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  • 3 hours ago
A small group of dancers in Edgbaston is helping keep Argentine tango going in Birmingham. We visited Tango Sentimental to see why this traditional dance still means so much to the people who love it.
Transcript
00:06Today I'm entering the world that most passionate of dances, a dance that has been described as
00:12lovemaking in the vertical, where the dancers simmer across the dance floor. I'm of course
00:17talking about the Argentine tango. I'm here at the Tango Sentimental in Edgbaston, Birmingham
00:23to meet the tangueros and tangueros who lose themselves in the dance. With me is the tango
00:31teacher Valentina from the Northern Tango Academy. Valentina, what is Argentine tango?
00:37So Argentine tango is a social dance born in Argentina, of course, Argentine tango, and now
00:45dance worldwide. It's a passionate dance, a connection dance between two people.
00:50Now Argentine tango seems to be more popular than ever. Why is that?
00:55I think it's because the connection it requires, besides the beneficial health that gives to
01:04people, mental health as well as body health. We are living in a world always very social
01:10and this kind of tango as a dance kind of makes you reconnect with the people and this I think
01:17humanly and mentally is very searched from people.
01:24Now I noticed there's quite a diversity of people here, various nationalities. Is tango for anyone?
01:30Yes, tango is for absolutely anyone, any race, any age, any, any, anything, anyone.
01:44With me is Franco and Julia and they teach the beginners. Tell me, do you need any special
01:50skills to learn the tango?
01:52Not particularly. Anybody can do tango. Anybody, any age group, from any walk of life and it's
02:05just an enjoyable dance. It really is for everyone. What's the most difficult thing to teach in tango?
02:13In my opinion, difficult thing to teach really, people struggle to get sort of like getting their
02:19partner into this right weight change so they can get moving and the intention to move them and the
02:26walk. Once they start getting that, once they get the timing and the actual coordination of the
02:31bodies together, it's just basing tango as a nice walk and a hug. That's Argentine tango, traditional
02:37Argentine tango.
02:41The Argentine tango is by far the most exhilarating of the dances. The music, the atmosphere, the people.
02:49It is passion, passion about the dance. So why not give it a try? You'll never want to do any
02:55other dance again.
02:55So why not give it a try? You'll never want to do any other dance at the beginning.
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