On September 30th, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) added 76 new items to its “List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity”, for safeguarding and preservation. The “Intangible” list is a companion to UNESCO’s World Heritage list, which focuses on physical sites worldwide. Submitted jointly by member states Argentina and Uruguay, the “symbolic universe” of tango was among the traditions added to the list. Tango is a deep-rooted tradition of dance, poetry and song, tied closely to the Rio de la Plata region of the two countries, and remains popular in competition, for pleasure, and for health – doctors worldwide are experimenting with tango as dance therapy to treat problems ranging from Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease to phobias and marital breakdowns. (29 photos total)
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