Last update: February 15th, 2025
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. Couples composed of individuals over the age of 18, who can credibly prove at least one (1) year of residence within the area of influence of the Preliminary, and valid legal documents, may register for the competition (documents to prove citizenship or residency in the United States: US passport, green card, residential lease, student ID or work visa)
2. No person may register more than once in the same category, though they may register in different categories, with the same or different partner. If both members of a couple reside in different cities within the area of influence of the Preliminary, they must choose and declare which city they will represent..
3. The following people are ineligible to compete: personnel from the General Direction of
Festivals and Cultural Nights (DGFNC), organizers of Official Preliminaries, jurors of Tango Buenos Aires Festival and Dance World Cup and its preliminaries, or the Dance Championship of the City; sponsors and/or staff of sponsoring companies of the PRELIMINARY, or anyone with a permanent or temporary relationship with the DGFNC.
4. Participants or couples who have been disqualified or eliminated in previous editions, either in a Preliminary Competition or the Dance World Championship, especially if it was due to serious non-compliance with competition rules, will also be ineligible to compete.
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.
ACCREDITATION
1. For accreditation purposes, all registrants must attend on the date and time specified by the Preliminary Organization. The presentation of the national ID card or passport with valid residency will be required. 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 the time of Accreditation, they will be assigned a number and informed about the dates, locations, and approximate times of their performances in the different stages of the corresponding category.
Registrants who do not attend Accreditation will not be allowed to participate in
the championship. Delays will only be considered for legitimate reasons of force majeure,
properly justified with supporting documents, except in cases that are of public knowledge.
Once Accreditation time has concluded, competitors will not be allowed to check in.
2. During accreditation, participants must fill in the registration form along with any additional information required by the organization. In this form, they must also declare whether they have had any professional, personal, or work-related relationship with any of the jurors in the six months prior to the championship, including any personal relationships, private lessons with jurors, or joint work on choreography for Tango Escenario (Stage Tango). This declaration will be cross-checked with the jurors to determine potential conflicts of interest.
In the case of Tango Escenario (Stage Tango), competing couples may not present a choreography created, reviewed, or prepared by a member of the Preliminary Organization..
3. All data provided during accreditation will be considered an affidavit. Any contradiction found after signing may result in penalties such as score reduction, disqualification from the competition, or other appropriate measures.
4. The national ID card or passport and the registration form must be shown at every stage of the competition.
5. All participants agree to take part in various activities and events organized by the
Preliminary Organization, such as press conferences, radio and TV interviews, and media
engagements, if called upon to do so.
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.
2. For the competition to be considered official, there must be at least ten (10) couples in the Tango Escenario category and at least twenty (20) couples in the Tango de Pista category. If this minimum is not met, the competition will no longer be considered official, and the winning couple will not be qualified to compete in the TANGO BUENOS AIRES FESTIVAL AND 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).
In the Tango de Pista category, couples will compete in groups, dancing to three recorded recorded pieces of music. The music may be proposed by the ORGANIZATION but must be agreed upon with the FESTIVALES BA supervisor. Special consideration will be
given to the jury’s recommendations.
In the Tango Escenario (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, stored on a Flash Memory Drive) during Accreditation. At this time, the couple must also declare the name(s) of the choreographer(s) who created, reviewed, or worked on their choreography.
2. Couples may be disqualified if they:
a) Do not comply with the regulatory provisions.
b) Make any political or religious statement during the competition that could be offensive to the public or the organization, or that could affect the event’s development.
c) Engage in any unethical behavior or actions that damage the image of the Preliminary or the World Dance Cup 2025, or cause discomfort to the audience.
d) Engage in physical and/or verbal aggression, whether directed at participants, jurors, staff members, or the general public.
In such cases, THE ORGANIZATION and FESTIVALES BA may, by mutual agreement,
disqualify or eliminate the couple from the competition.
4. Competitors may take group classes or seminars with jurors, but private lessons with any juror are prohibited during the competition.
(However, if a competing couple is eliminated, they are welcome to register for classes and schedule private lessons with jurors, as they will no longer be competing).
JURY
1. The jury will consist of at least four (4) judges, who, having reviewed and accepted the
competition regulations, will assign scores to the participating couples. These judges will be appointed by mutual agreement between the Preliminary and the Festivals Direction.
2. All jury decisions are final and non-appealable. By registering, participants automatically
accept this condition. In the case of any doubts or disagreements, participants may submit a written appeal (in Spanish or English) to THE ORGANIZATION and not directly to the jury.
3. Any juror who has had a professional or personal relationship or been a teacher of any of the competition participants during the six (6) months prior to the event must refrain from scoring that couple. The organization will consider both the voluntary declarations of jurors and the information provided by participants during the registration process.
In these cases, the organization may opt for a substitute juror or calculate the final score of
the couple by averaging the scores from the jurors who have voted.
The scoring for each performance will be based on the accumulation of points from each
juror, with the following scoring ranges in each stage: Qualification 5 to 8, Semifinal 6 to 9, and Final 7 to 10. The final score will be the average of the scores given by the jurors who have voted.
4. The Organization may award prizes and special mentions for second and third place, as well as other mentions as deemed appropriate.
5. In exceptional cases (e.g., power failure, stage incidents), the jury, in agreement with the
supervisor, may require contestants to perform additional pieces to ensure a fair voting
process, and the participants must comply.
6. In case of a tie in the final stage, the couples will have to break the tie by either dancing one (1) or two (2) additional pieces in the Tango de Pista category or presenting their
choreography again in the Tango Escenario category, until the jury’s vote determines the
champion. The scores obtained by each couple will be made public after each stage is
completed.
SUPERVISOR
The Supervisor will be appointed by the General Direction of Festivals and Cultural Nights
and will be responsible for ensuring the compliance of these regulations, as well as resolving any unforeseen circumstances within the competition. The Supervisor will also establish or inform about any necessary clarifications or interpretations of the regulations.
Any complaints made by a participant or juror should be submitted to the supervisor during the competition. The final decision on the dispute will be made by the supervisor, in collaboration with the institutional representative of the Ministry of Culture and THE
ORGANIZATION.
DANCE RULES EVALUATION CRITERIA
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.
PRIZES
Each category will have a winning couple, who will qualify to compete in the Tango Buenos
Aires Festival and World Championship 2025. Winners will receive the first prize, which
includes the full coverage of travel and accommodation costs for participation in Buenos
Aires.
If the category does not meet the minimum number of competitors required, the organization may offer alternative prizes. Winners must represent the Preliminary, not their city of residence.
Registration and accreditation for the competition implies full knowledge and acceptance of these regulations.
*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 may register to all (or any) of the festival workshops with all maestros, but they cannot take private classes with the festival maestros who are judges. In the case a competing couple is eliminated, they are welcome to schedule private lessons with the festival maestros who are 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.
SPECIFIC RULES & EVALUATION CRITERIA per category (all categories described
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 will be considered, provided you present supporting evidence.
