Tango named UN world cultural treasure

On September 30th, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) added 76 new items to its "List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity", for safeguarding and preservation. The "Intangible" list is a companion to UNESCO's World Heritage list, which focuses on physical sites worldwide. Submitted jointly by member states Argentina and Uruguay, the "symbolic universe" of tango was among the traditions added to the list. Tango is a deep-rooted tradition of dance, poetry and song, tied closely to the Rio de la Plata region of the two countries, and remains popular in competition, for pleasure, and for health - doctors worldwide are experimenting with tango as dance therapy to treat problems ranging from Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease to phobias and marital breakdowns.

PARIS (AFP) - The United Nations on Wednesday declared the tango tradition of Argentina and Uruguay a world cultural treasure, adding its sultry dance steps and melancholy song lyrics to UNESCO's heritage list.

The United Nations cultural organisation is holding a meeting of 400 experts in the Gulf state of Abu Dhabi to agree on a list of world arts and traditions that should be safeguarded as humanity's "intangible cultural heritage".

Born in the working class dance halls of Buenos Aires and Montevideo at the start of the 20th century, the sensual cheek-to-cheek stride of a tango dancer, rose clenched between the teeth, has become a global byword for Latin passion.

But in Argentina and Uruguay, tango is a proud and deep-rooted tradition of dance, poetry and song, closely bound up with the history of the region and kept alive by aficionados young and old in dozens of "milongas" or dance halls. The two Latin American capitals jointly submitted the "symbolic universe" of tango to UNESCO's list of cultural treasures. It was the first of 76 submissions examined and approved by the Abu Dhabi meeting.

Tango is intimately linked to the history of the Rio de la Plata, the natural border between the countries, and the melting pot of poor immigrants and former slaves who settled in the river basin late in the 19th century.

"Among this mix of European immigrants to the region, descendants of African slaves and the natives of the region known as criollos, a wide range of customs, beliefs and rituals were merged and transformed into a distinctive cultural identity," said UNESCO on its website.

Accompanied by a small accordion known as a "bandoneon", many tango songs were written in a distinctive slang called "lunfardo", forged in the region's "milongas".

Tango's plaintive lyrics tell of heartache and homesickness, of family ties and life in the city suburbs, known as the "arrabal".

UNESCO said that tango "both embodies and encourages diversity and cultural dialogue."

Hernan Lombardi, the top cultural official in Buenos Aires and his Montevideo counterpart Eduardo Leon Duter, both announced huge tango parties at the weekend to celebrate, with singers from the 1940s invited as star guests.

"This is a tribute to all those who have supported the tradition over the years, who passed the poetry and dance down through the generations, as part of their oral tradition," Lombardi said.

Argentina's embassy in Abu Dhabi said UNESCO had recognised "the deepest and most vibrant expression of Rio de la Plata."

It said Argentina and Uruguay had "shared in the birth, the tradition and the passion for tango" but that tango had a long time ago reached "universal transcendence."

According to Buenos Aires tango teacher Anita Monteagudo, tango today has a vigorous following worldwide among a new generation of dancers eager to master its sensual steps.

A Japanese couple, Kyoko and Hiroshi Yamao, aged 33 and 36, last month won the tango World Championships in Buenos Aires, dethroning Argentina whose dancers have dominated the contest for years.

"The Germans and Japanese are the biggest fans -- and the fastest learners," Monteagudo told AFP.

Paris alone has more than 20 milongas, while in New York mythical tango spots such as "la Nacional" draw a packed crowd of aficionados each weekend until dawn.

Tango was one of more than 60 arts and practices added to the UNESCO list on Wednesday, from an ancient Malian constitution, the Manden Charter, to the lacework of Croatia and Cyprus, to the Maloya songs and dances on the French Indian Ocean island of Reunion.

No fewer than 22 Chinese customs were honoured, from block-printing and paper-cutting techniques to silk crafstmanship, Tibetan opera or Mongolia's tradition of ritual polyphonic singing.

Japan also saw 13 additions, mostly folk dances and processions, from an annual float-ceremony tradition in Kyoto, to a seventh-century rice harvest ritual from Akiu in northern Japan.

Tango classes puts Parkinsons Patients a step ahead

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 13 2008 (Health Day News) -- Not only is the tango a dance of romance and passion, it also helps improve balance and mobility in people with Parkinson's disease, a new study suggests.

Researchers at the Washington University in St. Louis medical school compared the effects of Argentine tango lessons and exercise classes on the functional mobility of 19 Parkinson's patients. The patients were randomly assigned to do 20 one-hour tango classes or group strength and exercise sessions designed for Parkinson's patients and the elderly.

All the patients were assessed prior to the start of these activities and after they completed the sessions. The dance classes included stretching, balance exercises, tango-style walking, footwork patterns, experimenting of timing of steps, and dance with and without a partner. The exercise classes included 40 minutes of seated exercise, followed by standing exercises supported by a chair, core strengthening and stretching.

By the end of the sessions, both groups showed significant improvements in standard tests designed to measure mobility. People in the tango group showed more improvement in balance than those in the exercise group.

"Given these preliminary results, we think tango is feasible for individuals with Parkinson's disease and may be an appropriate and effective form of group exercise for individuals with Parkinson's disease," researcher Gammon M. Earhart, an assistant professor of physical therapy, said in a prepared statement.

"Although some participants were initially skeptical because they hadn't danced in years or thought they couldn't because of the disease, this study shows that dance can improve functional mobility," Earhart said.

While dance in general may benefit people with Parkinson's, several aspects of tango movement may be especially helpful to these patients, including dynamic balance, turning, initiation of movement, moving at different speeds, and walking backward.

"This type of therapy looks to be superior than what is currently offered," researcher Madeline E. Hackney, a predoctoral trainee in movement science, said in a prepared statement. "The quality of life improved in these patients because of the social aspect of dancing."

The study was published in the Journal of Neurologic Physical Therapy.

Further studies with larger groups of patients are needed to confirm these preliminary findings, the researchers said

To Kiss & Tango - New Tango Movie

New movie with Sandy!!!

Sandra Bullock has set her sights on the world of tango and Argentina. Through her Fortis Films, the actress-producer is set to produce a film version of Marina Palmer's memoir "Kiss & Tango" with an eye to star for Fox 2000 Pictures.

Bullock will produce with Denise Di Novi and her Di Novi Pictures.

Fox 2000 has acquired the rights to the book and is in final negotiations with screenwriter Nicole Perlman for an adaptation. The story centers on an American woman who goes to Argentina, falls in love with a man and a culture and rediscovers herself in the process.

Palmer was a New York advertising executive who quit her job and chased her dreams in Buenos Aires, where she has remained.

"I'm thrilled with this deal," Palmer said. "I think this is a great fit for Sandra Bullock and my book."

Fox 2000's Erin Lindsey is the executive attached to the project, with Elizabeth Gabler overseeing.

Bullock, Palmer and Di Novi are all represented by CAA.

Sandra Bullock Struggles With Tango Lessons

Sandra Bullock is struggling with tango lessons for her new film Kiss & Tango, in which she plays a dancer.

The actress felt confident that her limited dancing skills would help her perfect the sexy moves, but it has become the most frustrating thing she has ever attempted.

She explains, "I knew how to salsa, meringue and I knew how to do all that and so I went into it going, 'I can do this.' It has been a good life lesson for me - the learnings and the teachings of true Argentinean tango. Go take a tango class and you'll want to go home and kill yourself because you are so inept if you've never taken one. It is just frustrating but beautiful when it all comes together. I now have tremendous appreciation for it, but it can be so frustrating."