*** Prizes worth more than 10.000 Euro  ***

Terms and Conditions of Participation

BERLIN OPEN – Tango Contest

Categories: Tango de Pista/ Vals/ Milonga

I. Organization

The International Berlin Tango Championship BERLIN OPEN is organized by the association b.tango. This organization ensures the smooth running of the championship and compliance with the terms and conditions of participation, as well as the promotion of the championship and awarding of prizes.

The organization commits to impartiality and has no influence on the evaluation of the jury.

II. Participation & Registration

1. Whether amateur or professional dancers, ALL are allowed to participate if they are at least 18 years of age on the first day of the championship.

2. The origin of the participants does not matter. Berlin Open is open to participants from all countries.

3. Qualification in advance is NOT necessary or possible. Anyone meeting the above requirements can take part.

4. All participants must register in advance.

5. Participation only applies if the participant contribution has been fully settled in advance.

6. All participants must register in person by presenting an ID/passport (check-in) and will receive a number. The ID/passport must be presented each round.

7. The number assigned by the organization shall be worn on the back of the leader during each round.

8. Each person can compete only once per category. The couple must remain the same at each level within a category. Across different categories the couple may vary.

9. The gender of the participant does not matter.

10. All participants must be present in the respective location no later than one hour before the start of the competition. Persons who have registered but are not present at check-in will be excluded from participating in the championship.

11. All participants must complete a form with personal details and other information requested by the organization of the championship upon check-in. Participants must confirm that they have read and accepted the terms and conditions. The information given in the registration form is regarded as a sworn statement. Any contradictions asserted with a participant’s own signature will be penalized by the organization of the championship through the reduction of points, disqualification or any other decision made by the organization of the championship.

III. Contest

1. The competition consists of three levels per category (Tango de Pista / Milonga / Vals): qualification, semi-final and final:

1st Level – Qualification: All registered couples will participate in the qualifying round. They will dance a Ronda.

2nd stage – Semi-finals: The pairs selected in the qualification round will dance. They will dance a Ronda. The number of people entering the semi-finals depends on the number of participating couples.

3rd stage – Finale: The couples who have been selected in the semifinals dance. They will dance a Ronda. The number of people entering the Finale depends on the number of participating couples.

2. The jury awards points from 1-10, with 10 being the highest possible score. The jury rating is based on the average of the points given by each jury member, decided on the basis of evaluation criteria listed below.

3. The highest and lowest score is not included in the rating, but exempted.

4. Each level is re-evaluated. Points are not transferred to the next level.

5. Each level consists of a multi-pair Ronda, each couple interpreting three musical pieces of different orchestras. The selection of the pieces will not be announced in advance.

6. The number of Rondas per level depends on the number of participants. The number of pairs per Ronda and the composition of the individual Rondas are determined by the organizers.

7. Milonguero/a of the Hearts: In this Category you register as single leader or single follower. There will be two levels: Qualification and Finals. You start as a single dancer. In each level there will be five tango pieces, that you dance with rotating partners. After the tango you will evaluate anonymously how much YOU liked to dance with each partner. Criteria are purely subjective. We will honor the social skill of connecting with different, also unknown, partners and enjoying the beauty of tango. All evaluations of the participants will be kept anonymous. Only finalists (After Qualification Round) and winners (After finals) will be announced.

8. In special cases (for example, technical failures), the jury may request the participants to repeat a Ronda in order to make a final judgment.

9. Couples may be excluded from participation in the championship by the organizers if they:

a) do not comply with the conditions of participation

b) behave unethically or, through their behavior, damage the image of the championship or the organization of the championship or create public disapproval.

10. Participants must undertake participation in events organized or planned by the Organization, if requested to do so. These include, for example, award ceremonies, winner’s dance, press conferences, interviews with the press, radio, television or the like.

11. The day before the official start of BERLIN OPEN, the participants will be presented to the public during the EMBRACE Berlin Tango Festival. Participation is voluntary, but is strongly encouraged by the organization.

IV. Jury

1. The composition of the jury will be announced in advance on the homepage of the championship.

2. The evaluation of the jury will be published as follows: The results will be sorted according to the starting numbers announced in the event. The participants taking part in the next level will be published on the website with names and results shortly after the jury decision. The evaluations of the individual jury members will be made transparent.

3. Each member of the jury commits to unbiased evaluation with the best of intentions. Personal or business contacts should not play any role in decision making on the part of the jury.

4. The jury undertakes to treat all participants with respect. Compliance is ensured by the organization.

5. Influence by the participants on the jury is prohibited. Compliance is ensured by the organizers.

6. The participants and the jury will avoid any personal, telephone or digital contact and communication through third parties during the competition. Violations can lead to exclusion.

7. The judgments of the jury cannot be challenged in court. The participants acknowledge this by signing the terms and conditions. Appeals against judgments must be made directly to the organizers/supervisors. Complaints to the jury can be considered a violation of the ban on contact.

8. Any objections may only be submitted by participants in the championship in their respective categories within 5 working days of the end of the event. Information and documents may be submitted later if necessary.

9. Any jury member feeling biased in his or her assessment must notify the organization of the championship and must withdraw from a ruling on the given couple. Should a jury member fail to evaluate a pair, the points of other jury members will be summed and divided by the number of jury members.

V. Evaluation Criteria:

1. Tango de Pista / Milonga / Vals as they are danced in milongas – regardless of specific styles.

2. Observance of the Ronda (dance direction and dance flow)

3. Connection within the couple

4. Interpretation of music (different orchestras of different epochs)

5. Creativity and combinations

6. Character of the couple’s dancing.

7. The embrace must not be broken. Elements such as soltadas are therefore not allowed.

8. Lifts and jumps are not permitted.

9. Boleos and Ganchos are allowed as long as they do not interrupt the dance flow and do not disturb the other couples.

10. The clothing of the participants is not evaluated explicitly.

VI. Winners and Prizes:

1. The final ranking of the championship is displayed in the categories Tango de Pista, Vals and Milonga. First, second and third place will be honored.

2. The winners may be awarded the titles “BERLIN OPEN Champion 2019”, “BERLIN OPEN Champion Milonga 2019”, “BERLIN OPEN Champion 2019”, “BERLIN OPEN Best Couple Germany 2019”, “BERLIN OPEN Audience Award 2019”, “BERLIN OPEN Berlin Milonguero Award 2019”, “BERLIN OPEN Talent Award 2019”, “BERLIN OPEN Senior Award 2019”.

3. In the Berlin Milonguero Award, Talent Award and Senior Award, the points of all levels (qualification, semi-finals, finals) of all categories (Tango de Pista, Milonga, Vals) are added. The pair with the highest total score wins.

4. Prizes:

→BERLIN OPEN Champion Tango de Pista:This award goes to the pair receiving the highest rating from the jury in the final round of the category Tango de Pista. This prize is open to all participants.

→BERLIN OPEN Champion Milonga:This award goes to the pair, which is the highest rated by the jury in the final round of the category Milonga. This price is open to all participants.

→BERLIN OPEN Champion Vals:This award goes to the pair receiving the highest rating from the jury in the final round of the Vals category. This prize is open to all participants.

→BERLIN OPEN Best Couple Germany:This prize goes to the pair receiving the highest rating from the jury in the final round of the Tango de Pista category. This prize is open to all participants who have been permanently residents in Germany for at least 6 months before the first day of the championships.

→BERLIN OPEN Audience AWARD:During the final the audience is allowed to vote. Each person is allowed to vote for one couple which is registered in the designated voting modalities. All couples who reach either the final in Tango de Pista, Milonga or Vals can be chosen by the public. The couple with the most votes wins.

→BERLIN OPEN: Berlin Milonguero AWARD:This prize is awarded to the best Berlin amateur couple. The prize can only be awarded to a couple whose two participants have their permanent residence in Berlin at the time of the championship. In addition, only couples whose two partners have not generated revenue through tango dancing or teaching tango in the past six months can receive this award. The points of all levels (qualification, semi-finals, finals) of all categories (Tango de Pista, Milonga, Vals) are added. The pair with the highest total score wins.

→BERLIN OPEN Talent AWARD:This prize is awarded to the best couple, both of whom have less than two years of tango experience at the time of the championship. This includes all time since the first Tango experience, breaks do not count. The points of all levels (qualification, semi-finals, finals) of all categories (Tango de Pista, Milonga, Vals) are added. The pair with the highest total score wins.

→BERLIN OPEN Milonguer@ of the Hearts:With this prize we will reward the Leader/ follower which dances best with different dancers. What is important to YOU in the dance is the only question. Partners will be mixed up randomly.

→ BERLIN OPEN Senior AWARD: This prize is awarded to the best couple whose two participants are at least 50 years old at the beginning of the contest. The points of all levels (qualification, semi-finals, finals) of all categories (Tango de Pista, Milonga, Vals) are added. The pair with the highest total score wins.

1. If there is a tie for the first place in the final, there is a run-off for the prizes and awards.

2. The participants may decide which city/country they represent, if they each come from different places.

3. In order for the grand prizes to be awarded in different categories, a minimum number of participating couples is required.

Category: Tango de Pista: 15 Couples

Vals: 15 Couples

Milonga: 15 Couples

Best Couple Germany: 10 Couples

Audience Award: 15 Couples

Berlin Milonguero Award: 10 Couples

Talent Award: 8 Couples

Senior Award: 8 Couples

Whether the minimum number of participating couples has been achieved will be announced in the run-up to the championship.

VII. Video/film/audio recordings, photos, interviews

1. The organization of the Contest reserves all rights to photo and video recordings/filming from any point during the contest, through any known or unknown types of recording, including, but not limited to, video/television, acoustic recordings, photographs, digitization, directly or through an author, with the aim of promoting and/or disseminating the event. The recordings are the exclusive property of the organization of the contest. Enrolling in the contest entails the express and irrevocable right of participants to use the recorded material, without claiming any ownership of such material, either for the organization of the contest or in favor of any person or organization claiming to be the author or beneficiary. This clause also includes – without any restriction – the photographic material that is published and/or used for advertising purposes, etc.

2. All participants agree that photo and video recordings will be taken during the course of the event and that they may be used beyond the championship for the communication and marketing of the event and subsequent events.

3. All participants agree to be available for interview purposes.

4. All participants commit themselves to contribute to the good reputation of the event and the championship.

5. The winning couples of the categories Tango de Pista, Audience Award and Best Couple Germany commit to presenting themselves the day after the finale at a milonga within the framework of the EMBRACE Berlin Tango Festival. The details will be announced by the organization on the website.

VIII. Cancellation:

Participation can withdraw in writing up until two months BEFORE the first day of the championship. In this case, 50% of the participation fee will be refunded. If the cancellation occurs after that, there can be no refund of the participation fee.

IX. Final provisions:

Changes to the competition rules are reserved as a right of the organization. If a version of the championship rules deviating from this document is available on the day of the registration, the participants will be informed. The championship rules apply at registration and during the whole contest. By registering the participants accept these championship rules. Should there be any discrepancies in foreign language versions of the conditions of participation, the German version is valid to clarify doubt.

We wish all participants a fantastic and inspirational time!