Learn to Tango in Argentina
It’s hard to believe that a dance that was born about a century ago at the other side of the world can still capture people’s imagination to the extent that Argentine tango does. Of course, tango is rightly considered by Argentines as a national treasure, and anyone visiting this country might want to try it.
Most clases can be joined in Buenos Aires where you will soon find that they can’t escape the tango vibe. Go to a café to grab a ‘café con media lunas’ and you’ll hear tango music. Hop in a cab and chances are that the taxi driver will be listening to tango. Walk on Florida Avenue and you’ll probably bump into someone humming a tango tune.
Very much in your face, tango shows, the sultry cabaret-like version of the dance that helped make tango the international attraction it is now, and nowadays mainly aimed at tourists, are everywhere. More for those in the know, milongas, (tango night clubs where one can dance until the small hours) dot various neighbourhoods of the city, every evening. There are so many milongas in Buenos Aires that Argentines invented a word ‘milonguear’, which means to tour milongas. The British equivalent would be a pub crawl, perhaps! What about tango schools? Well, there are probably as many tango schools in Buenos Aires than Tescos back home!
While being Argentine, tango’s appeal is far from being limited to Argentina. Probably because tango is international by nature. Carlos Gavito, Argentine tango dancer and maestro once said: “I think those who say that you can’t tango if you are not Argentine are mistaken. Tango was immigrant music... so it does not have a nationality. Its only passport is feeling.” Europe rediscovered tango in the 1980’s when the show ‘Tango Argentina’ went on tour in Paris and re-kindled the love for tango, not only in France but around the world. It was as if passion had suddenly been re-ignited into an old, moribund relationship, because tango first arrived in Europe in 1920!
Even in the UK, where physical contact is usually shunned and where people are said to be shy, tango is gaining more and more following. The success of TV shows such as ‘Strictly come dancing’, now running its ninth series, and ‘Dancing with the stars’ has obviously contributed significantly to the renewed popularity of the dance. Of course, when you think about it, not so long ago, social dancing was part of everyone’s life in the UK as well. How do you think your grandfather courted your grandmother?
The fact that Argentine tango is the best antidote ever to megalopolis-induced loneliness, technology-driven intellectualisation of our modern lives can’t be under-estimated either. Remember, tango came about when European immigrants realised, soon after arriving in Buenos Aires at the turn of the 19th century, that they would never make enough money to bring their families over. The story of their longing for what they had left back home is what made tango what it is. Tango is in essence an embrace, the longing of holding a fellow human being into one’s arms. The equivalent of modern day ‘hug’ clinics…
Nathalie from Tanguito Argentine Tango Academy says that her students start tango classes because, “...they want to nurture the power of expressivity that their body holds and develop their creativity. Others want to explore their emotions – they might be tired of their day-to-day office work and want to shut down their thoughts and let their feelings out. Others might want to fight loneliness – and there’s nothing better than a tango class to build a network of friends.” According to Nathalie, beginner classes at Tanguito are a fun and relaxed affair. “People might come in as a banker, an engineer or a media person, but everyone leaves as a dancer!”
Because tango is so modern in nature and offers what city dwellers need, the ability to express one’s emotions and feelings and to connect with other people, tango’s rebirth will not be a short-lasting fade but a long-lasting love story. So if you’re planning your trip and want to join the party in style, then maybe now is the time to think of preparing with some Argentina based lessons which are available to book today.
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