DÍA DEL TANGO Sofia 2019
The German Edition | Die Deutsche Ausgabe
After the success of the French edition of Día del Tango in Sofia last year, we decided to continue dedicating the celebration of the Day of Tango to the influence various European countries and cultures had on the development of tango and their contribution to tango’s popularity outside Argentina. This year we place under the spotlight Germany – the country which gave tango it’s most important instrument, its musical soul – the bandoneon. Not all tango lovers are aware that the genre’s most emblematic instrument was invented in XIX century in Germany by Heinrich Band to be used as an instrument for religious and popular music of the day. Towards the end of the XIX century, brought in by German immigrants, the bandoneon reaches Buenos Aires where it finds a new home and a new sense of purpose as the main instrument of argentine tango.
Germany, and especially Berlin, play an important role in the most recent history of tango as well. When at the end of XX century, after years of oblivion, tango enjoyed a renaissance around the world, the Berlin wall had just fallen and Berlin was the new bohemian hot spot of Europe. It had become an important crossroad where the merging of east and west, old and new, tradition and modernity fuelled an unprecedented outpoor of creativity and freedom of expression. It was just natural for tango to find in this colourful mix of cultures and ideologies its new European base and for Berlin to turn into what Paris had been for tango musicians and dancers in the beginning of the XX century. Thus, reunited Germany has become one of the major driving forces behind the latest surge in popularity of tango in Europe. Today the German capital is the top european destination for the tango traveller, boasting some of the biggest festivals and events dedicated to tango outside Argentina. The contemporary tango scene in Berlin is the biggest and most diverse in Europe, with many professional tango musicians and dancers from all over the world choosing the city as their base and source of inspiration. And the bandoneon has triumphantly returned to its homeland!

Event Program
All events take place on 11 December in the hall of Goethe Institut, 1 Budapest Str., Sofia
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6:30 p.m.
CONCERT
El Bandoneon
The mythical bandoneon reveals it story!
- 18:30 – 19:30
- Concert-lecture by Michael Dolak(Germany) and his bandoneon
- All spoken parts will be in English!
- ADMISSION FEE: 15.00 lv. payable at the the entrance
- The hall has a limited seating capacity. The organizers reserve the right to stop the admission upon reaching full seating capacity or after the concert has started.
Without the bandoneon – a German invention – the Argentine tango would not have become what it is today: Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Bandoneon and tango belong together and can hardly be imagined without each other. And just as there are many legends surrounding the genesis of tango, there are also many, perhaps not so well-known, stories about the bandoneon.
In his solo concert “El Bandoneón” Michael Dolak is sharing his love for this instrument with the audience and tells the story of the bandoneon in this musical journey from the Ore Mountains (Germany) to Buenos Aires (Argentina) in an entertaining way. You can hear classical music, traditional German folk tunes and lots of tango, including compositions by Carlos Gardel and Astor Piazzolla among others.
The tango gave the bandoneon the chance to survive and it is a long way from the Ore Mountains to Buenos Aires. How did the bandoneon get there? Where does it come from? And what is its connection to football clubs and clothes lines? A journey full of surprises…
8:00 p.m.
GRAN MILONGA
Tango Ball
El Día del Tango: Buenos Airles – Berlin – Sofia
- 20:00 – 00:00
- SHOW: Mimi Hirsch (Germany) and Andrey Nenchev (Bulgaria)
- DJ: Vera Tinkova (Bulgaria)
- ADMISSION FEE: 15 lv. payable at the entrance
This year our annual Gran Milonga dedicated to the World Day of Tango pays homage to the Berlin tango community, which is undoubtedly the biggest and the most diverse one in Europe.
It is difficult to convey the dynamic and eventful atmosphere of tango in Berlin with its multitude of clubs, schools, milongas, festivals, marathons, shows, concerts, flashmobs and other original tango happenings that take place every week there. In order to bring us a tiny little feel of the Berlin tango scene, our special guest will be one of its most active young protagonists, the tango dancer and teacher Mimi Hirsch. She will perform a show during the milonga together with the talented young Sofia tanguero, Andrey Nenchev. The music for the Gran Milonga will be selected by none other than Vera Tinkova, one of the most beloved and stylish DJanes in the history of tango in Bulgaria, who has been regularly invited to dj at tango festivals, marathons and milongas in Germany.
Mimi Hirsch and Andrey Nenchev will also teach a series of workshops for tango dancers in Sofia during the weekend 13-15 December. Detailed information about these workshops can be found on the following link:

Guest Artists
Michael Dolak
Michael Dolak, who will perform a solo concert for this year’s Tango day celebration, is one of the most successful and versatile bandoneonists in Germany today. Since the age of six he has been playing the accordion and studied bandoneon from 2003 to 2007 at “Rotterdam Academy of World Music” with Victor Hugo Villena, Leo Vervelde, Gustavo Beytelmann and Coco Nelegatti. Since 2007 he lives as a freelance musician and teacher in Berlin.
As a soloist he has performed with the Berlin Symphony Orchestra, Brandenburg Symphony Orchestra, National Youth Ballet, Georgian Chamber Orchestra Ingolstadt, Central Saxon Philharmonic Orchestra, New Hamburg Philharmonic Orchestra, Dresden Philharmonic Orchestra and Trier Philharmonic Orchestra among others.
With “Cuarteto Rotterdam” (co-founded by him in 2004) he is a regular guest all over Europe and a multiple prizewinner of international competitions in Klingenthal (Germany) and Stowe (USA). His collaboration with renowned artists such as Gotan Project, Ute Lemper and Luis Borda took him to over 20 countries and resulted in numerous recordings.
Additional information about Michael, full discography and a detailed list of all musical and tango projects in which he has participated can be found on his official website: www.dolak.de
Mimi Hirsch
Mirjam (Mimi) Hirsch, who will perform a show during the Gran milonga for the Day of Tango, is the founder of the Academia de Tango Berlin. She has performed at numerous international tango festivals and famous stages and has won two tango championships.
She is known for the deep and transforming way in which she expolres tango. She has developed a very unique style of teaching always focusing on what people need most. She binds technique to musicality and to the personal expression and connection. Classes with Mimi are full of joy, open up new perspectives and give dancers tools to explore in a profound way their own personal growth. Besides being an excellent teacher she is known for her appreciation of deep level connection and musical playfulness. Needless to say, we are honoured and thrilled that she is our speical guest dancer for this German edition of Día del Tango Sofia.