At the “Summer by the River” Festival, Argentina took part in an all-day event showing the classic “tango porteño” in London, in the presence of a large audience.
Last weekend, Argentina participated in the seventh edition of “London Goes Tango”, as part of the “Summer by the River” Festival. The event included tango lessons for kids and beginner adults. There were also tango and milonga dances performed by five Argentine academies in the United Kingdom. A live orchestra, DJs playing music and videos showing Argentine tourism attractions completed the event. The music of Carlos Gardel, Aníbal Troilo, Carlos Di Sarli, Astor Piazzolla, Juan d’Arienzo y Homero Expósito could also be heard at the festival.
The health situation in the United Kingdom, with more flexible sanitary measures, helped to increase the number of both spectators and participants, and the audience was larger than expected. The event is organized by the Argentine Embassy in the United Kingdom every year and was supported by the National Bureau of Tourism Promotion.
As INPROTUR’s Executive Secretary Ricardo Sosa pointed out: “Showing the tango culture in such a major market as the United Kingdom is a great opportunity to entice tourists to visit our country and learn more about tango when the health conditions allow it. We are getting ready to welcome tourists back and this is why it’s very important to show them the culture of Buenos Aires, as well as the natural beauties that our country has in store for them, so we are taking advantage of this event to show other natural destinations in Argentina as well.”
The seventh edition of “London Goes Tango” started on July 31st and was held at The Scoop, an amphitheater in downtown London, surrounded by the City Hall, the London Mayor’s Office, the Shard, the London Bridge and the Tower Bridge, across from the Tower of London. Over 1200 people attended the event at The Scoop on Saturday. There will also be another full day of activities on August 22nd, in London, from 12 to 10pm.
Tango is a traditional dance which was born in the poorest neighborhoods of the City of Buenos Aires in the 19th century. In 2009, it was declared Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO and it is not only an outstanding attraction for tourists but also a symbol of the Argentine capital. There are plenty of tango and milonga halls in Buenos Aires, where both tourists and residents can enjoy amazing shows, have dinner and learn some steps of this classical Argentine dance. Among the most outstanding popular representatives of tango are Carlos Gardel, Astor Piazzolla, Osvaldo Pugliese and Roberto Goyeneche. Tango can be felt in every neighborhood in Buenos Aires, but especially in Balvanera, San Telmo and La Boca. In the latter, a few meters away from “Caminito”, there’s the Teatro de la Ribera, a hall dedicated to tango only. The Summer by the River Festival started on June 10 and includes daily activities by the river which extend over three months, so that London visitors and tourists can enjoy a variety of shows, music, dance lessons and other types of entertainment. It also offers a giant screen where the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, as well as the Wimbledon Tournament -the Tennis Grand Slam which ended early in July- were broadcast.
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