Community Discussion

UPDATE
Due to rain, we are changing the time and location of the Picnic/Community Discussion!

11:00am – 12:30pm
Event Ended
Free

Intermediate Workshop: Barridas Technique

Barridas Workshop: Description

Dive into the technique and connection needed to create precise, elegant, and creative sweeps (barridas). You’ll learn how to lead and follow a sweep with intention, control, and musicality, understanding the active role of both partners. We’ll also explore how to naturally incorporate sweeps into your improvisation, adding nuance and playfulness to the dance. Perfect for dancers who want to enrich their tango with subtle and expressive elements.

1:30pm – 3pm
Manhattan LGBT Center (208 W 13th St., Manhattan – Room 214)
$30
Instructors: Liliana Chenlo & Leonardo Sardella

Intermediate Workshop: Fun of Three – Musicality

Musicality Workshop: Description

Musicality by Orchestras: Di Sarli, D’Arienzo & Pugliese. A musical journey through three of tango’s most influential orchestras. We’ll explore how to perform and dance in each style, discovering their contrasts in energy, character, and musicality.

3:00pm – 4:30pm
Manhattan LGBT Center (208 W 13th St., Manhattan – Room 214)
$30
Instructors: Liliana Chenlo & Leonardo Sardella

Beginner Workshop

Beginner Workshop: Description

Explore the foundations of tango in this newcomer-friendly workshop! Review the fundamentals of embrace, connection, and movement so you can get moving on the dancefloor.

4:30pm – 6pm
Manhattan LGBT Center (208 W 13th St., Manhattan – Room 214)
$20
Instructors: Liliana Chenlo & Leonardo Sardella

Saturday Night Milonga

8pm – 12am
Balance Arts Center (3rd Floor, Room Karl Kemp, 151 W 30th St. Manhattan)
$25
DJ: Leonardo Sardella
Featuring performance(s) by: Liliana Chenlo & Mariana Parma

Sunday, September 7th, 2025

Sunday Afternoon Milonga

2pm – 6pm
1138 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn NY
$25
DJ: Matías Donadío
Featuring: A special performance by QPDNYC students, choreographed by Matías Donadio!

Performers & Instructors

Leonardo Sardella

Leonardo started dancing tango professionally in his hometown of Buenos Aires and has performed in Argentina with theaters including the Colon and Cervantes. He moved to New York City in 2011, where he co-founded Malevaje Tango dance company and later Friends of Argentine Tango. Leonardo has participated in International Tango festivals worldwide and performed in the US, England, France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Bolivia and Argentina. He was the choreographer for: Male Tango (IATI theatre) which was recognized with two HOLA awards and Two Latin ACE Awards nominations. He teaches weekly tango classes with NY City Tango and is a co-organizer and host of the BK Pride Milonga.

Walter Perez

Walter was trained by renowned Argentine tango masters Juan Carlos Copes, Graciela Gonzalez, and Rodolfo Dinzel, and also by salsa master teachers Eddie Torres and Jimmy Anton. He has appeared in Buenos Aires, New York, and other major cities worldwide as a feature dancer in many tango productions. In 2013, he co-founded Friends of Argentine Tango, a nonprofit organization. Since 2015, Walter and Leonardo have been the organizers of the NY Queer Tango Weekend. Walter was a grantee of LMCC Su Casa 2017-2022 and Creative Learning 2017 & 2020. In the USA, Walter has taught at Sandra Cameron, Dance Manhattan, Stepping Out Studios, IATI Theater, Friends of Argentine Tango, Brooklyn Public Library department of Creative Aging, and Lifetime Arts.

Liliana Chenlo

Liliana is a pioneer of queer tango and one of the leading figures in the international role-switching tango scene. She has taught and performed at many queer tango festivals around the world, from Berlin to Miami. She is the founder of her own tango company, “Open Tango,” in Buenos Aires, an inclusive space free from gender roles. Recognized as one of the best female tango leaders in the world, she was the first woman to lead at the Tango World Championship, reaching the semifinals. Additionally, Liliana has brought queer tango to international stages and is the organizer of the queer Diva Milonga and the “Love is Love” Queer Tango Festival in Buenos Aires.

Mariana Parma

Mariana is a multi-hyphenated Bilingual English/ Spanish speaking artist, based in New York City. Raised in New Jersey by her Uruguayan parents, she’s a Jersey Girl at heart with strong ties to her South American roots. Her experience in the realm of Argentine Tango and Salsa is vast. Some of her “Wow” moments include coaching Chita Rivera, Tommy Tune, and internationally acclaimed Bollywood star Hrithik Roshan in Argentine Tango. Mariana’s latest endeavor is her first short film, “El Montage”, which she wrote, produced, and starred in. It premiered in 15 film festivals in the US and abroad, along with receiving Best Narrative, Best Original Music, Best Direction, and Best Choreography. She is a USA Tango Champion and has won the St. Louis Circle Award for outstanding choreographer for “Evita” at St. Louis Rep. and the HOLA award for outstanding achievement for choreography for “Tango Fever.”

And Extra Special Guest Performers…

Philly Pina

Gemini Dabarbay

DJs

Georges Naasan

Georges has been dancing tango since 2002. Along with a few friends, he founded the first milonga in Beirut. In 2007, he moved to the United States. In the summer of 2014, he was the recipient of the gold medal in Argentine Tango at the Gay Games. He started DJing in 2015, and became one of the bay area’s prominent local DJs. He has been invited to DJ at tango festivals across the US. Georges moved to New York City at the end of 2019. He recently dj-ed at La Nuestra Tango’s Íntimamente queer tango marathon in January. Georges has learned much of his tango dancing and DJing skills from various mentors that he met along his journey and to whom he is ever grateful.

María Valentina

María Valentina’s creative and artful construction of tandas create a story, weaving each song and tanda into a beautiful musical tapestry which DJ and dancers weave together throughout the milonga.

Matías Donadío

Matías is an Uruguayan tango dancer who embarked on his tango journey in 2011 and has always been connected with queer tango communities. He has made various contributions to the tango community as an instructor, milonga organizer, TDJ, 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. He dj-ed at La Nuestra Tango’s Íntimamente queer tango marathon in January and is a regular tango dj and teacher for QPDNYC and the BK Pride Milonga.

& Leonardo Sardella