[Tango-L] Barnum, Bailey and Biaggi

[Shahrukh Merchant]

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.