Tango World Cup: Dancers compete in Buenos Aires

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02:30

In Argentina, close contact for hundreds of couples at the Tango World Cup. They COME from across the world, and TANGO in one of two styles: the more traditional 'Salon', and the more flamboyant 'Stage'. CGTN's Joel Richards has more.

Carlos Lin says he arrived in Argentina from China with his family when he was just two years old. Now in his 30s, he's one of the presenters of the prestigious tango World Cup in Buenos Aires.

CARLOS LIN TANGO WORLD CUP PRESENTER "This is my sixth year presenting the World Cup. I broke the mould. Tango was very much from the river plate region but it became more popular in 2009 when it was named cultural heritage of humanity by UNESCO. So it opened up to the world. But still, many people needed convincing about having a (Chinese) presenter."

With 40 venues, this year's event features more than 500 dancers, and two-thousand musicians -- making it the largest tango festival to date.

JOEL RICHARDS BUENOS AIRES "In its 16th year, the Tango World Cup and Festival is now a classic on the cultural calendar in Buenos Aires. And while the competition is largely dominated by dancers from Argentina and Uruguay, it's increasingly international. This year, there are dancers from more than 40 countries taking part."

There are workshops to help dancers hone their skills. Marina Svartzman says the dance has retained its essence.

MARINA SVARTZMAN TANGO DANCER AND TEACHER "Tango is still the same as when it started. There are no social classes, there is no difference in age, the most important thing is that people get together and dance. You may not know the person's name you are dancing with, you don't know what they do, but the dance brings you together."

Lin says the music is one of the attractions, but the lyrics to the songs being in Spanish means foreign dancers approach it differently.

CARLOS LIN TANGO WORLD CUP PRESENTER "There is a sixth sense. To dance tango you have to feel your partner, so Chinese dancers began to understand the embrace, which is a break from the cultural norm with that physical contact, and then listen and feel the music. Then it's a question of trial and error. We have seen Chinese, Japanese, Koreans moving up from the bottom places to the top 10."

The reigning world tango champions are an Argentine-Japanese couple. The 2018 champions will be crowned next week. Joel Richards, CGTN, Buenos Aires.