Modern Tango World N° 8 (Moscow, Russia) | Page 17

By 2003, the number of tango dancers had grown
from a handful to a few hundred. The first Argentin-
ean tango festival, Nights of the Milongueros. was held
by the teachers-enthusiasts. This festival continues to
be held to this day.
During the first decade of the new millenium, most
Moscow tangueros went to hangouts where first
milongas and performances by Argentine teachers
were held. At that time, it all seemed very exotic.
In the following years, the first wave of students be-
came tango teachers. They opened several new tango
schools. During htis same period, the first permanent
foreign teacher of tango Diego Arizaga established
himself in Moscow. He came from Buenos Aires to re-
side and work in Russia. His students formed a second
branch, as they, in their turn, also became teachers. In
this way, the number of tango schools grew to five,
then seven, and then ten.
Early on, the teaching methods in Moscow were great-
ly influenced by the Argentine dancers, Carlos Gavito,
Gustavo Naveira and Graciela Gonzalez. Later. the
influence came from the lessons of Javier Rodriguez,
Geraldine Rojas, Horacio Godoy and Sebastian Arce.
Around 2006, the phrase dancing in style Villa Urquiza,
could be heard at Moscow milongas, for the first time.
The fascination with this idea is noticeable in magazine
publications and flyers of that time. It should be noted
that the eponymous district of Buenos Aires has not
patented any special manner of dancing. The term Villa
Urquiza style was coined by two teachers from the US
and is not entirely meaningful. Except for the fact that
in the 70s in the barrio Villa Urquiza there were large
milongas and a recording studio operated there.
The economic situation in Russia gave an opportunity
to start small business during the period 2005-2010.
As a result, more and more tango-schools opened.
The increase in the scope of teaching and the number
of milongas that were conducted could also be ex-
plained by the trips of tangeros to Buenos Aires. The
tango began to influence the private life of the danc-
ers, encouraging some of them to live in Buenos Aires
for a few years or for life.
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