Who we are
DEItango is a project led by Elena Zalez and Tom Weber with a simple and powerful idea: to create a TANGO community where everyone feels welcome, regardless of background, age or experience. We are dancers and teachers who believe that the values of diversity, gender equity and integration can be learned, practiced and embodied through TANGO dance.
Elena Zalez
A tango dancer and teacher, a singer, and a street performer. Born in Patagonia Argentina, with South American Indigenous Mapuche blood, she has lived around the globe, collaborating with many artists in Australia, Argentina, Europe and Japan.
Tom Weber
Originally from Luxembourg, Tom began dancing Tango in Berlin in 2005. In 2007, he met Elena in Buenos Aires, where — despite clumsy steps and little Spanish — he convinced her to travel with him to Brazil. Since then, they’ve shared life and dance in Buenos Aires, and across Lisbon, Dublin, Berlin, and now Melbourne. When not dancing Tango, Tom is a scientist, beekeeper, hobbyist pianist, and sourdough enthusiast.
What is DEItango?
The idea behind DEItango is to create a TANGO community that reflects the richness and diversity of Melbourne’s suburbs — and of humanity as a whole :). We believe Tango is for everyone, no matter your age, background, story, or how you show up in the world. Diversity in dance means celebrating the differences that make us human: our cultures, languages, identities, gender, bodies, and the moments we’re living. Every day is different — and so is our dance.
For us, equity means rethinking roles — especially gender roles. In our classes, workshops, and milongas, we invite everyone to learn and explore both leading and following. This helps us appreciate both sides — the challenges and the treats. Like in a conversation, we learn to LISTEN (follow) and we learn to SPEAK (lead).
Inclusion is about more than being welcome — it’s about feeling at home. We rotate partners, swap roles, and create an atmosphere of empathy, curiosity, and care. We believe that when people feel free to be themselves, the real magic of Tango happens. Tango is improvisation, inspired by individual journeys and characters, never a copy of someone else.
Our journey
Since 2008, we’ve been sharing our way of TANGO — in different places, through different projects, under different names, but always with the same philosophy of diversity, gender Equity and inclusion. These images capture moments that have shaped our journey, and remind us of the people and experiences that made it so unique.
