A couple of weeks ago I had a dream that I was doing the tango…although all other details of my dream were vague, I still took it as a sign that I needed to try and learn. So last week I booked a flight and headed to Buenos Aires, Argentina. I know it seems crazy but it only felt appropriate to take my first lesson at the capital of tango.
We followed the suggestion of our hostel's front desk guy and went to the milonga (term for a place where tango is danced) at La Cathedral in Buenos Aires' Almagro district. It's definitely not a typical milonga in an Art Deco building or old dance hall. Whatever expectations I concocted in my head beforehand went out the door as soon as we stepped inside. The place is a little hard to find since there's no sign outside. But once you find it and head upstairs you'll discover that you've actually entered into an old factory building that they converted into a tango salon. It's pretty dim inside and the place is full of old furniture and odd/scruffy memorabilia which adds to the grungy atmosphere (I swear, it's a lot more interesting in person). Personally, I loved the place. I thought it was a pleasant surprise and completely original.
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| A big portrait of Carlos Gardel, also known as "the King of Tango" hangs from the wall behind the stage area. |
La Cathedral offers tango classes each night that teach you the basics, step by step. This milonga attracts a younger crowd and plenty of foreigners. It costs 30 pesos for the class and 15 pesos to just sit there and watch. Our class had about 16 people in it, half of which were locals.
What was supposed to be an hour lesson ended up being over 2 hours, so I got more than my money's worth. It was nerve racking at first and much harder than I thought! I had no idea what I was doing and was sure I looked foolish. It's safe to say that becoming a tango master will be crossed off my list of possible future careers. But after I set my nerves aside and started soaking in the experience, I really started enjoying myself. And I'm glad to be able to check "learn tango in Argentina" off my Bucket List.
We had two instructors, Carra and Julio and although Carra only spoke Spanish they both made an effort to make everyone feel comfortable. We started off doing some stretches, followed by interlocking arms and doing basic steps (while moving around in a big circle around the dance floor), while learning about the "heart of tango" as we go along. After quickly introducing basic steps, we partnered up and and did blind exercises, where one had their eyes closed and just dances ("feeling the music") while the other guides them away from other couples. Next, we do multiple footwork exercises with our partners, where one is the leader and the other mirrors their footsteps. And towards the end of class we are finally let loose to tango tango tango!
You have plenty of opportunities throughout the class to partner up with one of the instructors...both of which are so good that they make my mediocre tango skills seem envious...I don't know what or how they did exactly but before I knew it I was busting moves I never thought I had in me. Julio made me look way better than what I am, so Julio...extra kudos to you. Although I was sweaty, tired and had to take multiple sangria breaks, I had a great time and would definitely go back for more lessons the next time I'm in Buenos Aires.
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| Trying to teach Charlotte the new Tango steps I learned |
Motto of the lesson: if you can "feel" the music, you can tango!
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