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To the Buenos Aires City Government
Minister of Culture, City of Buenos Aires
Mr. Horacio Rodriguez Larreta, Mr. Enrique Avogadro

We are tango dancers and tango professionals from around the world.  We are writing because we are very concerned about our colleagues in Argentina who are experiencing a completely unprecedented crisis.  We understand that, over the past six months, while unable to work and earn a living due to COVID-19, tango workers have not received help from the Buenos Aires City Government. We are distressed to know that our colleagues are suffering in this way, and concerned about what it will mean for the future of our art form.

We know that on March 11, 2020, the organizers and leaders of the Buenos Aires tango scene gathered to take action in response to the pandemic, which was just appearing as a threat in Argentina at that time.  Considering the flood of tourists from all over the world arriving daily to Buenos Aires, and the percentage of tourists who attend milongas, classes and other tango spaces, the group decided to shut down the entire tango sector.  This decision to voluntarily give up all work in order to protect public health was made a full 10 days before the National Government ordered a shutdown.  Six months later, no tango activity has been able to restart and we know it will be a long time before tango becomes possible.  Despite this, and despite repeated requests, no member of the tango community has received the support from the Buenos Aires City Government that they need in order to survive.

Even though we are fortunate to now have tango in every corner of the world, Buenos Aires remains the beating heart of the worldwide tango community.  Its enormous quantity of daily milongas, and its thousands of tango workers including dancers, musicians, poets, and other artists, make Buenos Aires what it is: the place every tango dancer worldwide longs to visit.

UNESCO has declared Argentine tango part of the “Intangible Patrimony of Humanity,” something that we all need to preserve and care for.  In order that tango can survive the pandemic and Buenos Aires may continue vibrating to its compás, tango workers need to be valued: dancers, teachers, directors and choreographers, tango show workers, school administrators, dance studio staff, organizers of milongas and other tango dance events, musicians, photographers, DJs, and designers of tango shoes and clothing, among others.  All of these tango workers have not been able to work for months and have not received any support.  The entire tango community is suffering economically, socially and emotionally, and will continue to suffer in the coming months.  The worldwide tango community is shocked and surprised by the lack of government assistance in the face of the overwhelming need and significant fragility of tango workers after six months without income.  We believe that it is essential and urgent that Buenos Aires City Government declare a State of Emergency in the Tango Sector and provide economic support to tango workers.

If the Buenos Aires community loses artists as a result of the pandemic, if it ceases to be the pinnacle of tango inspiration, then none of us who live tango day by day in other corners of the world will be motivated to keep investing significant resources to travel to Buenos Aires. We also fear that our communities, which are essentially satellites of the Buenos Aires tango community, will start to shrink and fade away if the porteño scene weakens.

We hope that this letter helps raise awareness among Buenos Aires authorities about the necessity of providing help and recognition to the city’s tango community.  The worldwide tango community NEEDS Buenos Aires to continue reverberating to the compás of tango, all year round, and year after year.  We need it to remain the mecca for our art form, a place we can visit to nourish ourselves and deepen our experience of the cultural treasure that is tango.