Hiroshi & Kyoko Yamao, first non-Argentine World Tango Champions visit Manila

Hiroshi & Kyoko Yamao during the Grand Milonga

The World tango dance tournament (Campeonato Mundial de Baile de Tango) is an annual competition of Argentine Tango, held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, usually in August, as part of the Buenos Aires Tango Festival organized by the city's government.

Though open to participation from other countries, it was only natural that Argentines dominate the championship in the ensuing years following the first edition of the competition in 2003, i.e,  until 2009, when the first non-Argentine couple won the Salon Category, and Asian, at that, Hiroshi and Kyoko Yamao from Japan.

Not surprising, though, because outside of Argentina, Japan is touted to be one of the countries with the longest history of Argentine tango, since the 1920s.

The husband and wife team, Hiroshi and Kyoko, were recent visitors in Manila to conduct  a 5-day workshop, as well as private coaching, with a one night Grand Milonga performance at the Makati Sports Club for our avid Argentine tango community, produced by Amor Tango, one of the active local tango organizers.

Regaling the crowd before the main performance were Amor Tango's Chu Bautista, herself
an accomplished tango dancer having won the Grand Slam Championship in the
2012 Manila Tango Festival & Competition, and placing 4th in the 1st Tango Salon
Championship in Asia held in HK last year, with her chosen partner for the evening, Ryan Fabul.

Attracted by each other’s tango, Hiroshi and Kyoko began dancing together in 2003.
In 2006, the couple travelled to Buenos Aires, where they studied both stage and salon tango under Carlos and Rosa Perez, Fabian Peralta and Valentina Villarroel.

Kyoko, Chu and Hiroshi

Out of 570 couples in the 2007 Campeonato de Baile de Tango Metoropolitano, the couple placed 9th in the salon division and 4th in the milonga division.

In the August Campeonato Mundial de Baile de Tango, the couple finished 6th in the salon division and 3rd in the stage division, being the first foreign couple to place in all four divisions.

This outstanding performance allowed the couple to participate in Almorzando con Mirtha Regrand, following which they returned to Japan.

After triumphing in the 2008 Championship of Asia, Hiroshi and Kyoko proceeded to win the 2009 Campeonato Mundial de Baile de Tango; they stand proud as the first foreign couple to ever win.

Currently, Hiroshi and Kyoko travel around the world, receiving high praise not just for their dancing, but their teaching skills.

Special guest of the night was Argentine Embassy

Charges de Affaires, Monica Deregibus, shown in the photo with local tango Maestro and the evening's Emcee, Jun Borja, and former Miss Universe and tanguera, Margie Moran. 

Our local tango community is privileged to have watched Hiroshi and Kyoko perform live and up close, and enriched by their teaching and coaching abilities.

They were all ears.......

...at the workshop

Hiroshi very kindly acceded to my request for this
photo op, and of course, I didn't let him go without
a dance, thank you!

ILoveTango!
Psalm149:3
"Let them praise His name with dancing, making melody to Him with tambourine and lyre!"