Tango Dancing in Buenos Aires
When I think of Argentina the first images that come to mind are of red wine, good steak and tango dancing. The city oozes sexuality, there is an entire different element of emotion and passion here, late night dances and romances happen alike and tango merely accentuates that atmosphere. The Argentine Tango itself originated in the late 1800’s in Buenos Aires and has been considered something like ‘a sad thought you can dance to’ where the couple dance very close to capture the feeling that the city seems to expel. Now of course being a ballroom and latin dancer myself I wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity to learn the trade in the city that it originated and leapt at the chance to experience an authentic class. Tucked away up a staircase in an unassuming building in downtown Buenos Aires exists a vast ballroom where such dances occur almost every night. With borrowed dance shoes in tow I arrived at the class at 2pm and was immediately transported back to my teenage latin class years. The floor was well polished, the wall decoration was beautiful yet crumbling at hints of age and a chandelier donned the decorated ceiling. The crowd, exclusively all above 50 years old, were pleasantly surprised to see such a young and partnerless entourage give their local dance a shot. And then the teacher began - in Spanish of course. Despite the language barrier it was relatively easy to follow the steps and practice walking and moving once again. Although years of professional training in dance, I had to throw the rule book out of the window and re-learn new techniques which are completely different to anything I have learned before (in some ways it might actually be harder for someone who has danced European tango before) but nonetheless we were provided with a basic and fun routine. Throughout the two hour session we were also encouraged to dance with a series of partners, many who spoke no English, and to move around the room to the music. I was already being shown up by my fellow dance students yet the lesson provided us with a good knowledge of the basic techniques. Before I knew it the session was over yet thanks to a captivating tango teacher we left confident that the later Milonga (actual dance evening) would be a piece of cake. Return to the same ballroom an hour later and the tempo of the evening has completely been switched up. The ballroom is now buzzing with tango dancers in dresses, heels, suits and all over the age of about 50 years old. In the bathroom ladies are slipping on their shoes, changing into their tango dresses and reapplying their perfect lipstick before heading over to take a seat on the ladies side of the room. Now this is where it gets interesting. As the lights dim the female dancers sit on the left side of the room whilst the men all gather on the right, eyeing up their potential suitors. When you make eye contact with a man he will then walk over to you and ask for a dance - which you can’t really decline. Perhaps it was a rookie error of mine to glance at any of the elderly tango men however in a room with a much older crowd we completely stood out anyway. My moment came. A man crossed the room, held out his hand and I could tell there was no going back. Before I knew it I was trying to dance Argentine Tango in Buenos Aires with a local tango dancer and my god did I embarrass myself. Being the youngest in the room by almost 30 years, all eyes were on me of course and in broken Spanish I tried hard to explain that this was my first dance and I was probably going to be terrible. Although being held really, really close my partner struggled to lead me and for 4 dances we spun around the centre of the room, stepping on each others feet and probably looking a little silly. Did I just offend Argentina with how poor my tango skills turned out to be? Probably. At the end of the four dances everyone then returns to their seats and the ritual begins again, and I guess the only way I could explain what this entire experience reminded me of was what happens when you meet a guy in a nightclub. With aching feet and after a number of other locals had asked for my hand we made a swift exit feeling both accomplished and surprised at this local tango lifestyle. When I later chatted with some twentysomething Argentinian (and may I add beautiful) guys they explained that though Tango is the national dance of their country, it is not something practiced by the younger generations who are more accustomed to electronic music. But for 100 pesos (£4) a milonga is an amazing way for an older generation to keep healthy, socialise and meet new people. In an age where you often hear about loneliness amongst older generations it is absolutely brilliant for this opportunity to be readily available, every night, for anyone to attend. So I might’ve offended some people with my questionable moves but this bizarre yet wonderful experience is the first of many dance immersions I expect will happen in Latin America. It’s a must on any visit to Buenos Aires.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Tamara DavisonNepal, China, Malaysia, Australia, Argentina. Archives
November 2017
Categories |