A New Tango Culture Sweeps the Middle East

DUBAI The last strains of the accordion spread through the room like perfume. In the background, the evening call to prayer resounded from a nearby mosque. Joyce Baz had just finished another tango class in Dubai. Like ballet, tango is a discipline with specific technique, but then theres that sensual element and the facial expressions that go with it, she said with a smile, undoing the clasp on stilettos worn and frayed after two years of tango classes. Im working on that part. After my first class, I was just hooked.

Ms. Baz, 26 and from Lebanon, is not the only one. Over the past two years, tango dancing has become increasingly popular in the Middle East, from Syria to Turkey to the United Arab Emirates. Many regional countries have organized their own tango festivals and played host to maestros from Argentina to conduct workshops. Milongas, or tango dance parties, take place in restaurants and hotels almost every night of the week in main cities. The Latin dance, initially made popular by sailors in Argentine ports in the 1890s, has found a dedicated following in a relatively conservative corner of the world. Syria held its first tango festival this year, lasting four days in November. Performers will be a mix of international tangueros and Syrian dancers. Three years ago, dancers in Syria interested in tango had to learn the steps from the Internet and movies because there were no local instructors. Now, there are prcticas, or dance practices, at least once a week by Syrian teachers. In Syria, if you wanted to dance tango three years ago you had to drive two hours to Lebanon or Jordan, where it was more established, said Khaled Alshamaa, an architect involved in organizing the debut festival in Damascus this year. Its going to take time, and having a festival doesnt mean we have the quality yet, but its a big step. Lebanon played host to its second festival in April. Plans are already fixed for the third Beirut International Tango Festival in 2011, with some of the most famous tangueros in the world on the roster. The idea of holding a festival in Beirut started as early as 2002, but the event did not actually happen until 2009 because of political instability. People we talked to would say, Who goes to Beirut to dance tango? recalled Mazen Kiwan, a tango instructor in Paris and one of the organizers of the event in Lebanon. It was hard to convince people that it is not a war zone and that the tango community is serious. Now, people are getting to know this about the local dance scene.

This year, there were about 250 participants from 22 countries dancing in Beirut and in historical sites in Lebanon, including Baalbek and Jbeil. Festival aside, the tango scene in Beirut flourishes throughout the year with frequent milongas. Donna Hourani is one of many who quit her job last year to become a fulltime private tango instructor and hold prcticas. Some of my aunts would hint that I should get back to my old job, saying its a waste of experience and a degree, said Ms. Hourani, who is in her early 30s. Tango is my business now. And its doing well. It is also profitable; she says she makes a comfortable living teaching an average of six students a week in a rented space. After all, tango music is not completely foreign to the region. Rhythms and accordions have had a presence in the music of some of the greatest composers in the Arab world since the 1940s. With the recent resurgence of electronic tango by the likes of Gotan Project and Federico Aubele, it was only a matter of time before the dance became as widely accepted in the region as the music. Its already there in our culture, said Mohammad Ismail, one of seven organizers of the first international tango festival in Jordan, which took place in September and received sponsorship from Emirates Airlines. Its also a dance for men. You dont move your hips and do silly stuff on the dance floor. You show how macho you are. After seeing the turnout out at our first event, were already planning next years. This will be an annual event. Regional festivals import talent and culture from abroad, but also lend local flair. The fourth night of Jordans festival was held on a dance floor set up in the middle of the desert, with a Bedouin ambience and tents to sleep in. In Syria, milongas are held in houses that are centuries old, with open courtyards in the centre. In Istanbul, which will host its eighth festival in July, dancers sway to music at palaces along the Bosporus. Turkey, a Muslim country, is actually one of the largest tango festival organizers in the world, after Paris and Buenos Aires. The festival this year its seventh had about 1,000 participants per night over five days. In our first few festivals, we had no representation from the Middle East, said Aydogan Arkis, one of the organizers. Now we even have dancers from Saudi Arabia and Iran.

While dance plays a role in cultures across the region, the passionate nature of the close embrace and gancho kicks in tango does bring up the question of how a sensual dance became so popular in a relatively conservative environment.

We have men and women whose families are kept in the dark about their dancing; its understandable considering the region, and we are all working on it, said Dareen Khoury, one of the organizers for Jordans festival. But people need this escape. In fact, part of the tangos success in the Middle East is that it is considered sophisticated, worldly and classy, not trashy. You dont go to tango to meet girls. Its not about sex, said Mr. Ismail, from Jordan. Its an art form that carries prestige. This has been a strong selling point for Ballet Nacional El Firulete, a Latin dance company with branches in Colombia and the Emirates. Instructors from the company performed in more than 32 countries this year alone, and at ritzy exclusive events in the yachts and palaces of Dubai and Abu Dhabis royal families. We have local students who come here, even in their abayas, wanting to learn, said Eider Rua Giraldo, the companys founder and director. Now, we even opened a branch in Abu Dhabi because there is demand for it. Mr. Giraldo came to Dubai in 2005 and opened one of the first recognized Latin dance schools in the region mainly because he saw an opportunity for tango shows in the hundreds of hotels under construction. He took four instructors with him to the Emirates and left his hometown of Medelln, which, marked by the death of the noted tango singer Carlos Gardel, is considered to be one of the tango capitals of the world, with more than 40 tango schools and milongas. Ballet Nacional El Firulete started off with four teachers living and giving lessons in a one-bedroom apartment in Dubai in 2005. Today, the company has grown to 14 instructors from Medelln teaching hundreds of students in dance studios in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. In a way, tango suits the region because you cant drink while you dance, or else you will lose your balance, remarked Eleanor Brodie, a tango aficionado in Dubai. Its exercise. Its a place to socialize for people who move to the U.A.E. without their families.

Dubai held its second tango festival in April for hundreds of participants and tango maestros from Argentina. We want to put Dubai on the tango map, said Maya Saliba, one of the organizers of the Dubai Tango Festival who moonlights as an instructor and performer from her day job in the hotel business. Five years ago when I started, we were 10 dancers and one teacher. Back then, if you started talking about tango, people said, Talk to my grandmother instead of me. Now, there is a new generation of tango dancers worldwide, and this part of the world is no exception. Simply, we had a festival because there was demand for it. The ads for the festival highlighted that it was in Abu Dhabi in 2009 that Unesco declared tango a cultural heritage to humanity.

Discussion Questions 1. How do you consider dance to fit into society? (Art, exercise, entertainment) does this differ depending on each country? 2. What dancing culture exists in Poland? (competitions, classes as exercise/hobbies) 3. Do you think this Tango culture is welcomed by everyone in the United Arab Emirates (UAE)? 4. Tango is a highly sensual dance would you agree with this statement and how do you think woman in UAE will appear to others for undertaking such a pastime? 5. Do you think this is a dance had can appeal to both sexes?

Notes Public display of affection are frowned upon

Emirati men shunning Emirati women who have studied abroad as a potential bride. To her surprise, she found out that the newspaper story was true. Many Emirati men still have a conservative approach, although it was difficult for them to accept the truth on the record. Women

Women should dress sensibly and avoid wearing revealing outfits when in busy areas. This is especially true when travelling to districts like Karama, Deira and Bur-Dubai where the streets are packed with men, especially on evenings and weekends. While swimsuits and bikini's are a common sight on Dubai beaches, avoid sunbathing topless or wearing micro bikinis - even in the private beach of a hotel. Note: Women are not allowed to wear swimwear on public beaches in Sharjah. It takes two to tango.

something that you say which means if two people were involved in a bad situation, both must be responsible

Student Tasks
TASK 1 Definitions
1. Fill or echo throughout a place. 2. Worn away or tattered along the edges 3. Unimaginatively conventional, conforming to the standards and conventions of 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13.

the middle class A lack of balance or state of disequilibrium Bringing again into activity and prominence A person who is very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about an activity, subject, or pastime. Luxuriously elegant, posh. An Arab of the desert, in Asia or Africa; a nomad or wanderer. To be in a vigorous state; thrive: An artist of consummate skill The character and atmosphere of a place The quality of being humane; kindness; benevolence. A loose black robe from head to toe; traditionally worn by Muslim women

TASK 2 Video Questions 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. What is Argentinas other best known export? Why is the competition in trouble? What is the duration of the competition? Which type of Tango is considered to be more traditional? What does Stage Tango consist of? What does the competition highlight?

Answers
Definitions 1. Resounded 2. Frayed 3. Conservative 4. Instability 5. Resurgence 6. Aficionado (A-fish-E-ana-do) (aficionado Spainish) 7. Ritzy (common slang) 8. Bedouin (bed-o-win) 9. Flourishes 10. Maestros 11. Ambience 12. Humanity 13. Abayas (AB-EYE-A)

Video question answers 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Football Swine flu, Financial crisis 2 weeks Salon Classic Tango moves, ballet and acrobatics. The importance of the dance and its music to the cities social and culture life.

(http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8232923.stm)