It has been said way too many times to best describe the sensational Argentine dance form and yet it never gets old: Tango is a four-legged animal with two beating hearts. At the much-awaited Fourth International Tango Festival Doha, next month, passion and fervour is set to go past its peak as world-class dancers will storm Qatar, uniting all tango lovers for one eventful evening.
“After successfully pulling off the Third Tango festival last year, we have received a very positive response from across tango communities in the Middle East and the Embassy of Argentina in Qatar as well. Fuelled by the inspiration and positivity from last year, we have decided to put out the finest of tango this time around on October 27, 28 and 29, complete with tango workshops, milonga, tango performances by maestros, and a gala dinner at the Al Jawhara Ballroom, InterContinental Doha - The City,” Anil Kumar, who organises the festival, told Community. “We are bringing down top class teachers from Turkey, Argentina, and Germany, and also, for the first time, we will be inviting organisers of the Dubai Tango Festival to be part of our event.”
Last year’s edition featured sparkling tango performances by some of the finest contemporary tango dancers, and an audience of close to 300 soaked in all the wonder by watching the performances from a mere four feet away, before enjoying a dinner and ending a well-spent night with milonga, a tango dance party.
Kumar says that for the upcoming festival, he has already received many requests from around the world to be part of it. “This year, we will have groups of tango lovers from France, Oman, UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Belgium. Given that we had upwards of 250 people attending the event last year, we are expecting an audience of more than 300 at this event.”
Banking executive by day, ardent tango aficionado at all other times, Kumar has been single-handedly putting together the event which drew 135 participants in the debut edition, 160 in the second, and more than 250 in the third, previous, edition. Kumar said, “Some of the star attractions of the festival are the top tango dancers – Sercan Yugit & Zeynep Aktar (Turkey), Facundo Gil Jauregui & Maya Saliba (Argentina and Dubai), Gustavo Guarnieri & Gabriela Perea Demichellis (Argentina), and Ozgur Arin & Sonja Schüssler (Germany). There will be also be popular tango DJ Luca Lamberti from Italy, spinning his grooves.”
Clearly, Kumar’s tremendous passion for tango has held him in good stead. As a middle-class boy from Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh, India, Kumar began working and supporting his family at the age of 15. Later, after spending seven years in Dubai as a banking executive, Kumar moved to Doha. Despite never having danced before or having given it more than a passing thought, he enrolled himself in a salsa class, three years back.
“One day, I was introduced to tango. It spoke to something inside me,” Kumar recalled. “I then happened to watch Scent of a Woman, the film in which Al Pacino plays a blind, retired army colonel. There’s this famous tango scene in which Pacino is superb in. That film inspired me a lot.”
Soon, Kumar had begun learning the nuances of tango by practising and watching videos on YouTube. Around then, when he travelled to Thailand, he met an Argentinian couple in Bangkok and learnt tango from them. “Tango enthusiasts are so passionate about tango that one of the first things they do when they travel anywhere is to look up for the tango scene there,” Kumar said.
That impulse of tango lovers would only mean good news for Kumar, who in one of the initial salsa group meets, chanced upon three other tango lovers in Doha. “So Tango Club Qatar started with just the four of us and we found ourselves with a venue at the InterContinental Doha – The City, which would become the regular haunt for meets and tango classes,” said Kumar, explaining what led to the formation of Tango Club Qatar – which has its Facebook page @TangoinQatar, with 2,443 followers, and website www.dohatangofestival.com
So what is the best part about spearheading such an important cultural melting pot of a festival as this one? “The best part is the massive support I receive from the local tango community and tango lovers across Qatar and the Middle East. Organising the festival makes me feel happy as I get to create somewhat of a tango movement in Doha. It presents me with an opportunity to learn from the best tango teachers across the world by having them visit us here in Doha, and also an opportunity for the people of Qatar to experience the magic of tango without having to travel out of the country,” explained Kumar.
The Qatar tango community’s increasingly busier weekly/monthly social gatherings points to a rise in people’s interest in tango. “I feel that the tango scene in Qatar has witnessed a healthy rise as we have many expats who used to dance tango back in their countries. We also have several short-time visitors to Doha attending our events, which makes us feel proud to be behind this effort to create happy and memorable tango moments within the community. To make things more interesting, we have a tango teacher whose dedication and hard work has ensured that more people are getting introduced to tango and are excited about it,” Kumar said. “Lastly, of course, tango is an excellent excuse for a variety of people from across the world meet, greet, dance and share their cultures.”
As for Kumar himself, tango has helped him in everything from forgetting all his worries and stress to unveiling his social, artistic side in a way he hadn’t known. “Tango changed my life. I find it to be one of the most beautiful, elegant, and sensual dances of modern times. In fact, tango is more than a dance. It also teaches us a lot about how to grow as person, individually and professionally. I find dancing tango is important for me to have a superior quality of life and I believe it will also enable me to age gracefully. For me, it packs in everything – from physical exercise to social interaction, from a sense of spiritual calm and mindfulness to balancing emotional health,” he said.
On the flip side, the biggest challenge facing Kumar is keeping up with the rigours of organising the tango festival. “To put together a tango festival without any sponsors is a tough task. But we ensure that this festival remains within our budgets, and thanks to the support of the collective tango community, we have been able to get this festival on the floor,” explained Kumar.
“Every year, we hope to continue inspiring more people and also attract more international visitors to Doha for tango. We love Qatar and we want to invite people from around the world to experience the Qatari hospitality and the various tourism spots of the country along with their tango trips,” Kumar added.
The spirit of tango is summed up rather well by an unknown quote, which every tango lover like Kumar, vouches for: “I believe that Tango has the potential to bring out the best in each of us, at least while in the embrace. We surrender our egos; leave prickly personality traits at the table; and cease to be CEOs, taxi drivers, engineers, unemployed. We replace all our externals with a purity of spirit, a generosity of kindness, splendid caring. And when these elements flow freely between partners, it is... the joy.”
BEST FOOT FORWARD: Dancers Ozgur Arin & Sonja Schussler take the floor at a tango performance.
