COVER FEATURE

Tango's world cup

Japan won the cup

The Japanese won the highest award in the Salon category before 6,000 spectators at Luna Park. Argentina came third. And there was a well-deserved tribute to Amelita Baltar.

For the first time in the history of the World Tango Dancing Championships, the champions and runners-up of the Salon Category are two foreign couples.

There was no lack of emotion and surprises. The finals of the “Salon” category in the 7th World Tango Dancing Championship, organized by the Buenos Aires city government, gave the winning place to Hiroshi Yamao, 39, and his wife Kyoko, 35, both from Tokyo, capital of Japan and over 18,000 kilometers from Buenos Aires. Second place went to the Colombians Edwin León Medellín and Jennifer Arango Agudelo. Argentina had to be content with third place, represented by Jorge Mariño and Sara Parnigoni, winners of the Metropolitan Championship, Adult category.

On that night of nights, the stage of the Luna Park stadium held the key to finalists’ dreams of triumph, having got there out of a total of 427 enrolled couples, from Greece, Italy, France, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Russia, Japan, Rumania, South Africa, Australia, USA, Canada, Mexico, Switzerland, Korea, Colombia and Chile, as well as the locals, all given an almost equal ovation by the 6,000 spectators who followed every moment with respect and enthusiasm. Almost at the end, the ruling was given by the well-known adjudication panel made up of: María Nieves, Daniel García, Jorge Firpo, Olga Besio, Elina Roldán, Oscar Héctor and Gabriela Elías.

The really emotional moment was prior to the presentation of the great award. Julia Zenko, without Chico Novarro (absent for medical reasons) had already performed, and the orchestra directed by José “Pepo” Ogivieki, also Johana Copes and her dance corps and a pause had even been made in the schedule so as to pay tribute to the “milongueros with a history”, who went onstage and showed that experience is a value that is perfected with the passing years: Elsa and Julio Duplaa, El Pibe Sarandi, Nito nd Elba, Cacho and Raquel, and Carlos and Rosa Pérez, amongst others.
But the greatest ovation, which brought the crowd to its feet with tears in their eyes, was for Amelita Baltar, who went onstage overcome with emotion at the exact moment when the presenter, Fernando Bravo, was remembering how right there, forty years ago, she had performed the now well-known “Balada para un loco” for the first time. Little by little, phrase by phrase, the singer repeated those same lines written by Horacio Ferrer and with music by Astor Piazzolla.

“We never thought we’d win”
For their part, with few words and in a mix of Japanese, English and Spanish, Hiroshi was responsible for telling how much the award they won meant to them. “We never thought we’d win. We’ve been coming to the World Championships for a few years now, because we love the dance and Argentina… When I arrived in this country the first time, I wanted to fill my spirit with the people who live here. We have lessons with Argentine teachers and we see that tango is lived here in a different way, so we’re thinking of coming to live here,” stated this youngster, who back home in his own country is a plumber, and thanks to his skill at dancing tango won the first prize, worth 15,000 pesos.
In Tokyo, the couple give lessons and run a milonga -“Milonga Tokyo”- where he also works as DJ.

Florencia Guerrero - Fotos/Photos: Alejandra Marín