They dance tango in front of the Gemelli Hospital by Pope Francis

A group of passionate tango, the emblematic dance of Pope Francis’s homeland, congregated at the gates of the Agostino Gemelli polyclinic to express their support and closeness through dance.

The melody of the bandoneon, an essential instrument in the tango, resonated to the tenth floor of the hospital, where the Pontiff has been admitted for more than a month. This initiative was called “Prayer Tango” and was a sample of solidarity by the “Tanguera Community” of Italy.

The Argentine dancer Daiana Guspero was in charge of promoting this meeting. In an interview with ACI Press, Guspero shares the details of this emotional gesture, held on March 16 in front of the image of San Juan Pablo II, to which many faithful have approached these days to pray for Pope Francis.

“I am very believer and I was sure that with our energy, dancing tango and praying for him, he was going to arrive in some way. It is the minimum I could do for him and I felt the need to do it, especially knowing that he loves tango, that he danced when he was young and that in the Vatican he listened to him, ”says Argentina.

To the meeting, according to the dancer, fans arrived from different parts of Italy, such as Catania or Sicily. “I danced with Massimiliano Varrense, an Italian actor with whom I am also studying. He is also a believer and immediately joined to get all our love to Pope, ”adds Guspero.

Although the initial idea was “a silent dance,” Mariano Navone finally joined, dancer and musician who played the bandoneon live. “Seeing that the Pope was better, we thought that maybe when he heard it, he could look at the window. But, if I’m not mistaken, the news has come that we were dancing and praying for him, ”he remarks.

Daiana has been dedicated to spreading tango in Italy for 13 years and currently has three academies, “Zotto Tango Academy”, Distributed in the cities of Milan, Venice and Verona.

He evokes with special affection the occasion in which he could greet Pope Francis during an audience in the Vatican in 2018. “I had the honor and privilege of dancing for him and the truth that was a beautiful emotion that I will never forget,” he tells ACI Press.

“I remember that I approached him and said: ‘Holy Father, how I would like to give him a tango hug!’ To which he replied: ‘And how much I would like to dance the tango with you,'” recalls between laughter Daiana, who says he was “one of the greatest emotions” of his life.

It should be remembered that, in 2014, about 3,000 dancers congratulated Pope Francis for his 78th birthday with a massive tango in the Plaza de San Pedro.