BUENOS AIRES, Argentina —

Chilean tango teacher Sergio Uberuaga watches the Japanese couple in pearl-colored costumes enter the room to dance in Argentina’s tango world championships.
 
“These two will reach the final,” he said of Tomoko Nakai and Ellichiro Oya, who represent the growing popularity of tango throughout Asia.
 
The Japanese duo competed Tuesday in the classifying round of Tango Salon—one of two categories requiring that couples move in a counterclockwise direction.
 
“Salon is the most difficult,” said Nakai of his preferred category, in which 229 couples are competing. “It’s forbidden to talk—one can only use one’s body to tell the other what the next move will be.”
 
In every round, 12 couples danced three songs before a jury composed of professional dancers, choreographers and aficionados.
 
More than 400 couples from different countries are competing for titles in the 6th Tango Dance World championships and a $4,100 prize in each category. All past championships have been won by Argentine couples but one—when the winners were Colombian.
 
Tango began 19th century suburbs of Buenos Aires and Montevideo, then slowly gained popularity in Europe, the United States and Japan.

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  ca1ic0cat at 03:52 AM JST - 29th August

  and I thought the Japanese weren't into ballroom dancing. Must be the fallout from the movie "Shall We Dance?"

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