2^nd Buenos Aires International Queer Tango Festival

December 1-7, 2008

Please support Tango Con*Fusión in accepting a tremendous opportunity to perform and teach in Buenos Aires at a pivotal time – to open minds and shape history!

Tango Con*Fusión: Who We Are

“As women trained and versed in traditional Argentine Tango, we deeply respect traditional tango, cherish the experience of dancing with men, and love to lead. To the objection ‘Women who lead are destroying the dance,’ we say: We in no way diminish what exists and will always exist. Male leaders and female followers will forever pair and enjoy tango. But this dynamic disallows women a leadership role, and denies the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) community a partnering resonant with identity. We counter this exclusion. We contend that in the 21^st century, tango, like all living art forms – like all living beings – will evolve. We wish to be part and parcel of that evolution.”

The Invite

Tango Con*Fusión is honored to receive a second invitation to perform and host a San Francisco-Theme Práctica at the Festival. In addition, Christy Coté &

Chelsea Eng have been invited to teach in the official Festival line-up.

Mariana Falcón, co-chair of the Festival, explains that the event has two sides. On the one hand, it addresses tango within the LGBT community; on the other, it addresses the still controversial idea of women partnering women in tango. Virtually non-existent in the mainstream tango scene in Buenos Aires, such partnering is, to a palpable degree, even taboo in the eyes of many gay porteños! By contrast, Europe and the US have been somewhat more hospitable hosts to women partnering women.

Why?

Falcón notes that foreigners regularly flock to Buenos Aires to study tango at the source. Within the same-sex tango community in Buenos Aires, she advocates a ‘reverse-flow’ – that is, Argentines looking abroad – especially to Europe and the States – for insights on partnering less rigidly defined by gender. In this context, Tango Con*Fusión views the invitation as a potent opportunity to open minds and shape history.

How? – With your help!

The Festival will cover Tango Con*Fusión’s accommodations and per diem. The company requests support of their round-trip air travel (SFO to Buenos Aires Ezeiza) via monetary donations (preferred) and/or 100,000 mileage increments (toward Standard Award tickets on United, American or Continental Airlines). The company’s acceptance presently hinges on donor support! (Tango Con*Fusión is part of a 501c3 non-profit and will provide official receipts for tax deductions.)

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