About Elly
Teaching
Elly Fernandez, raised in the strength and love of the Philadelphia Tango community and studying both roles from the get-go, brings her background as a public educator to teach tango in US communities that are both robust and emerging. As a project-based communications educator, she roots the expression and listening of movement dialogue in real-world contexts: creating dialogue together, as a community, on the social dance floor. Her students gain a better understanding of who they are, what mystery they are mastering, with a curiosity to explore within their connections, and know more of the whole dance - not just half of it - as a result. Expect an impish look when she supports you, turning a dance constraint into a feature, helping to make this dance your own unique expression. You can merge your tango journeys with hers in New England in the spring, in Chicago & Michigan in the summer, on the West Coast in the Fall, and in VA & NC in December. She is currently accepting bookings for Fall 2026.
DJing
Elly is enamored with the way the music, the dancers, the physical space all play a role in shaping the stories dancers share long after La Cumparsita (the traditional last song played) wishes us farewell. Her grandmother Daisy once dreamed of dancing more than she could in life - Elly is her legacy, getting to live a life full of the artful expression, joy, and community Daisy longed for. Each tanda is a dance with Daisy -- many of the tandas in Elly's sets are chosen for their mischievous humor, the solidarity in grief, the intimacy of specific neighborhoods, and the fierce voices of womxn in tango. Even the cortinas welcome folks, inviting them to dance along in celebration of our collective love of dancing, eventually encouraging all dancers to feel more confident, perhaps even a little flirtatious with themselves, to end the night feeling like the proud, silly, creative, brave, and loving humans that they are.
To Connect, Learn, Collaborate...
Email: elly@ellyfernandez.com
Facebook: Elly Fernandez
Instagram: @elly__fernandez
Workshops
All of Elly's programs are designed to support you turning a constraint into a feature.
→ What this means:
If you are a new or experienced dancer
who feels held back by a limited vocabulary
or not-yet-mastered skill,
these learning environments
will help you experiment
with the worlds of possibility
in what you DO already know.
Some say this dance is hard
(who does that really serve?)...
what if the way we explored it was clear,
with a simple structure,
and with movement that feels free to our bodies?
Bring your curiosity, Elly will bring the challenges,
& let's wonder through this tango world together!
⭐Classes are designed for ALL dancers who are improving AND beginning their tango experience
(unless marketed otherwise by event organizers)
💛No partner needed.
🌈All gender identities and expressions are welcome.
💞Role switching is encouraged - we express what role we are curious to explore and honor a learner's choice to dance one or both roles.
Radio & Podcast Interviews
Beinvenido al Tango (WOWD 94.3FM)
May 11, 2023 - Teacher and community builder Elly Fernandez joins radio hosts Phil and Max with ideas and visions for tango community and her current music favs.
Oxygen Tango Live
December 30, 202 - Elly Fernandez shares how her public education career shapes her tango ideologies for teaching & organizing with Oxygen Tango organizer, Magan Wiles.
Listen to hear Elly's tango story & to learn more about:
Individualized Education Plans
Community Readiness Index
Restorative/Transformative Justice
USALA Radio
November 7, 2018 - An conversation with Kristin Balmer & Elly Fernandez about the Youth Tango Retreat, hosted by Meredith Klein
"A sense of belonging involves a couple components: one, that you feel that your voice and your contributions are valued, that they’re heard, and that you value others’ voices and contributions as well. So that sense of belonging gives you a sense of being a part of a community."