Do you know that YOU too can have a shot at participating in the Tango World Championships in Buenos Aires to be held between 22-30 August 2011? Even if you didn't register by the deadline of 1 August? And best of all, without even having to compete with those pesky Argentines who seem to have this genetic Tango advantage (notwithstanding some slight erosion of said advantage in recent years)?
Ah, you say, Shahrukh has been partaking of too much Argentine Malbec again. Not true at all (it was a fine Argentine Syrah, actually ...). As previously reported by Sergio Vandekier on this very Tango-L list, thanks to some lawsuits filed by discrimated-against non-Argentines and a supportive Argentine judge, a new category of "Milongueros del Mundo en Buenos Aires" or "Milonga Dancers of the World in Buenos Aires" (as officially mis-translated), has been created, with rather lax entry requirements (unless you're an Argentine couple in which case you're out of luck). What Sergio's article didn't mention was how exactly one goes about competing in this new category. Very easy: You just show up 1/2 hour before the qualifying rounds begin (no other pre-registration necessary), starting tomorrow, Thursday, 4 August, with your passport in hand. If you win, you get seeded right into the semi-finals of the Mundial (World Championships). But even if you just get past the qualifying round into the finals (of the Metropolitan--Buenos Aires), you get bragging rights for your Tango résumé back in your home town. (OK, even if you don't make it past the qualifying rounds, you can still put it on your Tango résumé--I won't tell if you don't ....) See all the details (in English too) at: http://www.tangobuenosaires.gov.ar/festivalymundial/web/en/tango/ciudadanos_mundo.html with detailed rules at: http://www.tangobuenosaires.gov.ar/festivalymundial/web/resources/TangoCampeonato2011_Milongueros%20del%20Mundo_RULES.pdf In a classic case of "let the pendulum swing the other way," this category is open to any couple who shows up, EXCEPT a couple comprising two Argentine nationals--at least one MUST be non-Argentine. So show up, passport (or DNI, for the Argentine half of a "mixed" couple) in hand, 1/2 hour EARLIER than the time listed below: Thursday, Aug 4, at 11 PM at LA VIRUTA, Armenia 1366 Friday, Aug 5, at midnight at EL PARAKULTURAL, Av. Scalabrini Ortiz 1331 Saturday, Aug 6, at midnight at SUNDERLAND, Lugones 3162 (Villa Urquiza); and if you make the finals, on Sunday, Aug 7, at 9.30 PM at EL PIAL, Ramón L. Falcón 2750 (Flores). Do you have to show up at ALL the qualifying rounds (serial qualifying rounds) or just any ONE of them (parallel qualifying rounds)? Who knows (the rules are ambiguous ... hmm, grounds for another lawsuit, perhaps ...)? But if you make it, the prize is the same as it you had won the Metropolitan Championships: $18,000 (pesos ...) and direct qualification into the semi-finals of the Mundial (World Championships). I even briefly considered entering myself just for the fun of it, but then decided that three-ring circuses are best enjoyed from the spectator stands anyway. But hey, I may bring my passport along just in case ... :-) If you're in Buenos Aires you should show up too--between the poor communication of information about this event (and its rather last-minute nature), the easy registration requirements, and the lack of competition from Argentine couples, it may never be as easy again for a non-Argentine to represent Buenos Aires, neither logistically (or logically, for that matter), nor based on the more limited field of other competitors. Shahrukh P.S. La Viruta's website at http://www.lavirutatango.com/index.html indicates Orquesta Mariano Bujacich on Aug 4 but conspicuously fails to mention the qualifying rounds the same day. P.P.S. Parakultural's website at http://parakultural.com.ar/ indicates Roberto Zuccarino & Samantha Dispari will be the featured couple on Aug 5 but also conspicuously fails to mention the qualifying rounds. P.P.P.S. Sunderland's website does not seem to have been updated recently, but as an aside they will be celebrating their 90th anniversary (not of the milonga, but of the club) on 15th August. _______________________________________________ Tango-L mailing list [email protected] http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/tango-l
