The International Tango Camp will be held from July 8 to 26, and organizers promise that this year's edition will surpass all previous ones, bringing together almost 800 dancers from around 50 countries and more than 160 cities. The event is being held in Kolašin for the eleventh time, after a five-year break, and the tango dancers, as the organizers point out, "returned to stay" two years ago.
The event, a winner of the Wild Beauty Award and one of nine that the National Tourism Organization of Montenegro (NTO) has listed as "not to be missed if you come to Montenegro", is being organized by Tango Natural Montenegro this summer. So far, they have been supported by the Municipality of Kolašin, and the organizers hope that the Ministry of Tourism will also provide support.
"Kolašin, although located in the mountains, is one of the rare tourist destinations that does not have to look at the sky for most of the summer and monitor other circumstances that can affect attendance. It has guaranteed guests. The Tango Camp is once again ready to make us dance. After a five-year break, the squares and streets of Kolašin were once again full of embracing dancing couples in the previous two years, so the summers without the Camp are slowly being forgotten. This year's, eleventh edition will last nineteen days and break all previous records," said Tango Natural Montenegro.
They announce that Kolašin and Montenegro will once again occupy an important place on the world map of international tango events this year. This unusual event has become recognizable for its combination of Argentine tango, Montenegrin nature and a rich accompanying program, but also for its record duration. The citizens and guests of Kolašin will enjoy the carnival atmosphere, as a good part of the activities will be organized outdoors.
In addition to daily dance activities – including tango and Argentine folk dances – camp guests will have access to hiking and cycling tours, sport climbing, archery, yoga, relaxation programs, horseback riding, creative workshops for children, concerts, lectures and numerous other activities.
New features include acro-yoga and golf on the courses in Lipovo (Kolašin Golf Course), as well as Feldenkrais Method workshops dedicated to restoring inner harmony, and morning running tours in cooperation with the organizers of the Bjelasica Ultra Trail, announced Tango Natural Montenegro.
Darko Dožić, one of the founders of the event, says that they are continuing where they left off last year and will “go one step further.” The Tango Camp and its numerous accompanying activities, according to him, will once again highlight Kolašin as a place for creative vacations – specific and different from other tourist destinations in the country.
"Collaborations with the Kolašin Golf Course and the Bjelasica Ultra Trail, as well as some other new facilities, in addition to the already established ones, show the great potential for this direction of development. The camp is in harmony with nature and the spirit of the city, which is increasingly escaping investor urbanism, where millions earned are the only measure of success," Dožić points out.
He reminds that the camp's guests are tourists of special importance to Kolašin - their average stay lasts about eight days, while there are those who stay for all 19 days or even longer.
Dožić emphasizes that the camp participants spend most of their time in the city itself, which is not the case with the usual transit tourists. Also, due to the diverse content, the camp attracts a large number of non-dancers who are not formally registered participants, which, he says, has a more far-reaching effect than a regular dance event.
"This is the reason why many people who have houses or cottages in Kolašin extend their stay. The dancers are guests who are also an attractive tourist offer - their daily presence on the streets is a real attraction. I don't think any other city in Montenegro has something like this," says Dožić.
Dusko Raketic from Tango Natural Montenegro adds that, in addition to amateur and professional dancers, numerous citizens and visitors to Kolašin who want to try their hand at tango or enjoy additional content will also actively participate. In addition to workshops for active dancers, a tango school for complete beginners will be organized, as well as numerous workshops on Argentine folk dances.
"Tango camp is the ideal place for your first dance steps," says Raketić.
Event coordinator Nemanja Stojković points out that the musical part of the festival will feature performances by renowned names in Argentine tango: Leonela Gasa, Lucia Clarosa, Valtera Romera, Diego Dipi Kvitka and others, while music at the dance evenings will be played by famous European DJs.
He notes that, given the ratio between the number of festival visitors and the number of residents, Kolašin will be a unique phenomenon during those days – a true “tango city.” Stojković adds that, as before, he will strive to ensure that “photographs and recordings of the attractive combination of tango and our nature travel the world.”
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