Last update: October 16, 2023

Relevant information for competition participants:

RULES FOR THE OFFICIAL CATEGORIES (Tango De Pista & Stage Tango)

“TANGO DE PISTA”: open to both amateur and professional dancers. Residence restrictions apply. This category is bound by the rules and regulations of Tango Buenos Aires Festival and Dance World Cup. This competition category will be developed in 3 stages: a) Qualifying Rounds, b) Semifinal, c) Final, – from Thursday April 17 to Sunday April 20, 2025.
“STAGE TANGO”: open to both amateur and professional dancers. Residence restrictions apply. This category is bound by the rules and regulations of Tango Buenos Aires Festival and Dance World Cup. This competition category will be developed in 3 stages: a) Qualifying Rounds, b) Semifinal, c) Final, -from Thursday April 17 to Sunday April 20, 2025.

RULES TANGO INTERNATIONAL PRELIMINARY

REGISTRATION

1. To be eligible to register, dance partners must be 18 years of age at the start date of the competition and must demonstrate – with legal documents * – a minimum of 1 (one) year of residence within the area of influence of the corresponding Preliminary (the USA). * You must bring a proof of citizenship or residency in the United States for the past year (for example US passport, green card, residential lease, student ID or work visa)

2. No one will be allowed to register two or more times in the same category, but a person can register in different ones, with the same or a different partner. If both members of the couple are natives or residents of different cities, they will have to choose the city of residence or birth of either one, as couples are allowed to represent only one city.

3. The following individuals will not be allowed to compete: staff of the BA FESTIVALS; organizers of Official Preliminaries and jury members of Tango Buenos Aires Festival and Dance World Cup and its preliminaries; sponsors and/or staff of companies that sponsor the PRELIMINARY, or another person with a permanent or temporary relationship with the Office of Festivals.

4. Participants that have seriously breached the competition rules and have been disqualified or eliminated of previous editions of any Preliminary Competition, Buenos Aires Tango Championship or Dance World Cup will will not be allowed to compete. The elimination must have been instrumented in an official document with the due endorsement of BA FESTIVALS.

5. A registration is not transferable and cannot be shared.

6. A registration and subsequent check‐in implies knowledge and acceptance of these Rules, the Evaluation Criteria and the Refund Policy by each one of the participants. It also implies knowledge and acceptance of the ATUSA Liability Waiver and Attendance Policy.

CHECK‐IN

1. In order to check in, all contestants previously registered must attend on the date and time specified by THE ORGANIZATION of the Preliminary, with their national ID card or passport (original copy), e.g. green card or US passport to certify the place of birth or residence. In the in the case of participants with a different nationality and no green card, they should attend with a valid work visa (which allows them to stay/reside in the USA and /or a valid rent/working contract) issued more than a year before the date of the competition. At this opportunity, they will receive the order number and be informed of the approximate dates and times on which they will perform in the different stages of the corresponding category. Those who do not check in will not be able to participate in the championship. A delay will only be considered in duly proven cases of force majeure, except in the event of circumstances of public knowledge.

2. At the time of check‐in, contestants will have to complete a form with their personal information, and with any other additional information required by THE ORGANIZATION. On this form, they shall inform if they have had a work, professional or personal relationship with any member of the jury from the competition, in the last 6 months (180 days) prior to the championship, such as: having a personal and affectionate relationship with one or more members of the jury; having taken private classes with one or more members of the jury; presenting a choreography in Stage Tango that has been created, reviewed or prepared with one or more members of the jury; having one or both dancers of the couple hired one or more members of the jury – or been hired by one of them- to participate in the same event, performing exhibitions or giving classes within it. This statement made by the contestants will be evaluated by the supervisor and checked with the members of the jury in order to define if any of them will need to refrain from scoring any participant.

3. All the information provided at the time of check‐in will be considered a sworn statement. Any contradiction in the information, subsequent to the signature, may be penalized by THE ORGANIZATION with the subtraction of points, disqualification from the competition, or any other resolution that this body may establish.

4. The national ID card or passport and the registration form must be shown at every stage of the competition.

5. All championship contestants commit themselves to participate in various ceremonies and events planned by THE ORGANIZATION of the Preliminary—such as press conferences, interviews for radio stations and over‐the‐air or cable television channels, etc.—if they are summoned for such purpose.

COMPETITION

1. The competition, in both categories, can be developed in 3 (three) stages, according to the schedule established by THE ORGANIZATION: a) Qualifying Round, b) Semifinal, c) Final.

a) Qualifying Round: All registered couples will participate. They will dance the first Qualifying round on Thursday April 17 and the second Qualifying round on Friday April 18, 2024.

b) Semifinal: Couples that have been selected in the Qualifying round will participate on Saturday April 19, 2024.

c) Final: Couples that have been selected in the Semifinal round will participate on Sunday April 20, 2024. In the Tango de Pista category, couples will compete in groups, dancing to three recorded songs, selected by THE ORGANIZATION. In the Stage Tango category, each couple will compete individually, dancing to one song of their choice. The music piece shall not exceed four (4) minutes and must be handed in to THE ORGANIZATION in digital format (mp3 file, storaged on a Flash Memory Drive) during the check-in instance. In that same instance, participants must state the name and surname of the author or authors of the choreography they will present (as it will be requested in the form to be completed). Couples may present different choreographies in the different stages of the contest.

2. At the time of the competition, at least ten couples must attend the qualifying rounds for the competition to be considered official (regardless of the number of couples previously registered). Otherwise, the championship will cease to be official and the winning couple/s will not be classified to compete in the semifinal instances of TANGO BUENOS AIRES FESTIVAL AND DANCE WORLD CUP 2025.*

*NOTE: If there are less than the required number of competing couples registered for Tango de Pista or for the Stage Tango category, the Organization of the PRELIMINARY will be exempted from the obligation to grant the winning couple the prize consisting of full coverage of costs of travel and stay in Buenos Aires, and the Organization may choose to offer alternative prizes).

3. THE ORGANIZATION will be entitled to eliminate from the competition those participants that:
a) Do not comply with the rules;
b) Carry out, in the context of or on the occasion of the Competition, inside and outside its facilities, any action of physical and/or verbal aggression against any person, whether participant, member of the jury or the staff, or general public.
In the presence of any of these assumptions, THE ORGANIZATION and BA FESTIVALS will implement the disqualification or elimination of competition, for either or both competitors, through documentation proving the reasons for the measure.

4. In order to ensure the impartiality and professional integrity of the jury members, contestants will not be able to participate in seminars, workshops and/or classes taught by any member of the jury, while they are still in the competition. However, if a competing couple is eliminated, they are welcome to register for classes and schedule private lessons with the festival maestros who are also judges, as they will no longer be competing.

JURY

1. In both categories, the jury will be composed of a minimum of 4 (four) members, who— understanding and accepting the rules of the competition, and committing to their compliance—will determine the score of the participating couples. The juries will be appointed in accordance with BA FESTIVALS and THE ORGANIZATION of the Preliminary.

2. All the decisions of the jury will not be subject to appeal. By enrolling, participants accept this condition. In case of distrust or disagreement, participants may submit a written statement (in Spanish or English) to THE ORGANIZATION and NOT directly to the panel of evaluating judges. Any jury member who may have had a work relationship or been the teacher of any of the participants of the Preliminary for a period of at least 6 months close to the beginning of the competition, may refrain from scoring such participant. For this purpose, both the voluntary statements of the Jury and the information provided by participants when enrolling will be taken into account. In these cases, to get the couple’s final score, the judges’ scores will be added, and this amount will be divided by the number of jury members who actually voted. The final score for each performance will result from the accumulation of points, given by each member of the jury on a scale of 1 to 10 (with decimals), in accordance with the criteria described in the EVALUATION CRITERIA per category (mandatory document, please read below).

3. The Jury will choose a winning couple in each category. Also, the jury (with the agreement of THE ORGANIZATION) may grant awards and special mentions to the second and third place, and will be entitled to award other mentions if deemed appropriate.

4. In exceptional cases (power interruption, incidents on stage, etc.), the jury and the supervisor may determine that contestants should dance to additional songs to arrive at a fair verdict. Participants may not refuse to perform.

5. In case of a tie, the couples with the same final score will have to break the draw, either by dancing two additional songs in the Tango de Pista category, or by performing a new choreography in the stage tango category, until a winning couple emerges from the votes of the jury.

SUPERVISOR

Appointed by BA FESTIVALS, the Supervisor will bear the responsibility of ensuring the compliance of the present Rules and properly solve any inconvenience not considered in these Rules and establish or inform about the clarifying or interpretative rules that he considers necessary.

FILMING AND PHOTOGRAPHING

THE ORGANIZATION of the Preliminary reserves the right to record all the stages of THE COMPETITION, by any means known or to be known—including but not limited to filming, recording, photographing, digitalization, etc.—by itself or third parties, in order to promote and advertise the event. The recorded material obtained will be exclusive property of THE ORGANIZATION of the Preliminary, who will have to turn a copy of it, as established by the Collaboration Agreement, to BA FESTIVALS. By entering the Championship, participants explicitly and irrevocably authorize the use of the recorded material, without this suggesting—or implying—any compensation for any reason whatsoever by THE ORGANIZATION of the Preliminary and/or BA FESTIVALS, in favor of any person or organization that claims entitlement to any right that may be invoked. This clause also includes, without limitations, all photographic material published and/or made available for promotion, advertisement, etc.

A couple’s registration and subsequent check‐in implies knowledge and acceptance of these Rules by each one of the participants.

*Clarification about dance level: Participation in both “Tango de Pista” and Stage Tango Categories competitions are open to everyone. Professional dancers and amateur dances of intermediate level and above compete in the same category according to the rules established by Tango Buenos Aires Dance World Cup. Adherence to these rules qualifies our competition to be recognized as valid by the main Buenos Aires event. The distinction between a “professional” and “amateur” dance has less to do with the level of skill and more with a professional status of the dancers. “Professional” means that dancers make a living from teaching and dancing/performing tango, and “amateur” means that they do not, but it does not always imply that the level of the professional couple dance is superior to the level of the amateur couple. There are dancers for whom tango is their main source of income. They are likely to be good instructors, but their level of dance and performance can vary: the professional couple can be excellent at dance or not so great. On the other hand, there are good amateur couples who do not teach tango and get no income from performances, but have achieved an exceptional level of dance. There is also the case of stage dancers who only dance choreographed pieces, but are helpless when it comes to social dancing: they cannot dance in milongas. Finally, there are very skilled social dancers (people who only dance in milongas), but who neither teach nor perform tango. They might be excellent salon dancers. To accommodate different ways in which dancers excel at tango, the two divisions for the competition were established: “Tango de Pista” (salon tango; social category for both amateurs and professional) and Stage Tango (performance category for amateur advanced level and professional level dancers).

GENERAL RULES for all other categories: Salon Tango Senior, Milonga, Vals, “Milongueros del Mundo” and “So you think you can tango?”

“SALON TANGO SENIOR” – open to social dancers (no professionals allowed) who are 55 years old or older by the date of the competition. No residence restrictions. This category will take place on Thursday April 17, 2025. Clarification: if there are more than 12 participating couples, there will be a Final round the same day).
“MILONGA” – open to both social and professional dancers. No residence restrictions. This category will take place on Friday April 18, Saturday April 19 and Sunday April 20, 2025.
“VALS” – open to both social and professional dancers. No residence restrictions. This category will take place on Friday April 18, Saturday April 19 and Sunday April 20, 2025.
“MILONGUEROS DEL MUNDO” – NEW category open to both social and professional couples where at least one partner is not a US resident/citizen. (Tango de Pista rules apply). This category will take place on Saturday April 19, 2025.
“SO YOU THINK YOU CAN TANGO?” – open to social dancers (no professionals allowed). No residence restrictions. This category will take place on Sunday April 20, 2025.

1. Registration and Check-in/Accreditation

Contestants must be at least 18 years old by the date of the competition.
Contestants may participate in different categories with the same or a different partner. However, no contestant may participate more than once in the same category, regardless of whether they do so with a different partner.
Contestants must always behave correctly and respect the judges, championship directors/coordinators, choreographers and other participants.
The Organization will be entitled to eliminate from the competition those participants that:
a) Do not comply with the rules
b) Commit any moral offense or improper act that tarnishes the image of the Championship or may cause displeasure in the public.
All competition rounds will be open to spectators.
A registration is not transferable and cannot be shared.
A registration and subsequent check‐in implies knowledge and acceptance of the General Rules, the Specific Championship Rules, the Evaluation criteria per category It also implies knowledge and acceptance of the ATUSA Liability Waiver and Attendance Policy.
All participants must confirm their registration at the time of accreditation. In order to check in, all contestants must attend on the date and time specified by the Organization with their national ID card or passport (original copy). Accreditation can be done by one of the members of the couple bringing both documents. At this time, they will receive the order number and will be informed of the approximate performance times for each category.
Those who do not check in will not be able to participate in the championship. A delay will only be considered in duly proven cases of force majeure, except in the event of circumstances of public knowledge.
All championship contestants commit themselves to participate in various ceremonies and events planned by the Organization of the USA Official championship branch—such as press conferences, interviews for radio stations and over‐the‐air or cable television channels, demos, etc.—if they are summoned for such purpose.
Competition VS Workshops / Private classes: competitors participating in the Salon Senior, Milonga, Vals, Milongueros del Mundo or the “So you think you can Tango?” categories -which are not official, -may register to all (or any) of the festival workshops and take private classes with all festival maestros.

(Clarification: Competitors in the official categories of Tango de Pista and Stage Tango are not permitted to participate in seminars, workshops, or classes led by maestros who are also members of the jury while they are still in the competition. However, if a competing couple is eliminated, they will be allowed to register onsite for classes and schedule private lessons with the judges, as they will no longer be competing).

2. Filming & Photographing

The Organization of the Preliminary reserves the right to record all the stages of the Championship, by any means known or to be known—including but not limited to filming, recording, photographing, digitalization, etc.—by itself or third parties, in order to promote and advertise the event. The recorded material obtained will be exclusive property of the Organization of the Preliminary, who will have to turn a copy of it, to the Office of Festivals. By entering the Championship, participants explicitly and irrevocably authorize the use of the recorded material, without this suggesting—or implying—any compensation for any reason whatsoever by the Organization of the Preliminary in favor of any person or organization that claims entitlement to any right that may be invoked. This clause also includes, without limitations, all photographic material published and/or made available for promotion, advertisement, etc.

3. Jury

The Jury will be composed of a minimum of 4 (four) members for all categories, who—understanding and accepting the rules of the competition, and committing to their compliance—will determine the score of the participating couples. The juries will be appointed in accordance with the Office of Festivals and Central Events and the Organization of ATUSA.

All the decisions of the Jury will not be subject to appeal. By enrolling, participants accept this condition. In case of distrust or disagreement, participants may submit a written statement (in Spanish or English) to the Organization and NOT directly to the panel of evaluating judges.

The final score for each performance will result from the accumulation of points, given by each member of the jury on a scale of 1 to 10 (with decimals), in accordance with the criteria described in the following section.

The Jury will choose a champion couple in each category. Also, the Jury (with the agreement of the Organizer) may grant awards and special mentions to the second and third places, and will be entitled to award other mentions if deemed appropriate.
In exceptional cases (power interruption, incidents on stage, etc.), the jury may determine that contestants should dance to additional songs to arrive at a fair verdict. Participants may not refuse to perform.

In case of a tie, the couples with the same final score will have to break the draw by dancing two additional songs.

4. SUPERVISOR/AUDITOR

Appointed by the Office of Festivals and Central Events, the Supervisor will bear the responsibility of ensuring the compliance of the Championship rules; properly solve any inconvenience not considered in these Rules; establish or inform about the clarifying or interpretative rules that he/she considers necessary and calculate the scores using the Tango BA World Cup formula.

SPECIFIC RULES & EVALUATION CRITERIA per category (all categories described

1. “TANGO de PISTA” & STAGE TANGO – Official Categories

Both official categories will be developed in 3 (three) stages: a) Qualifying Rounds, b) Semifinal, c) Final.

a) Qualifying Rounds: All registered couples will participate. First Qualifying round will take place on Thursday April 17, 2025 (there is no elimination on Thursday), and Second Qualifying round on Friday April 18, 2025.

b) Semifinal: Couples that have been selected in the Qualifying round will participate on Saturday April 19, 2025.

c) Final: Couples that have been selected in the Semifinal round will participate on Sunday April 20, 2025.

A. SPECIFIC RULES & EVALUATION CRITERIA for TANGO DE PISTA

TANGO DE PISTA is conceived as a social dance, where the most important aspects are the music, improvisation, embrace and connection between the members of the couple.

Circulation of couples:

Couples, as in a real dance hall, will dance in rounds and will have to constantly move counterclockwise without going backwards. They will be allowed, if needed, to walk one or two step backwards at most always within the space of the couple.

The couple must be aware and respectful of their own and other couples’ space in the round in order not to break the harmony when moving around. If a couple performs more than two phrases in the same spot, obstructing the circulation on the dance floor, the Jury may consider lowering their score.

In the event that one couple stops the flow of traffic around the dance floor, it is not possible for other couples to go past them. If the jury deems it necessary, the round of couples may have to dance to another tango to solve the inconvenience.

Once formed, the couple must not separate while the music is playing. For the position to be considered correct, the body of one of the members of the couple must be contained at all the time by the arm of the other. It is understood that in certain figures this may be flexible, but not throughout the whole duration of the dance.
All movements and figures must be made within the space allowed by the couple’s embrace, so as not to get in the way of the other couples dancing. The leader may invite the follower to walk and/or turn to their right or left, without taking steps backwards on the dance floor.
It is not necessary for partners to break the embrace between tangos.

EVALUATION CRITERIA

1. The couple may perform any commonly used figures of “social” tango, including “barridas” (sweeps), “entradas” or “sacadas al piso” (soft, non powerful sacadas close to the floor), “enrosques” (twists), “ganchos” (hooks), “voleos”, etc., as well as embellishments always within their own space, without standing in the way of couples dancing around them.

2. None of the members of the couple may lift his/her legs beyond the line of the knees. Embellishments are allowed within this limit.

3. Jumps, figures that involve lifting both feet off the ground and any other choreographic possibilities typical of Stage Tango are completely forbidden.

4. The Jury will take into account the couple’s own interpretation in different styles as fundamental to the score. They will also consider their musicality, elegant walking style, but especially the connection between partners and the search for their own expression, as well as the ability to change the dynamics and speed accordingly depending on the tango being played.

5. Costumes: Outfits will not be taken into consideration during the judging process, but dancers are recommended to dress elegantly and accordingly. When choosing the outfit, hairstyle and make-up, please be reminded that Tango de Pista is a social dance and not a stage dance.

B. SPECIFIC RULES & EVALUATION CRITERIA for STAGE TANGO:

Each couple will offer an individual performance with a song of their choice that shall not be more than four (4) minutes long.
In case of having a problem with the choreography, the couple will decide whether to continue dancing or not, and the Jury will evaluate the manner and grace with which they solve the inconvenience; but the couple will not be allowed to repeat the performance.
If a technical problem should occur, the Organization along with the Jury will evaluate the repetition of the choreography at the end of the assigned performing time slot.

EVALUATION CRITERIA

Participants will be able to express their view of the Argentine tango dance. This means that couples will be allowed to perform movements, figures and embellishments that are not directly related to the traditional tango dance. But the choreography must include traditional elements of tango: figure eights, turns, spins, long walks, voleos, hooks, and the “milonguero embrace.”
Couples will be able to break the embrace and use techniques from other dance disciplines, as long as they are justified and enrich the performance of the dancer.
Aerial tricks and movements from other dance disciplines must not be excessive. This means that they must not exceed a third of the overall performance. The couple must include floor movement sequences throughout the whole stage floor.
Costumes: Outfits may be taken into consideration during the judging process.
The following points will be taken into account:

Choreographic composition
Preservation of the Tango essence
Use of the stage space.
Couple’s synchronicity
Choreographic effects
Music Interpretation
Musical accuracy

2. SALON TANGO SENIOR

SPECIFIC RULES & EVALUATION CRITERIA FOR SALON TANGO SENIOR

The Salon Tango Senior is a category open to amateur dancers who, by the date of the competition, are 55 years old or older.
There are no residence restrictions. Dancers of any nationality are eligible to participate in this category.
Professional tango dancers cannot compete in this category.
Couples will compete in groups, dancing three tango songs previously selected by the Committee.
The Salon Tango Senior category will take place on Thursday April 17*.
There will be two competition stages: The Qualifying Round: All registered couples must participate. Couples will dance one qualifying round on Thursday April 17.
*If there are 11 or less registered couples, there will be no elimination and the Champions, 2nd and 3rd places will be announced on Thursday evening.

The Final Round: If there more than 12 competing couples, the couples selected at the qualifying round on Thursday will dance a final round the same day, and the Champions, (and 2nd and 3rd places) will be announced later, at the Milonga on Thursday evening.

DANCE RULES:

The embrace cannot be broken; partners must constantly hold each other by means of the embrace. It is understood that, in certain figures, this may be flexible; but not throughout the entire piece of music. All movements shall be performed within the space allowed by the couple’s embrace.
Participants may perform any figure commonly used, including “barridas (sweeps), “entradas”/”sacadas al piso” (soft, non powerful “sacadas” close to the floor),), “lápices”, “boleos”, “enrosques” (twists) etc.
Ganchos (hooks) Saltos (jumps) and any other possibility typical of stage tango are completely excluded.
None of the members of the couple may lift his/her legs beyond the line of the knees. Foot embellishments on the floor are allowed.
Couples must constantly move counterclockwise and avoid remaining in the same place for too long.
The Judges will give special relevance to the couple’s musicality, elegance, music interpretation and walking style.
Elegant social dance tango wear for woman and traditional suits for men are advised.

3. MILONGA

SPECIFIC RULES & EVALUATION CRITERIA FOR MILONGA

The Milonga category is open to both amateur and professional dancers.
Dancers of any nationality are eligible to participate in this category (no residence restrictions).
The Milonga category will be held on Friday, April 18, Saturday, April 19, and Sunday, April 20, 2025. Please note that the schedule is subject to change. The event may be organized in two or three stages, depending on the number of couples participating in this category.
-Qualifying Round, Semifinal and Final if 21 or more competing couples
-Qualifying Round and Final if 2o or less competing couples

All registered couples must participate. If there are 21 or more competing couples, there will be three stages: one qualifying round on Friday April 18 with elimination; the Semifinal round on Saturday April 19 and a Final round on Sunday April 20 .
If there are 20 or less competing couples, there will be only two stages: the Qualifying round on Saturday April 19 with elimination and the Final round on Sunday April 20, 2025 (no semifinal round; selected couples at the Qualifying round will pass directly to the Final on Sunday).

The Champions, 2nd and 3rd places will be announced at the Prizes Ceremony on Sunday evening.

4. Couples will compete in groups, dancing (social) Milonga to three pieces previously selected by the Committee.

DANCE RULES:

About the position of Tango Dance:
- Once a couple forms a dance frame, the partners shall not separate as long as the music is playing. This means that they cannot break the embrace, which is considered as the Tango dance position.
- For the position to be considered correct, partners must constantly hold each other by means of the embrace (closed embrace is advised). It is understood that, in certain figures, this may be flexible; but not throughout the entire piece of music.
- All movements shall be performed within the space allowed by the couple’s embrace.
Within these guidelines, participants may perform any figure commonly used for milonga.
Ganchos (hooks), saltos (jumps), trepadas (climbs) and any other typically stage possibilities are completely excluded.
Dancers may not lift his/her legs beyond the line of the knees. Embellishments are allowed within this limit.
Couples, as in a real dance hall, must constantly move counterclockwise and avoid remaining in the same place for too long to avoid the floor circulation.
The Judges will give special relevance to the fluidity, personality, and musicality, – interpretation of the Milonga rhythm – as essential evaluation points.
Costumes will not be considered as a specific evaluation point in this category.

4. VALS

SPECIFIC RULES & EVALUATION CRITERIA FOR VALS

The Vals category is open to both amateur and professional dancers.
Dancers of any nationality are eligible to participate in this category (no residence restrictions).
The Vals category will be held on Friday, April 18, Saturday, April 19, and Sunday, April 20, 2025. Please note that the schedule is subject to change. The event may be organized in two or three stages, depending on the number of couples participating in this category.
-Qualifying Round, Semifinal and Final if 21 or more competing couples
-Qualifying Round and Final if 2o or less competing couples

All registered couples must participate. If there are 21 or more competing couples, there will be three stages: one qualifying round on Friday April 18 with elimination; the Semifinal round on Saturday April 19 and a Final round on Sunday April 20 .
If there are 20 or less competing couples, there will be only two stages: the Qualifying round on Saturday April 19 with elimination and the Final round on Sunday April 20, 2025 (no semifinal round; selected couples at the Qualifying round will pass directly to the Final on Sunday).

The Champions, 2nd and 3rd places will be announced at the Prizes Ceremony on Sunday evening.

4. Couples will compete in groups, dancing Vals to three pieces previously selected by the Committee.
The Qualifying Round: All registered couples must participate. Couples will dance one qualifying round on Saturday March 30. If there are 11 or less registered couples, there will be no elimination and the Champions, 2nd and 3rd places will be announced at the Prizes Ceremony on Sunday evening.

The Final Round: If there are 12 to 20 registered couples, the couples selected at the qualifying round on Saturday will pass directly to the Finals on Sunday March 31 (which means there will only be an elimination round). The Champions, 2nd and 3rd places will be announced at the Prizes Ceremony on Sunday evening.

4. Couples will compete in groups, dancing (social) VALS to three pieces previously selected by the Committee.

DANCE RULES
About the Position of Tango Dance:
- Once a couple forms a dance frame, the partners shall not separate as long as the music is playing. This means that they cannot break the embrace, which is considered as the Tango dance position.
- For the position to be considered correct, partners must constantly hold each other by means of the embrace. It is understood that, in certain figures, this may be flexible; but not throughout the entire piece of music.
- All movements shall be performed within the space allowed by the couple’s embrace.
Within these guidelines, participants may perform any figure commonly used and the specific Vals moves such as turns and counters turns with vals syconpation, syncopated walking, displacements, chained motions, ect.
Saltos (jumps), trepadas (climbs) and any other typically stage tango possibilities are completely excluded.
Dancers may not lift his/her legs beyond the line of the knees. Voleos and embellishments are allowed within this limit.
Couples, as in a real dance hall, must constantly move counterclockwise and avoid remaining in the same place for too long to avoid the floor circulation.
The Judges will give relevance to the fluidity in the dance, the VALS rhythm and music interpretation as essential evaluation points.
Costumes will not be considered as a specific evaluation point in this category.

5. “MILONGUEROS DEL MUNDO”

6. “SO YOU THINK YOU CAN TANGO

The “So you think you can tango?” category is open to social (amateur) dancers only. No professionals allowed.
Competitors who compete in the Official Categories as well as professional tango dancers cannot compete in this category.
Dancers of any nationality are eligible to participate in this category (no residence restrictions).
There will be one unique round with on Sunday April 20, 2025.
Men and women must register individually. Registration is on a first come, first served basis with a limit of 10 men as leaders and 10 women as followers. If at the end of the registration process there are uneven numbers of leaders and followers, the extra participants registered in any of the two roles will not be able to take part in the competition and therefore their fees will be refunded.
6. Dancing couples will be the result of a random matching of leaders and followers that will take place straight at the dance floor. They will compete in groups and dance a round of three to four songs previously selected by the Committee.
7. Dancers will change partners through a draw system for each of the three songs.

DANCE RULES

1. Dancers cannot break the embrace. It is understood that, in certain figures, the embrace can be flexible (open and close according to the figure); but not throughout the entire piece of music.

2. Couples may perform any commonly used figures of “social” tango, including “barridas” (sweeps), “sacadas al piso” (drawn to the floor),“enrosques” (twists), “ganchos” (hooks), boleos, etc, as well as embellishments always within their own space, without standing in the way of couples dancing around them.

3. “Saltos” (jumps), “trepadas” (climbs) and any other possibilities typically used in stage tango where both feet lose contact with the floor are completely excluded.

4. Dancers may not lift his/her legs beyond the line of the knees. Embellishments are allowed within this limit.

5. It is not allowed to overtake.

6. Costumes will not be considered as a specific evaluation point in this category.

EVALUATION CRITERIA

1. All dancers will be evaluated individually by the Jury Panel who will determine a unique winner for each role.

2. Posture, elegance, technique, connection to the partner and walking style will be the main points of evaluation for all dancers.

3. For the leader’s role, the Judges will give special relevance to musicality, improvisation and navigation (take into account that leaders should avoid more than two musical phrases on the same spot, making it difficult for the round to circulate; they should constantly move counterclockwise without going backwards although it is allowed to perform one or two back steps if the movement requires it).

4. For the follower’s role, the Judges will give special relevance to the skill of following (anticipation or back leading will be penalized), posture and footwork technique.

COMPETITION REFUND POLICY

A registration cannot be shared and is not transferable. NO EXCEPTIONS.
If you cancel your registration by December 16, 2025, you will receive a full refund, minus online transaction fees (approximately 5%).
If you cancel your registration between December 16 and January 16, 2025, you will receive a 50% refund, minus online transaction fees (approximately 5%). Alternatively, you may choose to roll over your full registration fee to the 2026 event.
Roll Over: If you cancel between January 17 and March 16, 2025, you can roll over your registration to the 2026 event.* (No refunds will be issued).
No Refunds or Roll Overs will be issued from March 17, 2025.*

*Exception: In cases of force majeure, a rollover to 2026 may be considered, provided you present supporting evidence.

Masterhead

Rules & Evaluation Criteria

Relevant information for competition participants:

RULES FOR THE OFFICIAL CATEGORIES (Tango De Pista & Stage Tango)

RULES TANGO INTERNATIONAL PRELIMINARY

REGISTRATION

CHECK‐IN

COMPETITION

JURY

SUPERVISOR

FILMING AND PHOTOGRAPHING

GENERAL RULES for all other categories: Salon Tango Senior, Milonga, Vals, “Milongueros del Mundo” and “So you think you can tango?”

1. Registration and Check-in/Accreditation

2. Filming & Photographing

3. Jury

SPECIFIC RULES & EVALUATION CRITERIA per category (all categories described

A. SPECIFIC RULES & EVALUATION CRITERIA for TANGO DE PISTA

EVALUATION CRITERIA

B. SPECIFIC RULES & EVALUATION CRITERIA for STAGE TANGO:

EVALUATION CRITERIA

SPECIFIC RULES & EVALUATION CRITERIA FOR MILONGA

SPECIFIC RULES & EVALUATION CRITERIA FOR VALS

COMPETITION REFUND POLICY

GENERAL RELEASE AND COVID-19 RELEASE

PRIVACY POLICY

PHOTO AND PUBLICITY

Enjoy a personalized, best quality tango tour in Buenos Aires with Andrea & Adrian!

+ Experience the most important international mega event: Tango Buenos Aires Dance World Cup, – and cheer on our US OFFICIAL CHAMPIONS 2021!

Refund Policy

Rules

Please read the General Rules and the Championship Rules for each category which follows below:

(Please read all rules for the category/ies you have registered)

EVALUATION CRITERIA