Open Position: Queer Tango Program Manager

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Position Description

Tango Mercurio, an art-education nonprofit organization, seeks a passionate individual to oversee its Queer Tango Program. Applicants should have a background in the arts, a passion for tango, experience in the nonprofit sector, familiarity with topics of importance to the LGBTQ+ community, and an appreciation for community building.

Application deadline: October 15, 2021

Roles and Responsibilities

The Queer Tango Program Manager should have a passion for building a more inclusive tango community, where dancers feel comfortable and connected as either leaders or followers regardless of their gender, gender identity, or sexual orientation. The Program Manager is responsible for developing educational and cultural programming related to queer tango. They will also work closely with Tango Mercurio staff to ensure that all Mercurio classes and events are as inclusive as possible.

Requirements

  • Experience dancing and teaching tango in both lead and follow roles

  • Familiarity with/sensitivity to topics of importance to the LGBTQ+ community 

  • Ability to develop and execute outreach strategies to bring queer tango to diverse communities

  • Ability to adapt instruction and events to promote inclusivity and community building

Commitment

The Program Manager will dedicate an average of 5 hours per week to their duties.

Compensation

This is a volunteer position with the possibility of payment from revenue-generating activities, such as organizing and teaching classes and hosting events.

How to Apply

Email us at info@tangomercurio.com, outlining your relevant experience and the contribution you can make to the organization, and attaching your résumé. Selected candidates will be interviewed by current Board members.

Our Mission

Tango Mercurio is a 501(c)(3) arts-education organization founded in 2008 to present the creative tango tradition as a way for individuals to find balance in their lives and discover the unique contributions they have to make in the world.

Tango Mercurio uses Argentine tango as an agent of community development. Because tango is a community-based art form with a global following, it embraces dancers, musicians, and the public at large. Our mission is to promote cultural understanding and social cohesion through Argentine tango by providing ongoing public opportunities for dance, music, learning, and community engagement.

Our Programs

We teach classes in Argentine tango, from complete beginner to teacher-in-training. We host events, where social dancers at all levels are treated to high-quality music and a welcoming atmosphere. We organize workshops for musicians and performances of live music for dancing and cultural education. And we connect the tango community to the broader community in the Washington, DC, area, by bringing dance, music, and culture to the public at large.

Education—Our comprehensive Argentine tango dance curriculum guides students on their journey as individual dancers or teachers embedded in a broader community of dancers and organizers. Technical skill—preparation, connection, vocabulary, expression—and an understanding of the music are fundamental to this process.

Events—A tango community is an association of tango dancers who attend social dances called “milongas” and informal practice gatherings called “prácticas.” For a tango community to grow and survive, dancers must have enjoyable dance experiences in a friendly environment. We host five to six milongas every month for alumni of the school and members of the tango community at large.

Music—Our Live Music Program seeks to revive the folk music tradition at the heart of tango. We promote community building through music education and live performances, in partnership with professional musicians.

Outreach—Our Outreach Program connects generations and reaches populations that would otherwise not be exposed to tango, such as older adults, veterans, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and underprivileged youth. We provide public performances and tango instruction, in some cases free of charge.