+
A PERSONAL MESSAGE FROM UPWORTHY
We are a small, independent media company on a mission to share the best of humanity with the world.
If you think the work we do matters, pre-ordering a copy of our first book would make a huge difference in helping us succeed.
GOOD PEOPLE Book
upworthy

argentina

America's Got Talent/Youtube

You could watch this a million times and it wouldn't get old.

In the latest episode of “America’s Got Talent,” a one-of-a-kind Argentinian dance troupe snagged a Golden Buzzer from Sofia Vergara and stunned audiences with a performance that truly brought the heat.

As the group, named Legión, stepped onto the stage in matching sleek black outfits that look straight out of the film “Desperado,” the crowd could already tell they were about to experience something special.


Just before starting their number, one of the Legión dancers explained that the team all had “regular jobs” and would find time to rehearse around 2am of the night in a family member’s backyard. If they won, they would use the prize money to purchase a studio where they can truly dedicate himself to their craft.

Then, seemingly out of nowhere, someone appeared on stage to set their boots on fire.

Legión’s blazing routine was a riveting display of passion and precision, made even more thrilling with the rhythmic beats of drums and whips.

Watch:

The folk duel dance, called malambo, emerged in the late 19th century as a way for gauchos to test their speed, strength and dexterity against one another. As malambo choreographer Gilles Brinas explained to ArtBurst, the fast-paced footwork is inspired by the galloping horses gauchos would ride as they wrangle cattle.

And while malambo dancers might regularly add weapons or drums to their routine, it seems the boots-on-fire aspect was a completely new touch.

Even Vergara, who said I'm South American. I have seen this dance many times” told the troupe "that was spectacular. I thought it was amazing. I have never seen anything like that” just before hitting the Golden Buzzer button.

Cowell, along with Hiedi Klum and Howie Mandell also sang high praises. Klum remarked “I loved it. Many dancers have danced on this stage, but their feet have never been on fire” while Mandell called it “Very unexpected, very surprising.”

“This is something I genuinely can see in Vegas,” Cowell noted.

Over in the Youtube comments, viewers felt the same way.

“I have never seen anything like that in my entire life. That was INCREDIBLE and very worthy of the golden buzzer. I can see them going very far if not winning. Congratulations and great job, guys!!!”

“That was amazing! Well deserved Golden Buzzer! I agree with Simon, VEGAS WORTHY! Viva en fuego muchachos!”

“I literally never seen anything like this before. They’ve added some danger to this act and original moves. Well deserved golden buzzer.”

Congrats to Legión, for delivering a unique, energetic and definitely fiery performance!

Did you know there are glaciers in South America?

There are, and they're beautiful! The Patagonian ice fields, located in the southern Patagonia Andes of Chile and Argentina, are the largest ice mass in the Southern Hemisphere with the exception of Antarctica, and the third largest freshwater reserve in the world.

While ice, snow, and glaciers might not be what comes to mind when you think of South America, near the southernmost part of the continent, that's exactly what you'll find.


All photos by Mario Tama/Getty Images.

Photojournalist Mario Tama recently visited the ice field, capturing the beauty of the ice formations alongside the signs of the toll climate change has taken on the area.

The southern ice field is roughly five times the size of Rhode Island.

The southern ice field is made up of roughly 50 glaciers and runs across parts of Argentina and Chile.

Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images.

Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images.

In 1937, Argentina established Los Glaciares National Park to preserve a vast region of Patagonia.

It's unique ecosystem combines things like waterfalls, rivers, forests, and, yes, glaciers.

Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images.

People walking across the Perito Moreno Glacier in Santa Cruz Province, Argentina. Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images.

UNESCO inscribed Los Glaciares National Park as a "World Heritage" in 1981.

UNESCO describes the park as "an area of exceptional natural beauty, with rugged, towering mountains and numerous glacial lakes."

Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images.

Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images.

Glaciers sometimes look bluish in color because of light refraction.

Part of a glacier breaks off as the result of melting. Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images.

Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images.

The U.S. National Parks Service explains this phenomenon (and how you can experience it for yourself):

"Because the red (long wavelengths) part of white light is absorbed by ice and the blue (short wavelengths) light is transmitted and scattered. The longer the path light travels in ice, the more blue it appears. So... why is snow white? Light does not penetrate into snow very far before being scattered back to the viewer. However, the next time you are in an igloo, notice that it is blue inside. You can also poke a stick into some snow, shade the area around the hole, and look deep into the snow pack. The light that has traveled some distance through the snow will be enhanced in blue."

Between 2000 and 2012, these glaciers melted at a rate roughly 1.5 times faster than ever previously recorded.

Melting occurs throughout the glacier, and while it may not be completely uniform in pattern, recent studies suggest it's becoming more normalized throughout. Which means the whole glacier is starting to melt at roughly the same rate.

Melted glacial ice floats in Los Glaciares National Park. Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images.

Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images.

The rapidly melting glaciers are leading to rising sea levels.

Melting of glaciers and ice caps are the biggest contributors to rising sea levels around the world. As glaciers melt, the freshwater stored within gets dumped into surrounding bodies of water. If unchecked, this could pose disastrous consequences for people around the world.

Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images.

Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images.

As is the case for other glaciers around the world, it's climate change that's driving the melt-off.

Glaciers and other ice structures are some of the most impressive natural storers of climate information. As glaciers have been around for a very long time, they've existed through warming and cooling periods. Recent data extracted from glaciers, however, shows that the modern melt-off is different from naturally occurring fluctuations.

This is Lake Argentino, which holds runoff water from the Southern Patagonian Ice Field. Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images.

Horses run outside Los Glaciares National Park. Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images.

Some say it's too late to stop the melting, but that doesn't mean we should give up.

Dr. Ian Joughin of the University of Washington explained to the New York Times that climate change has destabilized glacier-covered areas, and without a stabilization mechanism, we'll continue to see glaciers melting.

Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images.

Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images.

Climate change is very real, and in addition to wiping glaciers from the earth, there are other dire consequences.

Rising sea levels may make some currently populated places totally uninhabitable. Additionally, due to climate change, the world can expect to see an increase in unseasonable and unpredictable storms, more droughts, and more heat waves.

But there are things we can (and should) do to help stop it. Like urging politicians to take action.

Over the next two weeks, 150 world leaders are meeting in Paris to discuss what we, as human beings, can do to preserve our planet and fight climate change. Some individuals don't believe we should take action, and some even doubt the reality of climate change (although 97% of the world's climate scientists assure humanity that yes, it is very real).

But meaningful change starts with letting our elected officials know that yes, this is an issue worth prioritizing for the sake of our world and generations to come.

So before the glaciers say their final "goodbye," let's do something about it!

Right now there's a gender violence crisis happening in Argentina.

The gender motivated killing of women is called "femicide," and Argentina has one of the worst rates of femicide in the world. It's a terrifying problem, and one that experts say is intertwined with a culture of "machismo" and misogyny in the country. Some reports indicate that one woman is killed about every 30 hours in Argentina.

But Argentinian women are taking the conversation about femicide into their own hands, and it's been incredibly cool to watch.

They've started to fight back through a campaign called #NiUnaMenos, which means "not one less."


The power of women's voices. Photo by Jaluj/Wikimedia Commons.

Here's what you need to know about the protests:

On May 6, 2015, the body of a 14-year-old pregnant girl, Ciara Paez, was found dead in her boyfriend's garden in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She was another tragic victim of femicide. Paez was beaten to death by her boyfriend, whose mother had also participated in the crime. Paez was just one of many femicide victims under the age of 20 to be killed this past spring, but her murder was the one that sparked the #NiUnaMenos movement.

Following Paez's murder, journalist Marcela Ojeda posted a tweet that read, "They are killing us: Aren't we going to do anything?" with the now famous #NiUnaMenos hashtag.

The message of this tweet sent shockwaves throughout Buenos Aires, and three weeks later, tens of thousands of women took to the streets to protest gender violence.

The #NiUnaMenos movement is a brave and urgent cry for women's rights.

And now the men of Argentina have started to join the movement, too.

In a show of solidarity with #NiUnaMenos, hundreds of men walked through the streets of Buenos Aires last week wearing skirts.

Why? Business Standard reported that one of the skirted protesters said that the protest was a way to teach his son about gender equality. "This march was very useful to convey to my son [...] there is no privilege in being a male," he said.

The men standing with #NiUnaMenos say that they want to help redefine masculinity.

They want to convey the message that men are not superior to women and do not "wear the pants" in society or in personal relationships.

By walking proudly through the streets wearing skirts, the male protestors also wanted to demonstrate that there is nothing shameful about a man in a skirt and that true shame lies with men who commit violence against women.

The lesson here? Maybe equality is possible if we can combine forces.

We have a long way to go, yes. Men hold positions of social privilege all over the world. But in Argentina, it's amazing to see what can happen when men use that privilege to support women's rights. It gives me hope for the gender struggles faced by people living in every country on our planet.

I also believe that #NiUnaMenos is an incredible example of how a community effort can lead to empowerment and how men also have an important role to play in the fight for women's rights.