It happened at the Gran Rivadavia Theater in the Floresta district of Buenos Aires
An event that should have been a party for hundreds of dancers ended in an afternoon of chaos and imbalance at the Gran Rivadavia Theater in the Floresta district of Buenos Aires. There, oversold tickets, lack of ventilation and sweltering temperatures left at least 20 people suffering signs of heat stroke during the “megafinals” of a national dance tournament. Including five young people from La Plata who traveled to the competition and had to seek medical help.
The victims from La Plata are part of the Alquimia Dance Studio located at 66 between 165 and 166 in Los Hornos. Their families reported that the boys “cried a lot” over the situation, that they feared for their health and that the organization was “a disaster” from the start. Two of the minors were even taken to a local hospital but were later released. “Luckily it wasn’t a tragedy,” one mother summarized.
The episode began after 2:30 p.m., when multiple calls to 911 indicated that the theater was “overcrowded” and that there were unbalanced minors. According to official reports, groups from various provinces were preparing to compete inside, but the public continued to stream in even though the approved capacity of 400 people had already been well exceeded. Witnesses estimated that there were more than 700 people in the building.
The situation became critical when young people waiting on the upper floors began to feel dizzy due to the extreme heat and lack of air. Several fainted, others had to be given oxygen in the hall. SAME sent four ambulances in addition to a private unit, and health staff recommended that the event be canceled immediately. Alberto Crescenti, head of SAME, said the priority was to evacuate the room before the situation progressed into something more serious. “It made no sense to continue. There were a lot of people, more than the designated capacity. The children were decompensated and the heat was unbearable. I gave the order to evacuate the theater,” he said.
As ambulances attended to the injured, another tense scene began outside. Dozens of young people, family members and spectators protested against the closure and demanded a refund of their ticket money. Many participants, still dressed in dance clothes, shouted into megaphones outside the doors.
The La Plata families described a chaotic panorama: crowded hallways and a second floor where the heat was “unbearable.” Patricia, the grandmother of one of the boys, told a television station that when she was looking for her grandchildren, she saw several minors being cared for.
About The Author
