Regulations for the 2025 Buenos Aires Tango Festival and World Championship Official International Preliminary.
PRELIMINARIES 2025
TANGO BA
FESTIVAL AND WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
Regulations for the 2025 Buenos Aires Tango Festival and World Championship Official International Preliminary.
The present regulations apply to all Official International Preliminaries of the Buenos Aires Tango Festival and World Championship to be held in 2025.
REGARDING THE CONTEST:
The Tango Dance Competition (“THE COMPETITION”) will include the categories Tango de Pista and/or Tango de Escenario. Both categories will be open to participation by amateurs and professionals as well.
REGARDING THE ORGANIZATION:
The organizing entity (“THE ORGANIZATION”) of the Official Preliminary Competition for the Buenos Aires Tango Festival and World Championship 2025 will be solely responsible for the execution of the event and may charge fees for both the registration of participating couples and enrollment in workshops, masterclasses, or other scheduled activities. Therefore, THE ORGANIZATION must communicate the details regarding enrollment dates, methods, prizes, and any additional information beyond what is established in these regulations.
Notwithstanding this, the highest authority of the competition—regarding compliance with all provisions of these regulations—will be the General Direction of Festivals and Cultural Nights of the Ministry of Culture of the Government of the City of Buenos Aires (“FESTIVALES BA”).
In this regard, any activity related to the execution of the Preliminary Competition must adhere to these regulations.
REGARDING ENROLLMENT:
Couples consisting of individuals over 18 years old as of the start date of the local competition may enroll, provided they can credibly prove, with legally valid documents, at least one (1) year of residence within the area of influence of the Preliminary.
No person may register more than once in the same category, but may do so in different categories, with either the same or a different partner.
If both members of the couple are residents of different cities within the area of influence of the Preliminary, they must choose and specify which city they will represent.
The following individuals will be ineligible to compete: staff of the General Direction of Festivals and Cultural Nights of the Ministry of Culture of the Government of the City of Buenos Aires (DGFNC), organizers of the Official Preliminaries, judges of the Buenos Aires Tango Dance World Championship and its preliminaries, or the City Dance Championship; sponsors and/or staff of companies sponsoring the Preliminary; or any person with a permanent or temporary connection to the DGFNC.
Participants or couples who have been disqualified or eliminated in previous editions, whether from a Preliminary Competition or the Dance World Championship, will also be ineligible to compete, especially in cases where the elimination was due to serious violations of the competition rules.
REGARDING ACCREDITATION:
For accreditation purposes, all registrants must attend on the date and time specified by the Organization of the Official Preliminary. Presentation of the original national identification card (ID) or a valid passport with current residence is mandatory. At that time, registrants will be assigned a number and informed about the dates, locations, and approximate times of their performances in the different stages of the corresponding category.
Registrants who do not attend the designated date and time for accreditation will not be allowed to participate in the championship. Delays will only be considered for force majeure reasons, properly justified with documentation, except in cases of widely known situations. Once this phase is completed, competitors will no longer be able to complete their accreditation.
At the time of accreditation, registrants must present the registration form along with any additional information required by the organization. In this form, they must also indicate whether, in the 6 months prior to the championship, they have had any professional, personal, or labor relationship with any of the competition judges. This includes having an emotional or personal relationship with one or more of the judges, taking private lessons from one or more of the judges, presenting a Tango de Escenario choreography created, reviewed, or prepared with one or more of the judges, having one or both dancers of the couple hired by one or more of the judges, or being hired by any of them to participate in the same event. This declaration will be verified by the overseer with the judges to define possible recusals.
Furthermore, in the case of Tango de Escenario, competing couples may not present choreographies created, reviewed, or prepared by any member of the Organization of the Official Preliminary.
All information provided at the time of accreditation will be considered an affidavit. Any contradictions found afterward, following the signing, may result in penalties such as score reduction, disqualification from the competition, or any other measures deemed appropriate.
The national identification card (ID) and passport must be presented at accreditation before each day of the competition.
All participants in the Championship agree to take part in the various events and activities organized by the Organization of the Official Preliminary—provided they are called upon for such purposes—such as press conferences, interviews on radio and television programs (both broadcast and cable), digital media, etc.
The competition, in both categories, may take place in three (3) phases (according to the schedule set by the Organization):
- Qualification: All registered couples will participate.
- Semifinal: Couples selected in the qualification stage will compete.
- Final: The couples chosen in the semifinal will participate.
At the time of the competition, at least ten (10) couples must perform in the qualifying rounds of the Tango de Escenario category and at least twenty (20) in the Tango de Pista category for the competition to be considered official (regardless of the number of registrants). Otherwise, the event will no longer be considered official, and the winning couple will not be qualified to compete in the Buenos Aires Tango Festival and World Championship 2025.
In the Tango de Pista category, couples will compete in group performances, dancing to three (3) recorded songs. The music may be proposed by the Organization but must be agreed upon with the overseer from FESTIVALES BA. The judges’ recommendations will be particularly taken into account in this regard.
In the Tango de Escenario category, each couple will compete individually, dancing to a song of their choice. The song must not exceed a maximum duration of four (4) minutes and must be submitted to the Organization in digital format (mp3 and via a USB drive) during the accreditation process. At that time, participants must also declare the name and surname of the choreographer of the choreography they will present. Couples may present different choreographies in the various stages of the competition.
Couples may be disqualified if they:
- Fail to comply with the regulatory provisions.
- Make any political or religious statements (by any means) during the competition that could be offensive to the audience or the Organization, or affect the event’s development.
- Engage in any unethical behavior or improper acts that tarnish the image of the Preliminary and/or the Dance World Championship 2025, or cause displeasure to the audience.
- Commit any physical and/or verbal aggression against any person, whether a participant, jury member, staff member, or member of the general public, within or outside the event’s premises.
In the presence of any of these circumstances, THE ORGANIZATION and FESTIVALES BA may jointly decide to disqualify or eliminate the couple from the competition.
Competitors may take group classes or seminars taught by the judges, but they may not take private lessons from any jury member while participating in the competition.
REGARDING THE JURY:
In both categories, the jury will consist of a minimum of four (4) judges, who, by acknowledging and accepting the competition regulations—and committing to comply with them—will determine the scores of the participating couples. These judges will be appointed by mutual agreement between the Preliminary and the General Direction of Festivals and Cultural Nights of the Ministry of Culture of the Government of the City of Buenos Aires .
All jury decisions will be final and non-appealable. By simply registering, participants accept this condition. In case of any doubts or disagreements, the interested party may submit a written presentation (in Spanish or English) to THE ORGANIZATION, and NOT directly to the evaluation panel.
Any judge who has had a professional and/or personal relationship or has been a teacher to any of the participants in the Championship for at least 6 months prior to the event date must abstain from scoring that participant. For this purpose, both the voluntary declarations of the judges and the information provided by the participants when completing the registration form will be taken into account.
In these cases, the organization may choose to appoint a substitute judge or determine the final score of the couple based on the average score given by the judges who have cast their votes. The judges’ scores will be summed, and the total will be divided by the number of judges who have actually cast their votes to obtain the final score for the couple.
The score for each performance will result from the accumulation of points awarded by each judge, based on the following scoring parameters for each stage: Qualification: 5 to 8 points, Semifinal: 6 to 9 points, Final: 7 to 10 points. The total score will be averaged by dividing the sum of the points by the number of judges who have cast their votes.
The Organization may award prizes and special mentions for second and third place and is authorized to make additional mentions as deemed appropriate.
In exceptional cases (such as power outages, incidents on stage, etc.), the jury, together with the overseer, may decide that the contestants perform additional songs to ensure a fair vote, and participants may not refuse to comply.
In the event of a tie for first place in the final stage, the couples will break the tie by either dancing one (1) or two (2) additional songs in the Tango de Pista category or by performing their choreography again in the Stage Tango category, until the jury’s voting determines the winning couple. The scores awarded to each couple during the competition will be made public after the completion of each stage.
REGARDING THE OVERSEER (AUDITOR):
The OVERSEER will be appointed by the DGFNC and will be responsible for ensuring compliance with these regulations. The Overseer will also resolve any unforeseen issues within the framework of the competition and will establish or provide information on any necessary clarifications or interpretative rules.
If a participant or judge presents a complaint, it must be reported to the Overseer within the context of the competition. The decision on the dispute will be made by the Overseer, the institutional representative of the Ministry of Culture, and the Organization of the Preliminary.
REGARDING THE COMPETITION (EVALUATION PARAMETERS)
- TANGO DE PISTA (OPEN, AMATEUR, AND PROFESSIONAL)
Tango de Pista is considered a social dance, where the key elements are improvisation, the embrace, and the connection between the couple
Regarding the Circulation of Rounds: In the Tango de Pista category, couples will dance in rounds and must move continuously in a counterclockwise direction, without stepping backward. If necessary, they may take one or two steps backward, but always within the couple’s space.
The couple must be mindful of and respect both their own space and that of other participants in the round to maintain the flow of circulation. If a couple lingers in one spot and disrupts the flow, the judges may lower their score. In case a couple disrupts the circulation on the dance floor, overtaking them will not be permitted. The judges will decide whether the round should dance one more tango to resolve the issue.
Once formed, the couple must remain together for the duration of the music. To be considered in the correct position, one partner’s body must be continuously embraced by the other, understanding that— in certain figures— this embrace may be flexible. All movements and figures must be executed within the space allowed by the couple’s embrace, ensuring that surrounding couples are not disturbed.
Evaluation Parameters: All figures commonly used in Tango de Pista are allowed, including barridas, sacadas al piso, enrosques, lápices, ganchos, boleos, etc., as well as embellishments, provided they remain within the couple’s own space and do not invade or obstruct the space of surrounding couples. Jumps, figures that result in both feet losing contact with the floor, and any other choreographic elements characteristic of Tango Escenario are strictly prohibited.
The jury will primarily assess each couple’s personal interpretation across different styles. Musicality and elegance in movement will be considered, but above all, the couple’s connection and their ability to express their own personality. This includes adapting dynamics and speed to match the tango being played while respecting its interpretation.
Attire: While attire will not be a criterion for evaluation, participants are encouraged to present themselves with a polished appearance. When selecting clothing, hairstyle, and makeup, it is important to remember that Tango de Pista is a social dance, not a stage performance.
- TANGO DE ESCENARIO (OPEN, AMATEUR, AND PROFESSIONAL)
Performance:
Each couple will perform an individual presentation to a freely chosen song, which should not exceed four (4) minutes.
If a mistake or problem occurs during the choreography, it is up to the couple’s discretion whether to continue. The jury will evaluate how gracefully and effectively the issue is resolved, but the mistake may not be repeated.
In the event of a technical issue, the organization, together with the jury, will assess whether the choreography can be repeated at the end of the assigned time slot.
Evaluation Parameters:
Dancing may be performed according to each performer’s personal interpretation of Argentine tango, allowing for movements, figures, and elements not strictly related to traditional tango. However, the choreography must include classic tango figures such as ochos, giros, las caminatas largas, boleos, ganchos, and the “abrazo milonguero.” The embrace may be broken, and techniques from other dance styles can be incorporated, provided they are purposeful and enhance the overall performance.
Aerial tricks and movements from other dance genres should not dominate the performance. The couple must maintain floor-based movement sequences throughout the entire performance space. Attire may be considered as a criterion for evaluation.
REGARDING FILM AND PHOTOGRAPHY RECORDING:
The organization of the Preliminary must record all stages of the Championship using any known or emerging medium, including— but not limited to— filming, recording, photography, and digitization, either independently or through authorized third parties, for the purpose of promoting and disseminating the event. The organization must then submit this material to the DGFNC.
By registering for the Championship, participants expressly and irrevocably authorize the use of the recorded material, with no implication of any payment being owed for any reason by the organization of the Preliminary and/or the DGFNC to any individual or organization that might claim rights over the image rights. This authorization also includes— but is not limited to— photographic material that is published and/or made available for promotional, advertising, or other related uses.
REGARDING THE PRIZES:
Each official category will have one winning couple, who will automatically qualify to compete in the Buenos Aires Tango Festival and World Championship 2025 in the corresponding stages.
For Tango de Pista, if the category has more than 40 couples, the winning couple will qualify for the Semifinal. If there are 40 or fewer couples, they will qualify for the Quarterfinals.
For Tango de Escenario, if the category has more than 20 couples, the winning couple will qualify for the Semifinal. If there are 20 or fewer couples, they will qualify for the Quarterfinals of the Buenos Aires Tango Festival and World Championship 2025 Additionally, the winners of both categories from the European Championship and the Asian Championship will directly qualify for the Final.
All winners will represent the PRELIMINARY in which they earned first place, not the city of origin or residence of their members, without exception.
The first prize of each category will be provided by THE ORGANIZATION and will cover all travel and accommodation expenses for both members of the couple. This includes airfare from each member’s city of residence to Buenos Aires, as well as fees or visas, meals, and lodging during the days of the Preliminaries Gala and the stages of the competition that they qualify for at the Buenos Aires Tango Festival and World Championship 2025, and until the couple is no longer in the competition
It will be the responsibility of THE ORGANIZATION to ensure, by all necessary means, the presence and participation of the winning couple in the aforementioned stages.
The organization may establish additional prizes, and all contestants must receive a participation certificate, which may be sent in digital format.
Couples who win in Preliminaries with an influence zone in Europe and Asia may participate in the final of the European and Asian Championships; this option is not mandatory.
If the couple that wins in any of the official categories declines to participate in the Buenos Aires Tango Festival and World Championship 2025 representing the PRELIMINARY, they will automatically forfeit the prize that covers the full travel and accommodation costs in Buenos Aires. Both members of the couple will then be disqualified from participating in the Buenos Aires Tango Festival and World Championship 2025.
In the event that one or both categories lose their official status due to not meeting the required minimum number of couples, the PRELIMINARY Organization may choose to offer alternative prizes for the competition. However, it will be exempt from awarding the winning couple with the full coverage of travel and accommodation costs in Buenos Aires.
The registration and subsequent accreditation of each couple in the competition imply their knowledge and acceptance of these regulations by each of the participants.