Dancing as a couple for 12 years, Fernanda Ghi and Guillermo Merlo understand tango.

“Tango is very powerful,” Ghi said. “I’ve been involved with it for years and still don’t know what makes it so powerful, but I’m OK with that. Instead, it’s more important to me to feel the energy and establish a relationship with the art.”

As teachers and performers, the married dancing duo has traveled the world, becoming one of the most prominent couples in tango.

Bringing their art to Bloomington, Ghi and Merlo will be among many notable figures in tango performing during the Tango Sensations Concert Friday and Saturday at the Buskirk Chumley Theater.

Featuring Grammy award-winning pianist Pablo Ziegler and Argentinean bandoneonist Hector Del Curto, the two evening concerts are part of the first Zero Hour Tango Fest.

“We’ve wanted to be a part of a festival like this for some time now,” Merlo said. “Too often in tango, there is a gap between the musical artists and dancers despite the fact that our performances build off each other.”

After having to postpone a tango-themed opera in production, Indiana University alum Alfredo Minetti developed the Zero Hour fest.

In Buenos Aires, where tango originated, “milongas” are dance halls dedicated to tango where at midnight, or the zero hour, the fun officially begins.

Minetti was inspired by this tradition after years of living in Brazil.

“Around the world, there are a lot of tango festivals that focus on one aspect of the genre,” Minetti said. “However, this festival is completely different because we are focusing on all the separate elements that make the whole.”

The two-day festival includes concerts, workshops, roundtable discussions and a “milonga” in order to celebrate and understand the different elements of tango: music, dance and emotion.

During the concerts, each piece will embody a different emotion associated with tango, including mystery, love, tragedy and irony. According to Minetti, the main focus of each concert is to engage the audience’s senses.

“There is an intensity and depth to tango that makes it so unique,” he said. “It is not enough to just sing the right note or dance the right move. In order to really understand the genre’s power, you must feel tango.”