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Last saturday´s night –icy yet cosy indoors– took place at Teatro del Colegio the great final of the 7th City Dance Championship, the competition that drew 605 couples to contest in 22 traditional milongas throughout the city of Buenos Aires and that constitutes the prelude to the Dance World Cup to be held in parallel with the Tango Festival, from 14 to 31 August.

As well as the classic categories of Salon Tango (subdivided into Adult and Senior) and Milonga, this new edition of the Championship featured a newcomer: the Waltz category, drawing 162 participating couples.

It was almost midnight when the winners where announced. Director of the Festival and Dance World Cup Gustavo Mozzi granted a prize of ten thousand Argentine pesos to the winners of the Adult Tango category, Jorge Mariño and Sara Parnigoni, who also qualified for the Dance World Cup Final. Nestor Castillo and Mónica Ponce from the Senior Tango category received the same prize. In turn, Lida Mantovani and Cristian Sosa were the winners of the categories Milonga and Waltz, with a prize sum of six thousand Argentine pesos each.

The members of the Jury of the 7th City Dance Championship were Sergio Cortazzo, Johann Copes, Carlos Bohórquez, Nélida Rodriguez, Silvia Toscazo, Zoraida Fontclara and Osvaldo Natucchi. Gachi Fernandez and Juan Manuel Fernández were the supervisors.

A total number of 605 couples entered the seventh City Dance Championship and participated in the first stage. This figure reflects the great enthusiasm aroused this year by the main tango dance contest of the City of Buenos Aires. Standing out among the four categories of the competition –Tango Senior, Tango Adult, Milonga and Waltz– is the latter, an innovation of this year’s edition: 162 couples enrolled in the Waltz category, 32 of which made it to the semifinals.

The highly competitive “Milonga” category had 178 couples, 40 of which qualified for the semifinals. “Tango Adult” had 144 couples (39 qualified), and “Tango Senior” had 121 couples (29 qualified).

Yesterday (Tuesday 26) 9pm at Salón Sur (Av. Sáenz 459, Pompeya) began the semifinal stage of the seventh City Dance Championship. The winners of the contest will be participating in the Dance World Cup, to be held from 23 August.

Semifinals continue today at midnight at La Viruta (Armenia 1366, Palermo) and tomorrow 10pm at El Pial (Ramón L. Falcón 2750, Flores). The great Final is due to take place on Saturday 30 from 8pm at Colegio San José (Azcuénaga 158, Once).

The winning couples of the Salon Tango category, both in the Adult and Senior subcategories, will be granted a prize of 10 thousand Argentine pesos and will be qualified to participate in the seventh Dance World Cup Final. Winners of the Milonga and Waltz categories will receive a prize of 6 thousand Argentine pesos.

The qualifying rounds of the seventh edition of the City Dance Championship, which began on 30 April, will resume this Wednesday 10pm at Viejo Correo (Díaz Vélez 4820, Almagro district). On Thursday, the competition will be running from 9.30pm at Salón Sur (Av. Sáenz 459) and from 11.30pm at Fulgor de Villa Crespo (Loyola 828); on Friday midnight, at the milonga Sin Rumbo (Tamborini 6157) and on Saturday 11.30pm at Sunderland (Lugones 3162).

This second week of the contest will conclude on Sunday with the second Open Milonga, to be held from 7.30pm at the Dorrego square in San Telmo district.

The seventh edition of the City Dance Championship is contested in the categories “Salon Tango”, “Milonga” and this year’s innovation: the “Waltz” category. Entry to the competition is free of charge, up to one hour before the beginning of the rounds at each venue; ID of both participants is required. The dance couple must be comprised of a male and a female partner, aged over 18, and at least one of them must be a native or a resident of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires.

Winning couples of the Salon Tango category, both in the adult and the senior subcategories, will be granted a prize of 10,000 Argentine pesos and will automatically be qualified to participate in the Dance World Cup Final.

Winners of the categories Milonga and Waltz will be granted a prize of 6,000 Argentine pesos. Couples who take places two to four in the Salon Tango category (Adult and Senior) will be representing the city in the World Cup Semi-final, and those who take places two to ten in the categories Milonga and Waltz will receive special mentions.

Saturday afternoon saw the opening of the first great Open Milonga of the seventh City Dance Championship. The event took place at a very Porteño landscape: the glorieta (arbour) in Barrancas de Belgrano square, close to the corner of streets 11 de Septiembre and Echeverría, where dancing couples let loose their gusto for cortes and quebradas. Plenty of tango lovers and curious onlookers were present at the event, which left this traditional neighbourhood brimming with tango.

The next Open Milonga is due to take place on Sunday 17 May at another emblematic place of the city: Dorrego square in San Telmo district. By then, the championship will be nearing its home stretch.

The seventh edition of the City Dance Championship, organised by the Ministry of Culture of the City, began yesterday afternoon at the milonga El Arranque, with the appearance of the orchestra “Los Reyes del Tango”, presentation by Pablo Banchero and the presence of members of the jury Eduardo Arquimbau, Gachi Fernández and Zoraida Fontclara. The champions of the 2008 edition in the Tango Senior category, Rubén Diez and Lidia Casella, opened the rounds. The second qualifying round of the day took place at midnight at El Parakultural.

The contest features the categories “Salon Tango” and “Milonga” plus this year’s innovation: the “Waltz” category. Entry to the competition is free of charge (up to 1 hour before the beginning at each venue, ID required). The dance couple must be comprised of two amateurs, aged over 18, and at least one of the members must be a native or a resident of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires.

Tomorrow, Saturday 1 May, is due to take place the traditional Milonga Abierta (Open Milonga) within the seventh edition of the City Dance Championship. The event will be at 7pm at the Glorieta in Barrancas de Belgrano, at the corner of streets 11 de Septiembre and Echeverría.

Qualifying rounds will continue on Saturday midnight (Sunday early morning) at Club Bohemios, located in Necochea street 948 in La Boca district, and later on Sunday 10pm at the milonga De Taquito, located in César Díaz street 2451 (Villa Mitre district). Next there will be a break until Wednesday night, when the contest will be up again on the stage of La Viruta, in Palermo district (Armenia 1366).

Today begins the seventh edition of the City Dance Championship.

The first Qualifying Rounds will take place at the milongas El Arranque, at 6.30pm, and El Parakultural, at midnight.

Entry to the competition is very simple: couples may enrol until 24 May at the venues where the qualifying rounds take place, one hour before the event. ID is required.

From today on, there is a whole month ahead of us to visit the milongas of our neighbourhoods, where the dancing couples will be contesting for a place in the upcoming Dance World Cup.