Tango in Finland

Here's a great way to warm things up on a cold day - I happened upon this Travel Intelligence story by David Atkinson about hot nights in cold Helsinki. Tango is quite popular in Finland - there is a huge festival each July in Seinäjoki, called Tangomarkkinat, and even a Tango Museum too. This is the kind of thing I'd like to do if I visited the snowy north in winter. I'm partial to warm-weather activities, so I'd pick dancing lessons over snowshoes in the colder months for sure. And as Atkinson's piece explains, the Finnish winters are all about tango indoors - private parties and lessons - at places like Wanhan Tanssikellari. The Argentinian tradition of tango made its way to Finland after the ban on dancing was lifted after WWII. Over time it developed characteristics as a melancholic dance in Finland. According to Maarit Niiniluoto, a leading Finnish tango historian, "For Finns, tango is a three-minute dream with your eyes open – it's poetic and deeply symbolic."

Filed under: Arts and Culture, Festivals and Events, Finland