World's tango fans step out for Argentina championship

0 Comments | AFP, August, 2007

BUENOS AIRES (AFP) — Tango enthusiasts from Japan, Australia, Russia and beyond are polishing their dancing shoes for the world championship in the sexy dance that they say knows no boundaries.

"I like the tango because although we dance as a pair, it seems that we are just one," says Japanese entrant Yoshinoba Nagai, 36. "It is a dance that ravages my heart."

She and her partner, 37-year-old Yuriko Tsunehiro, won the last big tango tournament in Asia and they are expected to shine onstage in the Fifth Tango Dance World Championship which opens in Buenos Aires on Friday.

"I fell in love with the tango when I saw Al Pacino in the movie 'Scent of a Woman,'" says Tsunehiro, whose cropped hair is dyed blond.

In all, 149 couples from 154 cities around the...