Godine 2025. imala sam priliku da prisustvujem Bailemos Tango Experience festivalu u Novom Sadu. Ono što sam tamo zatekla prevazišlo je okvir klasičnog plesnog događaja i otvorilo dublju radoznalost prema savremenom svetu tanga.
Kako je moguće da ljudi iz celog sveta putuju u zemlju poput Srbije kako bi se uronili u kulturnu formu koja je nastala hiljadama kilometara dalje, u regionu Río de la Plate u Argentini? Tango se često zamišlja kao crno-bela fotografija — nostalgična, elegantna, zamrznuta u vremenu. Ipak, ono što se odvijalo u Novom Sadu više je ličilo na živ, pun kolorita film: dinamičan, promenljiv i duboko prisutan.
Prateći tu radoznalost, stigla sam do umetničkog jezgra ovog iskustva: Pabla Cortazza, argentinskog plesača, pedagoga i autora koji decenijama deluje na međunarodnoj sceni, šireći jezik tanga izvan njegovih tradicionalnih okvira.
Cortazzov pristup tangu ne počiva na očuvanju tradicije radi nje same, niti na površnoj inovaciji. Umesto toga, on tango razume kao živ umetnički jezik — sposoban za dijalog sa savremenim pokretom, kolektivnim iskustvom i imerzivnim umetničkim formatima. U njegovim projektima, tango prestaje da bude izvođenje za publiku i postaje prostor u kojem učesnici aktivno nastanjuju samo delo.
Ono što izdvaja Cortazzovu praksu jeste fokus na imerzivna iskustva, u kojima se briše granica između izvođača i posmatrača. Kroz festivale, kurirane susrete i pedagoške okvire, njegovi radovi pozivaju učesnike da postanu deo samog umetničkog procesa. Rezultat je forma tanga koja deluje savremeno, telesno i relacijski — odgovor na sadašnji trenutak, a ne na istorijsku sliku.
Ova perspektiva odražava šire razumevanje tanga kao nečega što prevazilazi plesnu tehniku. U Cortazzovom radu, tango funkcioniše kao sredstvo povezivanja, prisutnosti i zajedničkog smisla. Fokus se pomera sa spektakla na iskustvo, sa reprezentacije na participaciju. Svaki susret postaje privremena zajednica oblikovana pokretom, muzikom i ljudskom interakcijom.
Sagledan iz ovog ugla, tango pokazuje svoju trajnu relevantnost unutar savremenog umetničkog diskursa. On više nije samo kulturni artefakt prošlosti, već medij sposoban za transformaciju i reinvenciju. Cortazzov doprinos leži upravo u toj sposobnosti da održi ravnotežu između tradicije i savremenosti — dopuštajući tangu da ostane prepoznatljiv, ali otvoren za nove kontekste i senzibilitete.
Ono čemu sam svedočila u Novom Sadu nije bio samo događaj, radionica ili festival. Bio je to iskaz tanga kao umetničke prakse u razvoju — prakse koja komunicira preko granica, kultura i generacija. Kroz umetnike poput Pabla Cortazza, tango nastavlja da se kreće napred, ne napuštajući svoje korene, već im dopuštajući da dišu u punoj prisutnosti sadašnjeg trenutka.
Tango Today: Novi Sad and the Contemporary Face of this Art
In 2025, I had the opportunity to attend Bailemos Tango Experience in Novi Sad. What I encountered there went far beyond the familiar framework of a dance festival and sparked a deeper curiosity about the contemporary world of tango.
How is it possible that people from all over the world travel to a country like Serbia to immerse themselves in a cultural form that originated thousands of kilometers away, in the Río de la Plata region of Argentina? Tango is often imagined as a black-and-white photograph — nostalgic, elegant, frozen in time. Yet what unfolded in Novi Sad felt closer to a vivid, full-colour film: alive, evolving, and unmistakably present.
Following this curiosity led me to the artistic core of the experience: Pablo Cortazzo, an Argentine dancer, teacher, and creator who has spent decades working internationally to expand the language of tango beyond its traditional frames.
Cortazzo’s approach is neither rooted in preservation for its own sake nor in superficial innovation. Instead, he understands tango as a living artistic language — one capable of dialogue with contemporary movement practices, collective experience, and immersive artistic formats. In his projects, tango becomes less about performing for an audience and more about creating spaces in which participants actively inhabit the work.
What distinguishes Cortazzo’s practice is his focus on immersion, where the boundary between performer and observer dissolves. Through festivals, curated encounters, and pedagogical environments, his work invites participants to become part of the artistic process itself. The result is a form of tango that feels current, embodied, and relational — responsive to the present moment rather than confined to historical imagery.
This perspective reflects a broader understanding of tango as more than a dance technique. In Cortazzo’s work, tango functions as a tool for connection, presence, and shared meaning. The emphasis shifts from spectacle to experience, from representation to participation. Each encounter becomes a temporary community shaped by movement, music, and human interaction.
Seen through this lens, tango reveals its continued relevance within contemporary artistic discourse. It is no longer only a cultural artefact of the past, but a medium capable of transformation and reinvention. Cortazzo’s contribution lies precisely in his ability to hold tradition and contemporaneity in balance — allowing tango to remain recognisable while opening it to new contexts and sensibilities.
What I witnessed in Novi Sad was not simply an event, a workshop, or a festival. It was an articulation of tango as an evolving artistic practice — one that speaks across borders, cultures, and generations. Through artists like Pablo Cortazzo, tango continues to move forward, not by abandoning its roots, but by allowing them to breathe fully in the present.
