SALON TANGO CHAMPIONSHIPS IN ARGENTINA
By Melaina Spitzer
The World
September 2, 2011
Earlier this week dancers from around the world flocked to Buenos
Aires, Argentina, to compete in the World Tango Championships. Declared
by UNESCO as part of the world’s “Intangible Cultural Heritage of
Humanity,” tango seems to be catching on across the globe.
At this year’s championships, international dancers shocked the
audience in Buenos Aires with an impressive accomplishment. For the
first time in history, the top five ranking couples in the “salon
tango” category were foreign.
That includes an American pair of dancers: Brian Nguyen and Yuliana
Basmajyan, from San Francisco. They never thought they could make it
to the World Tango Championships. In fact, they never even planned
on becoming tango dancers.
Brian said he started out doing breakdance and salsa. “I ran into
tango by accident,” he recalled, “and from then on, I converted…
because it really was the dance for me.”
Basmajyan told a similar story. And it wasn’t easy for either of them,
because of their family backgrounds.
“I’m originally Armenian,” said Basmajyan. “I came over to the States
at the end of 1998. And I’m coming from a very traditional family
and culture. So this is against what our culture would normally do.”
Basmajyan said her family wasn’t happy when she decided to become
a tango dancer. “I’ve gone through a lot of struggles, [but] now
they feel more comfortable about the idea that I’m pursuing tango
and hopefully it will get better with time. This is my passion and
I want to follow my heart,” she said.
Nguyen can relate. His parents came to the US from Vietnam after
the Vietnam War. And he said being Vietnamese-American comes with
certain expectations.
“I’m expected to be an engineer or a doctor. But I didn’t decide to
be any of those,” Basmajyan said. “So of course my parents were mad
at me for a really long time.”
Brian said his family is coming around now, encouraging him. But he
can still feel their disappointment.
“My parents are always thinking, man, he should have been a doctor,”
But, oh well. I push on because it’s my passion. ”
And in Buenos Aires, Nguyen and Basmajyan’s passion was put to
the test.
At the salon tango finals, the dancers were rushed to the stage to
begin the competition. Salon tango is traditionally danced at milongas,
or social tango gatherings. And unlike the highly choreographed
“stage tango,” this competition was all about improvisation.
Ten couples took to the stage at once, gracefully circulating
counter-clockwise before a panel of judges. Basmajyan stood out in her
bright red velvet dress. And Brian’s slicked back hair was reminiscent
of tango’s golden age, in the 1940’s.
After four rounds of competition, the scores were announced. A Japanese
pair came in fifth. The Italians were fourth. And Basmajyan and Nguyen
placed third.
Taking the equivalent of the bronze medal in salon tango was a big
deal for the American pair, especially because they were only a
hundredth of a point away from a three-way tie for the top spot.
The Colombian and Venezuelan pairs went on to compete in a dance-off
for first place. And it was the Colombians who emerged as world
champions.
Backstage after the competition, Nguyen said the win changes
everything.
“Now it feels really good!” he exclaimed. “I think everybody can relate
to this. I mean, you go through life looking for a way to prove to
yourself that you’re worth something. And I found that in tango.”
As to what they’ll do next, Basmajyan said it’s time to get down to
work. “Get ready for next year, to compete again and dance more and
travel more,” she said.
But first, Nguyen wanted to celebrate by pouring some wine into their
third place cup.
From: A. Papazian