The Campeonato Mundial 2007 As Seen By The World Press

Here are some excerpts of articles appearing in foreign newspapers about the Campeonato Mundial (I put in the bold and italics.)

World Tango Championship opens in Buenos Aires
By Jeannette Neumann (AP)

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – Kicking and dipping in rakish suits and slinky dresses, dancers from as far away as Japan and New Zealand launched the fifth World Tango Championship on Friday in Buenos Aires.

The 10-day showcase of Argentina's famously mournful dance features 479 pairs – nearly double the number that took part in the first competition in 2003.

Aleida and her dance partner, 27-year-old Daniel Martinez, banged out sharp, staccato dance steps and leaped across an exhibition center floor in the Stage Tango category, which is characterized by balletic, acrobatic choreography.

Diego Ortega, 18, slicked his hair back with gel and donned a black suit for a look that evoked the era of Carlos Gardel ...

... pairs from more than 150 world cities are competing as the dance gains popularity overseas...


Here's an article from Japan Today (ABS&CBN News), that also appeared in France Presse, in Australia and around the world. Probably created by Buenos Aires government press agents:

BUENOS AIRES — Tango enthusiasts from Japan, Australia, Russia and beyond are polishing their dancing shoes for the world championship in the sexy dance that they say knows no boundaries.

In all, 149 couples from 154 cities around the world have entered the contest with the hope of wooing the judges with a combination of steamy sensuality and swaying dance moves.
Around 90 couples from abroad and 30 from Colombia have signed up for the Salon Tango contest, the most common form of Argentine tango which arose from the"milongas," or traditional ballrooms.

Fifty couples have signed up for the Stage Tango category, which uses more complex choreography, sophisticated make-up and is better known on the dance floors of Europe, the United States and Japan.

Competitors will also lead free tango classes for those who want to learn more during the 10-day tournament...

As I previous posted here, here, and here what's all this youth and international influence going to do to social tango here in Buenos Aires?

The BBC posted a video on their site and, while castanets were playing, the announcer talked about a Global Tango Boom.

Now what I want to know is, is that a good thing?
I would have to say the more people who dance tango, the better. But I feel a little protective about milonguero style here in Buenos Aires. I guess I don't want a plethora of foreign stage dancers teaching free classes to locals during the Campeonato. I don't want half of my favorite milongas full of foreigners doing ganchos and volcadas. I don't want future milongueros thinking that high boleos, sentadas, and trabadas in crowded milongas are welcome. I guess I don't want my beloved tango to change. And it almost seems inevitable.