Regulations | Tango Baltic Open Cup

Tango Baltic Open Cup 2025

General Information, Official Rules & Regulations

Tango Baltic Open Cup 2025 (“Competition”) Organizers Team announces the Competition with the following terms and conditions.

1. DATE & TIME

Friday, March 21, 12:00-16:00

Check-in for pre-registered participants - Friday, March 21, 09:30-11:30

2. PLACE

White Hall (Baltā zāle), Rīgas Latviešu biedrības nams, Merķeļa 13, Riga, Latvia

3. THE AIM

The aim of the Competition is to promote continuous learning and development while bringing together talented Argentine tango dancers from the Baltics and neighboring countries.

4. CATEGORIES

Tango Baltic Open Cup 2025 consists of 6 categories - Tango de Pista, Tango de Pista Rising Stars, Tango Escenario, Vals, Milonga and Milongero.
Participation is open to all dancers regardless of their tango dancing style except for Tango de Pista Rising Stars category:
1. In Tango de Pista Rising Stars category both participants have to be with less than 2 years tango learning and dancing experience at the moment of Competition, and this criterial information will be required to submit during the initial registration.
Participation
1. in couples - categories Tango de Pista, Tango de Pista Rising Stars, Tango Escenario, Vals, Milonga
2. solo, ie without a partner - Mlongero category, where participants are welcome to participate without a partner, and their ronda partner for competition will be determined through a lottery draw, and subsequently, change of partner after each dance in a ronda.
There is a participation fee for each category.
The payment details are given after you fill the Registration here. The participation fee is non-refundable due to any reasons.

5. THE JURY

We are committed to ensuring that the judging process is impartial, fair and of the highest ethical and professional standard possible.
The Jury of the competition has been chosen by the Organization Team of the competition.
The Jury is announced before the competition at the official web site.
There will be no objection for the decision of the jury in the eliminations and finals so the contestants are already accepting this.
The Organizers Team reserves the right to change the composition of the jury at any time before the start of the competition without prior notice and without providing reasons.

6. ORGANIZERS

Tango Baltic Open Cup 2025 is organised by El Abrazo de Riga,

the creators of El Abrazo de Riga International Tango Festival, Un Noche. Tango de Buenos Aires Show, La Primavera de Riga International Tango Marathon, Amber Sea Liepaja Tango Marathon and numerous other domestic and international tango events, - an experienced team of organisers Ginta Gaumala & Rita Krivma and their Team,
appreciating the great personal experience and expertise in international tango competition of the tango multi-champion, Mundial finalist Karina Lilu Dovbush,
all based on El Abrazo organizational experience since 2011, considering the best traditions of Argentine tango and international tango events in Europe.

7. GENERAL REMINDINGS

The Organization Team has the right to change the rules, time or shape of the organization due to unexpected events or any other reasons.
The Organization Team has the right to record and film everything during the championship and use them as advertisement material by any means. The contestants must take permission from the organizers for use of this material.
All contestants must join all the ceremonies, events, photo shootings and other advertisement organizations during the Competition and additionally, the winners must join these events after the championship.
All the contestants will have to register online and make the payment until the date of last available registration date. Failing to do so will result in excluding the contestant from the Competition. The payment date may be extended by the Organization Team.
The contestants have to be present at the check-in time set by the Organizer on Friday, March 21, 2025, where they will receive a competition number and will be informed about the details of the organization.
The official web site of the Organization Team is this website for all announcements, registrations and questions.

8. REGISTRATION

The contestants can be any nationality of a minimum age of 18.
The registration consists of 2 parts.
First registration is online:
1. They must be made until March 18, 2025 online via the Registration form, provided by the Organizer.
2. The registrations form has to be filled in by each contestant separately. In the couple registrations one has to be a leader and the other - follower.
3. Double role dancers need to indicate in the Registration form, which role they would be contesting in.

4. The Registration timeline:

Early Bird Registration - until January 15, 2025
Regular Registration - January 16 - March 2, 2025
Last Minute Registration - March 2 - March 15, 2025
Check-in for Competition - March 21, 2025, 09:30-11:30
Competition Time - March 21, 2025, 12:00-16:00

5. The second registration part:

1. each contestant him / herself must check in on March 21, 2025 Friday between 09:30 and 11:30. We suggest the contestants be in Riga before this date because the registration time is early in the morning.

6. If the partners in a couple are from different countries then they have the right to decide from which country to be represented from. But they will be represented as only one country.

7. The contestants can register for only once in each category.

8. The contestants can register in each category with the same or different partners.

9. Contestants have to show their passports or ID at the second registration at Check-In to Competition in Riga.

10. Any false statement or illegal registration will be penalized by disqualification from the competition.

11. The organization team can change the deadline of the registration due to any reason.

9. RULES AND TERMS OF CONDITIONS DURING THE COMPETITION

In Tango de Pista, Tango de Pista Rising Stars, Vals, Milonga, each couple will compete in group performances dancing to 3 songs selected by the Organization Team depending on the level and elimination.
In Tango Escenario category, each couple will compete individually, dancing to one song of their choice that may not be longer than four minutes. They can perform different choreographies in different eliminations.
1. These music pieces must be given to the organization team by e-mail no later than the check-in time of the registration and checked by the DJ and the contestant together before the competition.
They will compete by the score method explained below.
In Tango de Pista, Tango de Pista Rising Stars, Vals, Milonga the ronda will consist of 5-7 couples, determined by a lottery draw among the couples registered for the partcular category.
In Milongero category, the ronda will consist of 5-8 randomly chosen contestants and their partners will be determined by a lottery draw and subsequently changed after each of 3 songs. The couples will compete in group performances dancing to 3 songs selected by the Organization Team depending on the level and elimination.

10. THE SCORES

For Tango de Pista, Tango de Pista Rising Stars, Vals, Milonga categories:
1. In the Preliminary Rounds the maximum score of a couple is 8 (eight).
2. In the Finals Rounds the maximum score of a couple is 10 (ten).
For Milongero category:
1. In the Preliminary Rounds the maximum score of a contestant is 8 (eight).
2. In the Finals Rounds the maximum score of a contestant is 10 (ten).

11. ELIMINATIONS for TANGO DE PISTA, MILONGA, VALS, TANGO DE PISTA RISING STARS

All the couples will be dancing 3 songs of different orchestras, chosen by the organization in rondas of 5-7 couples. The number of couples in a ronda will be announced at the competition day depending on the number of contestants.
In each category the couples will dance in their Preliminary Round and 7 couples with the best scores by the Jury will be admitted to compete in the Final Round.

12. ELIMINATIONS FOR TANGO ESCENARIO

All the contestants will perform once and among them 6 of them will be chosen for Finals.

13. FINAL FOR TANGO DE PISTA

7 couples with the highest scores from Preliminaries will dance a ronda of 3 songs of different orchestras, chosen by the organization.
The winners will be determined by the sum of scores the couple will receive in the Preliminaries and Final Round together.

14. FINAL FOR TANGO ESCENARIO

There will be 6 couples dancing only once with the song they choose for Tango Escenario category.

15. MUSIC

For Tango de Pista and Tango de Pista Rising Stars Categories, the music will be Tango.
For the Tango Escenario category, the music will be Argentine Tango of any style, orchestra or year.
For Milonga Category, the music will be Milonga.
For Vals Categories, the music will be Vals.
For Milongero Category, the music will be Tango.

16. EVALUATION CRITERIA OF THE JURY - FOR TANGO DE PISTA, RISING STARS, VALS, MILONGA

Tango de Pista is considered as a social dance, where the most important aspects are
1. musicality,
2. embrace,
3. connection,
4. harmony,
5. creativity during improvisation between the contestants,
6. technique,
7. appropriate external appearance for a couple (as detailed below in Costumes section)
8. behavior of the couple in the ronda

2. The Jury will take into account the couple’s own interpretation in different styles as fundamental to the score, considering

their musicality,
elegant walking style,
but especially the connection between partners and the search for their own expression,
as well as the ability to change the dynamics and speed accordingly depending on the tango being played.

3. Once formed, the couple must not separate while the music is playing.

It is understood that in certain figures this may be flexible, but not throughout the whole duration of the dance.
The couples can use any commonly used figures of social tango as well as embellishments always within their own space, without standing in the way of couples dancing around them.
Jumps, figures that involve lifting both feet off the ground and any other choreographic possibilities typical of Tango Escenario are completely forbidden.
All movements and figures must be made within the space allowed by the couple’s embrace, so as not to get in the way of the other couples dancing.

4. During the whole dance the couples

must dance in counter clockwise direction without disturbing the other couples,
remaining equally distributed in the ronda and maintaining equal distance among the couples,
will not occupy the space in the center of the ronda.

5. If a couple performs more than two phrases in the same spot, obstructing the circulation on the dance floor, the Jury may consider lowering their score.

6. In the event that one couple stops the flow of traffic around the dance floor, it is not possible for other couples to go past them. If the jury deems it necessary, the round of couples may have to dance to another tango to solve the inconvenience

7. In the case of collision,

the jury will be lowering the score of the contestants or even disqualify them at the collisions who goes backwards according to the leader.
If this incident affects the dance of all contestants, the jury will disqualify the couple who stops the dance floor and may repeat the song/s in order to solve the inconvenience.

8. Costumes:

Outfits will not be taken into consideration during the judging process, but dancers are recommended to dress smartly (no jeans, sneakers, sports’ clothes).
When choosing the outfit, hairstyle and make-up, please be reminded that Tango de Pista is a social dance and not a stage dance.

17. EVALUATION CRITERIA OF THE JURY - FOR TANGO ESCENARIO

Each couple will offer an individual performance with a song of their choice that shall not be more than four (4) minutes long.

2. Couples are allowed to use any figures of traditional Argentinian Tango elements (sacadas, ganchos, barridas, voleos, soltadas, colgadas and volcadas) and other dance disciplines (like lift and jumps).

3. As the competition is an Argentinian Tango Dance competition and the jury members are masters of Argentinian Tango, it is strongly advised to use more traditional Argentinian Tango elements during the choreography.

4. In case of having a problem with the choreography, the couple can not ask for the music restart, and will decide whether to continue dancing or not, and the Jury will evaluate the manner and grace with which they solve the inconvenience; but the couple will not be allowed to repeat the performance.

5. If a technical problem should occur, the Organization along with the Jury will evaluate the repetition of the choreography at the end of the assigned performing time slot.

6. Evaluation criteria:

Participants will be able to express their view of the Argentine tango dance. This means that couples will be allowed to perform movements, figures and embellishments that both are and are not directly related to the traditional tango dance.
Couples will be able to break the embrace and use techniques from other dance disciplines, as long as they are justified and enrich the performance of the dancer.
Aerial tricks and movements from other dance disciplines must not be excessive. This means that they must not exceed a third of the overall performance.
The couple must include floor movement sequences throughout the whole stage floor.

7. Accessories:

it is allowed to use certain accessories during the dance that would help the couple to express their idea of the dance, excluding any form or fire, water or any other liquids,
any equipment brought by the couple to the stage for or during their performance, has to be removed by the couple immediately after their performance, not delaying the performance of the next couple by more than 1 minute,
the Organizers Team will not be held responsible for installing or removing the equipment needed for a couple’s performance.