Tango was declared part of the world’s cultural heritage by the UN on Wednesday and granted the international seal of approval Argentina and Uruguay have long sought for the dramatic dance and its sensual moves.
The 24 members of UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Committee of Intangible Heritage granted the tango dance and its music protected cultural status at its meeting in Abu Dhabi. The designation may make Argentina and Uruguay, which both claim to be tango’s birthplace, eligible to receive financial assistance from a specialized fund for safeguarding cultural traditions. It will also help both governments justify using public funds to preserve their most famous export after to beef.
“We are very proud,” Hernan Lombardi, the minister of culture of Buenos Aires said by telephone from Dubai. “We hope this decision will help spread the tradition of tango all over the world.”
Tango emerged as a dance style in the late 1800s in the suburbs of Buenos Aires and Montevideo, Uruguay. It is popular in Europe, Japan and the US.
The recent spike in tango’s popularity throughout the world is in part attributed to the Broadway hit Forever Tango and TV’s Dancing With the Stars.
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