Pilar Mazo
Logroño, (EFE).- The streets of Logroño are dyed this weekend with a party, to the rhythm of tango, within the XXV National Meeting of Associations of Tango Fans, arrivals from all over Spain to give more visibility to this dance, and which began on Friday, March 24, with an exhibition in the center of the city.
Some 300 people from different Spanish cities, southern France and Portugal participate in this Meeting, which aims to strengthen the ties of union and fraternization between these non-profit fan associations to promote the visibility of this dance in Spain, where it is held. dance 60 percent less than in Italy, France, Germany and Portugal.
This was explained to EFE by Francisco Vázquez, president of the “El Firulete” Tango Association of La Rioja, host of this meeting, sponsored by the La Rioja government and which, except for the parenthesis of the pandemic, is held every year in a city Spanish.
This is one of the objectives of the XXV National Meeting of Associations of Tango Fans, which brings together more than 300 representatives of different non-profit associations in Spain, together with tango fans from the south of France and Portugal, and which has been started this Friday with an exhibition of this dance in the center of Logroño.
Andalusia, Valencia, Catalonia, the Basque Country, Navarra, Cantabria, Castilla y León and Madrid are some of the communities that are represented at this meeting, which has filled the tourist accommodation in Logroño and surroundings due to the impact that the call has had, with the attendance of some 5,000 people, he indicated.
In addition to the playful and festive component of this meeting, its objectives are also to develop coordinated actions to disseminate and promote tango dance, its authors, its history, support the dissemination of exhibitions, book presentations, videos, plays and other concerns. with members of associations; as well as the cultural exchange between them.
“Tango is not just music, but it has a long history behind it, of poets, composers and lyricists, which tango fan associations also try to promote”, he said.
Francisco Váquez, president of the El Firulete Association, organizer of the XXV Meeting of Tango Associations of Spain that is held in Logroño. EFE/Fernando Díaz.
Dancing the tango requires silence
Managing to introduce this dance into regulated music education in Spain is another of the aspirations of these associations, since In Spain, unlike other European countries, there is generally no music education at basic levels, except in conservatories. , has detailed.
He recalled that tango, declared Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2009, is the most widely danced Latin dance in the world and, however, in Spain, although it is being given more and more impetus thanks to amateur associations, dance 60% less than in other European countries, such as Italy, France, Germany and Portugal.
“Mentally, when it comes to going to a social place to dance, it is easier for people to think, for example, of salsa, bachata or reggaeton, than of tango,” he assured, because “The latter requires silence, since you don’t dance in a noisy environment”.
This is also explained, he has indicated, because another of the problems that tango has is that it does not allow dancing in any space, but requires a track that slides, which is an inconvenience, compared to other genres, due to existing regulations regarding non-slip floors.
Regarding the development of this meeting, one of the central aspects of these days of fraternization are the social dances, called “milongas”, daily dance sessions with all the attendees, for which a floating platform has been installed in the Palace of Congresses of La Rioja “Riojaforum” to allow the development of the activity.
Along with the “milongas”, Logroño has also been dyed with tango this weekend, where its streets have become improvised spaces for this dance, as happened this Friday in front of the church of San Bartolomé, in the old town of the city. EFE.
