The colourful and lively city of Buenos Aires never sleeps and can get under your skin in many ways. It’s not just about the good looks and sparkle of the city but rather, it’s more about peeling back the many layers of history. That’s when you really get to know her in an intimate way.
In this city, you will find a combined mix of Latin passion and European grandeur, which includes everything from gourmet meals, surprising architecture and creative artworks to elegance and boldness. You never know what you might find tucked into the twists and turns of these energetic streets.
If you look deeply into the soul of Argentina, however, you will certainly bear witness to the romantic side, and the seemingly profound connection between a Tangero and his partner. While they dance the Argentinian Tango, the dancers become oblivious to their surroundings as they become lost in each other’s eyes. This seductive, passionate and yet, sometimes wistful dance is very much alive and has captured the hearts of many from all four points of the globe.
Tango took the world by storm in the 1930s with its daringly close embrace and sultry moves. The Argentine Tango has been described by some as “vertical lovemaking” and its humble beginnings came as a glimmer of light during a dark time. It has since developed into one of the most well-known dances in the world. The sensuality, romance and nostalgia that identifies the tango has become part of the identity of Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The roots of tango are believed to have originated in the dark and shadowy corners of Buenos Aires, when the barrios and slums were filled with slaves and immigrants from around the world, particularly Europe.
Therefore, the development of the tango was greatly influenced by rudiments of other cultures, and as a result, tango music was created from a mixed heritage originating from these various ethnic groups. Lyrics frequently portray sorrow and melancholy, and are often about love lost and won, or irony and humour. A famous tango composer named Enrique Santos Discepolo once said, “A tango is a sad thought, that dances.”
Much to the vexation of the colonial authorities, slaves and poor immigrant workers alike gathered in the far reaches of the barrios nightly, as a cloak of darkness wrapped its sinewy arms around the city. Only here, in the darkest corners of the city could they freely express themselves through dance, without restrictions. Records that date back as far as 1789 reveal that the authorities were constantly trying to shut down these social gatherings to assume total control over the slaves and immigrant workers.
After 1902 the tango began to emerge at balls held in opulent theatres around the cities of Argentina, where it very quickly gained in popularity. Soon dancers began to travel the world taking this style of tango to other large cultural cities such as Paris, London and Berlin, then eventually to New York. There the dance began to evolve into ballroom tango, where there was less body contact. In Argentina, however, the tango remains the same passionate dance it always was.
The traditional Argentine Tango is less choreographed and more improvisation with intimate and varied expressions of emotions, unfiltered, raw and powerful. This unfiltered element makes the Argentine Tango more difficult than ballroom tango and requires a creative mind to create a beautiful and sometimes very complex routine. Having said that however, the true essence of the Argentine Tango is not as much about fancy footwork as it is about the embrace and emotional connection to the partner.
A drop in popularity came about with the Great Depression. Nevertheless, milongas (dance halls) remained open and the much-loved form of dance continued. The haunting accordion music accompanied by the raspy voice of a male vocalist could still be heard in the tango clubs and milonga halls throughout Buenos Aires, seven nights a week.
In the 1980s there was an upsurge once again for the Argentine Tango, when live stage shows such as “Tango Forever” and “Tango Argentina” began to make the rounds in all the clubs and halls around the country and eventually made their way abroad. Of course, who could forget the famous scene on the big screen from the movie Scent of a Woman when a blind Al Pacino dances the Argentine Tango with Gabrielle Anwar. The international fire and passion for tango was reignited and thus prompted the birth of tango lessons and venues around the world.
The wonderfully romantic soul of Buenos Aires can be felt and seen in and around the many corners and neighbourhoods of the city. Today, within the colourful, bohemian neighbourhoods of La Boca and San Telmo, you can hear the click of dance shoes on small temporary make-shift dance floors fashioned over the cobblestone avenues.
In the streets of Caminito, many restaurants offer tango shows with dancers performing throughout the day, most of whom dance for donations. Strolling through these neighbourhoods is like wandering through a live and vivid art gallery. However, this area was not always so colourful.
At one time, a railroad ran through the very streets of Caminito where some say the tango was born. When the railroad ceased to operate, the area was largely abandoned and almost forgotten. Then, during the 1950s, a group of people aspired to rejuvenate this neglected and run-down portside area of La Boca, and the characteristic streets of Caminito.
Artist Benito Quinquela Martin jumped on the band wagon and began using the old communal immigrant dwellings as his canvas to breathe new life into the streets. The tenement buildings here were precariously built of wood and sheet metal, making them a perfect workspace to showcase one’s artistic impressions. Thus, Caminito was reborn.
The streets of Caminito have once again become a thriving, trendy and colourful location for people gathering to listen to music and watch the many talented dancers, and perhaps, come away with a few new dance steps of their own. Talented artists paint the dancers and active street scenes. Their artwork sells to those who want to bring home a small reminder of the elegant, seductive, yet tastefully creative dance known as the Argentine Tango.
Argentina appears to be mad about tango, and opportunities abound for individuals and couples to take tango lessons in private or as part of a group. What better place to learn than in the country and birthplace of this dance? The city is awash with milonga and tango clubs, tango schools, tango-themed cafés. There are countless venues around the city ranging from large ballroom-sized theatres with stirring ambience showcasing impressive theatrical shows, to small intimate dinner theatres with live orchestras. Gourmet dinners and velvety smooth Argentinian wines pair well with a tango show. Finding a venue is easy. Just ask any dancer, hotel concierge or city guide.
Countless signs of tango can be seen in and around the city; everything from street graffiti to architecture said to have been designed with the shape of a dancer’s leg in mind. A sample of this can been seen in a suspension pedestrian bridge named “Puente de la Mujer” (Women’s Bridge). This striking piece of architecture was dedicated to significant women in the working-class neighbourhoods during the depression era. One can see how this eye-catching piece of architecture reflects the lines of an extended leg in a tango pose.
Evidence demonstrates that the spirit of the Argentine Tango lives on, and I for one am glad it does!
Linda A. Blair is a Freelance Travel Writer & Photographer
IF YOU GO
ARGENTINA & BRAZIL
Many international airline carriers fly into Buenos Aires, Argentina and Brazil. Transfers to your hotel can be arranged directly with your hotel of choice.
Ramada by Wyndham Buenos Aires Centro
Located in central Buenos Aires, Argentina
Centrally located hotel includes breakfast with price of room, tour desk, roof-top swimming pool and free wi-fi. Located very close to several attractions. Airport shuttle and laundry service available.
Aljibe Tango Dinner Theatre
Elegant and intimate theatre, featuring Tango dinner shows, also offer private tango lessons.
www.aljibetango.com
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