Beirut International Tango Festival Is Back

Launched by Mazen Kiwan in 2009 and held under the patronage of the Ministry of Tourism, the festival is an annual hub for tango lovers, artists and instructors that has managed to place Lebanon on the international tango map.

“I had the chance to participate in tango festivals as a dancer and teacher while living abroad before coming back to Lebanon a few years ago. I used to get invited to a number of countries to participate in such events and felt like it would be great to have something similar in Lebanon,” Kiwan told beirut.com.

During Kiwan’s regular visits to the country to give tango workshops, he noticed a growing interest in the Argentinian art form among the Lebanese. “The number of people who practiced tango in Lebanon was on the rise, and in 2009 I felt like the time has come for us to initiate our own tango festival since many people enjoyed it and the tango community kept expanding,” he noted.

This year, the festival takes a new turn, kicking things off with a unique blend of Oriental and Tango music in “Tango el Hawa”, arranged by talented musician and composer Ziyad Sahhab and performed by a lineup of international artists on May 3 and 4 at The Palace Theater, Hamra.

“We decided to add an oriental touch to tango through creating a fusion between Arabic and Argentinian music, arranged by music composer Ziyad Sahhab who will work alongside Argentinian musician Martin Loyato to blend the songs of prominent Arab artists like Farid al Atrash, Abdel Wahab, Leila Mourad, Asmahan and Fairuz with the work of renowned argentine tango composers such as Piazzolla,” Kiwan explained. “Argentinian singer Débora Russ will be performing the tango songs and we will also have a surprise Lebanese guest star on stage this year.”

The festival attracted over 2000 visitors from more than 40 countries over the past few years and is preparing to welcome prominent tango artists Sabastian Arce and Mariana Montes this year, along with the talented Neri Piliu and Yanina Quinones and Loukas Balokas and Gerogia Priskou for the first time in the Middle East. Kiwan will also be performing during the festival with his new Norwegian partner Randi Brecke.

“This festival was one of the reasons why I came back to Lebanon because it does not only provide me with personal satisfaction but also serves as an opportunity to showcase the real Lebanon to the foreign community as the participants get to tour the country and visit its prominent archeological and natural landscapes as part of the schedule,” he told Beirut.com.

“At a time when everything around us is trying to pull us down, this festival comes in to unite people from all backgrounds and cultures through dance, carrying an artistic, educational and cultural message as dancers get to learn from some of the best and most experienced tango dancers and teachers in the world,” he added.

When asked about the foreign dancers’ feedback on the overall performance of Lebanese dancers, Kiwan noted that visitors tend to highlight two main notions: their light and friendly nature and the warmth of their embrace or abrazo.

“I salute local dancers for being able to keep up since they are not presented with the learning opportunities that are available to European and American dancers but we must also note that tango transcends dance into a complete lifestyle that incorporates a lot of feeling,” Kiwan observed.