Argentinian Tango Meets the Caucasus: ‘Ojos Negros Tango Weekend 2018’ in Kazbegi
For the first time ‘Ojos Negros Tango Weekend’ – an Argentinian tango marathon, took place in Kazbegi, the Rooms Hotel, from October 5 - 7. Participants and Tango DJs from thirteen different countries got together in the Caucasus mountains to share tango with each other and at the same time enjoy the beautiful nature, culture and hospitality of Georgia.
The event organizers, Waldemar Kipphan from Germany, and Berlin-based Anna Kiknadze from Georgia, made a sensitive mixture of Argentinian tango with Georgian elements. The venue at the Rooms Hotel gave a perfect opportunity for this combination to happen. Classical Tango music from 12am to 12pm, great tango dancers from all over the world, an exhibition of Paris-based artist Nini Kiknadze, delicious Georgian and European cuisine, breathtaking nature and much more.
On the one hand, the tango marathon aimed to popularize Argentinian social tango culture in Georgia, which has been actively present on the ground through Georgian tango schools.
Moreover, interest from Georgian society has been slightly increased, as can be seen from the growing number of local tango enthusiasts. On the other hand, due to its international character, the weekend intended to raise awareness of Georgia, its culture and nature among the tango society worldwide. In fact, participants of the Tango Marathon traveled all the way from Singapore, the Netherlands, Sweden, Poland, Ukraine, Turkey, Russia, Kazakhstan, Palestine, London, Armenia and Germany to be part of the ‘Ojos Negros Weekend’ in Kazbegi.
Specially invited Tango DJs were: Marcin Brzezinski from Poland; Mik Avramenko from Ukraine; Ramo & GoGo from Turkey; Waldemar Kipphan from Germany; and Levan Gomelauri from Georgia. These all made the atmosphere more joyful and unforgettable.
The weekend ended with wine-tasting by Gigi Sujashvili from the Natural Vineyard ‘Gelovani’.
Due to a successful completion of this tango marathon, the second edition of ‘Ojos Negros Tango Weekend’ 2019 will be announced soon!
By Katie Ruth Davies