Dance lovers across Ireland and the world are expected to flock to the Sixth International Tango Festival in Dublin.
The festival, which runs from today till Sunday 31 August, will feature a performance by dancers from Argentina, plus a tango club where Argentinean traditional tea, or mate, will be served. And on Friday, Dublin’s Globe bar on Sth Great George’s Street will host a screening of films on the history of the dance.
The tango has become very popular in Ireland since the country opened up to other cultures and influences. The passionate Latin American dance would have been a very exotic thing in Ireland 20 years ago, but in modern Dublin one can find a tango club every night of the week, asserts dance teacher Simona Zaino.
From Italy, Zaino has been teaching tango in Ireland for the last 10 years. She is also the director of Compadrito, an Irishbased community of dancers, musicians and actors who share a passion for tango.
Zaino says even the Irish weather is not an obstacle for the true lover of the dance. “We sometimes dance tango on the quays. And we had a few rainy sessions, but as long as you’re well equipped you can manage.” She claims that it is possible to beat the weather by holding an umbrella in one hand while guid-ing your partner with the other.
Tango dancers in Dublin now number in the hundreds, according to Zaino. And it comes as no surprise that many of them are non-Irish nationals.
“It’s great to be able to dance tango in Ireland,” says Artyom from Russia, who learned to dance in Moscow. “The tango community in Moscow is much bigger of course, but here we’re closer and friendlier.”
The dancers claim that native Argentineans who visit Ireland or come to live here are “pleasantly surprised” to discover such a vibrant scene.
Two acclaimed tango dancers from Argentina, Adrian Veredice and Alejandra Hobert, will be coming to Dublin for the festival and giving master classes to local dancers.
Their performance at the Garda Club on Harrington Street on Saturday, together with Dutch band Trio Sensiblero, will be one of the weekend’s highlights.
