Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.You can take tango out of Buenos Aires, but it seems you can't take Buenos Aires out of tango.
That, at least, is the thinking of the reigning champions of Mundial de Tango, the world tournament of this passionate-yet-precise dance which is underway for the next two weeks in the Argentine capital.
That's why Kyoko and Hiroshi Yamao, the title-holders and the planet's top tango duo since 2009, at times consider swapping their native Tokyo for Buenos Aires, the city most associated with this Spanish-derived melding of hips and chests to fast footwork that has become their obsession.
"This is our fifth time in the Mundial de Tango and we think sometimes about coming to live in Buenos Aires," Hiroshi Yamao, 39, told AFP at the official launch of this year's competition on the weekend.
He and Kyoko, 35, owe their marriage to tango.
"We love so much the communication and seduction this dance has. In fact, we met each other dancing in a milonga (tango dance hall) in Tokyo," he said.
Starting next week, the Japanese pair will face 400 couples - Argentines and foreigners - in the classification round of the competition, whose finals will be decided August 30 and 31.
This week, essentially a warm-up, will see hundreds of art shows, conferences, films and free dance classes dedicated to tango take over milongas and streets in Buenos Aires.
"It's a must-see public festival," the artistic director of the event, Gustavo Mozzi, said.
"We've been dancing since we were 14," boasted Pocho, an 86-year-old contestant paired with his wife, Nelly, 84. "We were born and have always lived together in tango and in the milonga."
Another couple, Lidia Casella, 64, and Ruben Diez, 74, who won the capital's metropolitan title in 2008, proudly noted that tango was declared part of the world's intangible heritage by UNESCO last year.
"Everything is said in the embrace: heart, synchronization and musicality. It's very Argentine," Casella said.
"World culture recognizes tango, and vice versa," Buenos Aires's official in charge of culture, Hernan Lombari, said.
"Tango's mystery is in its passion. That's why it is recognized globally. Buenos Aires has many cultural passions, but tango is basically at the top," he said.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments