We have almost forgotten how it feels like to embrace and hug someone for the last two years, not just in Tango but also in our normal lives. However it was worth waiting for as this year was a rhapsodic comeback for all of us to continue our story where we all left. The excitement, the energy, the passion was all in the air as in the previous TanGOTO festivals which encourages us to make it bigger and better each year. We were more than a `Thousand` at Gala Night which this magic would not happen without you. To start with we would like to thank our beloved Maestros to come and share their knowledge and talent with us. Javier Rodriguez & Fatima Vitale, Facundo Piñero & Vanesa Villalba, Carlitos Espinoza & Agustina Piaggio, Juan Malizia & Manuela Rossi, Dmitriy Kuznetsov & Olga Nikola and Giampiero Cantone & Julia Osina and Tango Infinity by Serkan Sevinç, thank you for being such beautiful colors to our festival. We can not translate our feelings into words when the Incredible and talented Tango Bardo Orchestra ana Roberto Minondi was on stage for the first time in Turkey, thank you for being a part of us and a poem to our ears. Thanks to our DJs, Cem Çınar, Burcu İris Tekin, Sabri Güleç, Geff Kim Taehwan and Ramo & Gogo for making us dance all night with an endless energy and keep the stage full until the last tanda. Thanks also to the prestigious Venues of tanGOTOistanbul, Dedeman Gayrettepe Otel, Ritz Carlton Istanbul, Swissotel Bosphorus, Conrad Bosphorus and Atatürk Cultural Center to open their doors for this lovely reunion. Also these venues were so fascinating with the light and audio systems surrounded by VLS Music, also thank you for your amazing work. Thanks to our beloved presenters Erdem YIlmazkasapoğlu and Hayati Kandiyoti to elevate our excitement and connect us to the stage. And of course big big thanks for the Istanbul Tango Team, Abdullah İleri, Alper Ergökmen, Aras Çalıkyan, Belgin Sönmez, Büşra Salman, Ceren Konukman, Emre Eroğlu, Engin Yıldız, Erencem Morkoç, Hande Tetik, Hayati Kandiyoti, Gökhan Özen, Gürkan Doğan, İlayda Çelik, İmge Çağsırlıoğlu, Işıl Sanlı, Kübra Kısrure, Melisa Yürüsün, Merve Yıldız, Metin Birgün, Özgür Tepe, Serap Vardarlı, Serdar Arslan, Serkan Yılmaz, Sıla Yavuz, Sennur Kandiyoti, Tugay Genç, Yasemin Oğuz, Yavuz Gencer and Yiğit Moğol, they worked all day and all night to make everyone enjoy the festival and classes. In order to make these magical moments immortal, big thanks to our videographer Ömür Yıldırım and our photographer Halil İbrahim Yalçın for their talented eyes and work. Also thanks to Ceren Parlak for creating the graphics and social media works for the 14th edition of TanGOTOistanbul. Moreover also thanks to Tangorium sellers, Adornos Tango Shoes, Chique Dancewear, Si Dancewear, Tangoinstyle and Milonguera for sharing their beautiful designs. And lastly but most importantly, dear participants, big big applauses and thanks to all of you for coming here from all around the world and making this happen. This festival has been a meeting point for each of us to share our love, embrace and Tango. It was an honor to have you in Istanbul and we can not wait to meet again with all of you next year. Because as you all know, the best is still yet to come! See you at 15th tanGO TO istanbul (21-26 March 2023)
