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Argentina Tango

 
"Forget the mannered ballroom dancing image, tango is a real roots music: sometimes sleazy, sometimes elegant, but always sensuous, rhythmic and passionate..."

Tango: A trip to Buenos Aires is not complete without some sort of experience of the Tango, national dance of Argentina.

Tango is best experienced not in La Boca and on Calle Florida, but in the "Milongas". A milonga is both a place where a Tango dance will take place, as well as a specific type of tango dance. A good place for beginners to check out authentic tango is at Confiteria Idéal at Suipacha 384 (just off of Corrientes, near Calle Florida). Parts of Evita were filmed here. The ground floor is a confitéria with overpriced and bad tasting food. However at night several times a week they have magnificent, authentic shows for no more than 30 pesos. There is usually someone around who speaks English if you don't understand the shows.

Upstairs there is a dance floor where you can see people dancing tango. They come to the Milongas to dance. Entrance is usually around 10 or 15 pesos. It is worth it just to watch the older "milongueros" dance. Many have been coming regularly for over 30. Quick warning... If you don't want to dance be careful of the eye contact you make. Here, you will not see men physically getting up to ask a woman to dance. He will get her attention with his eyes, nod or make a "lets go" move with his head. If she accepts she will nod and smile, and they will both meet on the dance floor. The locals here are very friendly and if you are interested in learning tango, asking around for local instructors is the best bet.

There is a monthly magazine put out in Buenos Aires called "El Tangauta". It is the bible of everything Tango going on in Buenos Aires. Every group lesson and milonga is in there. There is lots of advertising of instructors. Many if not all speak English. Finding it can be hard but go around to some of the studios and you will find one.

Milongas take place either during the day or late at night. "Matinée Milongas" usually start in the early afternoon and go until 8-10pm. Made popular by tourists who may struggle staying up until 5am every night, you will find many locals here as well more than willing to show you how to dance. the night Milongas officially start at around 11, but don't fill up until around 1:30. They may go on until 5 or 6 in the morning. Don't be surprised if you see 80 year old men who still have 3 times as much energy as you do at that time.

The names of some of the more popular milongas are: Salon Canning, El Beso, Porteňo y Bailarin. There is literally tango going on 24 hours a day. Make your way down to the Zona de Calzados, buy some tango shoes, and Bailar!

The zona de calzados is just Past Diagonal Norte on Suipacha. You will see many shops grouped together that sell tango shoes. As with many things in Buenos Aires shop around and make sure you are not getting the gringo price. Men can buy excellent hand made leather shoes for around US$50. Women can be even less or a little more. For those of you with time on your hands you can ask them to make you a pair. They will draw your foot one piece of paper and you can design your own shoe for the same price. Do be aware that if they tell you that it will be ready in a week, that probably means about 10 days. If you don't have time, they can mail them back to your home for a small (maybe 40 pesos) fee. You can't have top quality custom made leather shoes for less than that anywhere. The soles are either leather or suede. Watch out if you are traveling in January as a lot of places will not make new shoes until February because of vacation.

You can start learning tango through the group lessons offered at many studios. Some popular schools are at the Centro Bourges Cultural, on the very top floor. It can be very hard to find the actual place as there are some stairs you have to go up, and go through a museum. Ask the security people where the "Escuela de Tango" is. It can be very hot in summers in the room. The Centro is within the Galerias Pacifico, the overpriced American-style mall near Calle Florida on san Martin.

Estudio DNI teaches is another studio popular with foreigners. All the instructors are extremely beautiful, extremely charming, and speak good English. If you email them, they have staff who will respond in English. Their group classes tend to be filled with too many people. But at 10 pesos (US$3.25) for a class you can't go wrong. They also offer private lessons. They are at Corrientes 2149. their web site is http://www.estudiodnitango.com.ar

The best way to learn even if you do not have a partner is with private lessons. If you look hard enough you will find top quality instructors for 1/4 of the price you would pay in Europe or the United States. Compare rates and try different instructors until you find the one you like. Rates will change every few months because of Argentine inflation, but is still affordable. You can find instructors who charge as little as 50 pesos per hour, all the way up to ones that will charge 100 dollars per hour. Many of the more 'famous' instructors command a premium price. An honest opinion is that even an inexpensive teacher can be as good as a famous teacher. Again, watch out that you are not paying the gringo rate. At milongas ask around locals and foreigners who their instructors are.

Be warned if you start taking tango lessons. It will seduce and consume your life and you will make many pilgrimages back to Buenos Aires to dance.

First appearing in the 1880's, tango has developed and grown into one of the most popular dances in the world. Now people can experience it's whole essence, it's melodramatic lyrics and movements in Buenos Aires and many other cultural centers in the world.

Far from the caricatured performances in Hollywood movies, real tango expresses the emotions and tells the story of the Argentine people. Tango songs and dances are a rich source of poetic history and tell their own stories about Argentina and Buenos Aires.

All About Tango contains a great deal information on the history of the Argentine Tango. You will also find information on the tango stars of today and yester-year. There is even information on tango museums that you can visit in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Besides the Argentine Tango background information, All About Tango features the latest information on where to: see tango shows, take tango lessons and dance in milongas in Buenos Aires and New York City.

Single women, or women whose partners refuse to dance, who want to take advantage of the tango scene can contact Tanguera Tours (www.tangueratours.com), which offers specialized tango tours for groups of women. The tango scene in general, with its strict rules, combining both chauvinism and chivalry, is a safe option for single women to try their hand at dancing. Nothing more than a dance is expected of a woman who accepts an invitation on the dance floor. In spite of tango's brothel roots, misbehavior among men is frowned upon in tango settings today. Opera Bay in Puerto Madero provides a low-key environment and is good for mature women.

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