Your position in the area surrounding the dance floor can be critical. At some of the older milongas, the more established dancers have reserved tables. Ideally, you want to sit where you have easy access to the floor and to other dancers’ line of sight. You may notice couples sitting further back (they often dance just with each other), while singles sit right at the front. If a man comes into the room with a woman at his side, she is considered ‘his’ for the night. For couples to dance with others, they either enter the room separately, or the man signals his intent by asking another woman to the floor. Then ‘his’ woman becomes open for asking.
The signal to dance, known as cabeceo, involves a quick tilt of the head, eye contact and uplifted eyebrows. This can happen from way across the room. The woman to whom the cabeceo is directed either nods yes and smiles or pretends not to have noticed (a rejection). If she says yes the man gets up and escorts her to the floor. A hint: if you’re at a milonga and don’t want to dance with anyone, don’t look around too much – you could be breaking some hearts.
So why is it that tango becomes so addictive for some, like an insidious drug? Experienced dancers will tell you this: the adrenaline rush you get from an excellent performance is like a successful conquest. Some days it lifts you up to exhilarating heights and other days it can bring you crashing down. You fall for the passion and beauty of the tango’s movements, trying to attain a physical perfection that can never be fully realized. The best you can do is to make the journey as graceful and passionate as possible.
Souvenirs displaying tango dancers and El Caminito | SOLANGE ZANGIACOMO / GETTY IMAGES ©
Ástor Piazzolla
Gardel may have brought tango to the world, but it was El Gran Ástor (the Great Ástor), as Argentines like to call Ástor Piazzolla (1921–92), who pushed its limits. The great Argentine composer and bandoneón (small accordian) virtuoso, who played in the leading Aníbal Troilo orchestra in the late 1930s and early 1940s, was the greatest innovator of tango. He revolutionized traditional tango by infusing it with elements of jazz and classical music such as counterpoints, fugues and various harmonies.
This new style, known as nuevo tango, became an international hit in Europe (Piazzolla lived on and off in Italy and France) and North America (he spent his early years and a couple of later stints in New York). In his native land, however, it encountered considerable resistance; a saying even stated ‘in Argentina everything may change – except the tango’. It took years for Piazzolla’s controversial new style to be accepted, and he even received death threats for his break with tradition.
Piazzolla was an incredibly prolific composer; it’s estimated that his output includes some 1000 pieces. These include soundtracks for about 40 films; an opera that he wrote with poet Horacio Ferrer, María de Buenos Aires; and compositions based on texts and poems by Jorge Luis Borges.
Piazzolla’s legacy lives on. Some of the greatest contemporary musicians, such as Yo-Yo Ma, have recorded albums dedicated to El Gran Ástor (such as the 1999 Soul of the Tango – The Music of Ástor Piazzolla). The new wave of electronic tango often samples his music and the 2003 album Astor Piazzolla Remixed features his songs remixed with dance beats and added vocals, all done by an international cast of DJs and producers.
A couple dancing tango | JUPITERIMAGES / GETTY IMAGES ©
Tango Music
Small musical ensembles that accompanied early tango dances were influenced by polka, habanera, Spanish and Italian melodies, plus African candombe drums. The bandoneón, a type of small accordion, was brought into these sessions and has since become tango’s signature instrument. The tango song was permeated with nostalgia for a disappearing way of life; it summarized the new urban experience for the immigrants. Themes ranged from profound feelings about changing neighborhoods to the figure of the mother, male friendship and betrayal by women. The lyrics, sometimes raunchy and sometimes sad, were sung in the street argot known as lunfardo.
No other musician has influenced tango like Carlos Gardel, the legendary singer who epitomized the soul of the genre. He achieved stardom during tango’s golden age, then became a cultural icon when his life was cut short by a plane crash at the height of his popularity. Over the years, other figures including Osvaldo Pugliese, Susana Rinaldi and Eladia Blázquez have also given life to the tango song. It was Ástor Piazzolla, however, who completely revolutionized the music with his nuevo tango, which introduced jazz and classical-music currents into traditional songs – and ruffled some feathers along the way.
Today, a clutch of new arrivals is keeping tango music alive and well, and in the spotlight. The most popular is the 12-musician cooperative Orquesta Típica Fernández Fierro (www.fernandezfierro.com), with its charismatic singer Walter Chino Laborde and several fantastic albums boasting new arrangements of traditional tangos. An award-winning documentary was made about them by Argentine-born, Brooklyn-based director Nicolas Entel.
Two other young orchestras to watch out for are Orquesta Típica Imperial, which sometimes plays at milongas around town (check its Facebook page), and El Afronte, which plays at Maldita Milonga in San Telmo.
Playing a bandoneón | ALEXANDR VOROBEV / SHUTTERSTOCK ©
Resources
AHoy Milonga (www.hoy-milonga.com) is a useful webite listing the day's milonga schedule.
AFor a very practical book on tango in BA, check out Sally Blake’s Happy Tango: Sallycat’s Guide to Dancing in Buenos Aires (2nd edition). It has great information on milongas – how to dress for them and act in them and whom you can expect to see – plus much more.
AThere are, of course, many tango clothing and shoe stores in BA – the best shoe shop is Comme Il Faut.
AFinally, if you’re in town in mid- to late August, don’t miss the tango festival.
Neo Tango
Like the rest of the music scene in Buenos Aires, a newer tango has evolved that’s a hybrid of sounds and styles – making tango cool again with a younger audience. Musicians have been sampling and remixing classic tango songs, adding dance beats, breaks, scratches and synth lines, and committing other delightful heresies. This edgy genre has been called by many names: fusion tango, electrotango, tango electronica or neo-tango.
Paris-based Gotan Project (a Franco-Suizo-Argentine trio) was the first to popularize this style, with its debut album La Revancha del Tango, which throws into the mix samples from speeches by Che Guevara and Eva Perón and remixes by the likes of Austrian beatmeister Peter Kruder. Its follow-up albums don’t break the mold like the first but are still great if you like the Gotan sound.
The best of the genre’s albums so far is likely Bajofondo Tango Club, by the Grammy-winning collective Bajofondo. It’s spearheaded by Argentine producer Gustavo Santaolalla, who won two best-original-score Oscars for Brokeback Mountain and Babel; he also scored the films Amores Perros and 21 Grams, and has produced albums by such prominent artists as Café Tacuba and Kronos Quartet. Praised as more Argentine than Gotan Project (whose trio is composed of only one Argentine), its first album has subtle performances by a variety of bandoneónistas within a hypnotic framework of lounge, house and trip-hop. Its third album, Mar Dulce, is a catchy creation that throws more folk and rock into the mix and has a strong international cast of singers, such as Spanish hip-hop star Mala Rodríguez and the Canadian-Portuguese Nelly Furtado.
Another neo-tango collective to make an international name for itself is Tanghetto, with two Latin Grammy nominations. This six-member group mixes elements of rock, jazz, flamenco and candombe (a drum-based musical style of Uruguay).
A street performer singing tango music | MICHAEL TAYLOR / GETTY IMAGES ©
Need to Know
AFor discount tickets, show and venue descriptions, and some reviews, check out www.tangotix.com.
AMilongas either start in the afternoon and run until 11pm or start at around midnight and run until the early-morning light (arrive late for the best action). They’re affordable, and classes are often offered before
hand.
AFor a unique outdoor experience, head to the bandstand at the Barrancas de Belgrano, where the casual milonga La Glorieta takes place on Saturday and Sunday evenings around 7pm (and possibly other evenings). Tango classes are also given.
ATango Trips offers milonga tours where you can see locals dance – and have a go yourself.
Lonely Planet's Top Choices
Maldita Milonga Tango classes, dancing demonstrations and live orchestras at this friendly milonga.
Café de los Angelitos Well-constructed, imaginative show with great visual appeal.
Feria de San Telmo Best for its casual ambience and price – a few coins!
Salon Canning Traditional, very popular and well-located milonga.
Best Fancy Shows
Café de los Angelitos Well choreographed, with impressive costumes and props.
Rojo Tango Very intimate, cabaret-style show that's supremely sexy.
El Viejo Almacén Great athleticism, small venue and great folkloric segment.
La Ventana Good overall show with comedic gaucho swinging boleadoras (hunting weights).
Best Less-Fancy Shows
Centro Cultural Borges Good-value tango shows in the city center.
Feria de San Telmo It's street tango at San Telmo's Sunday market – hustle for a good view!
Café Tortoni Decent basement show in BA's oldest, most traditional cafe.
Best Milongas
Maldita Milonga The tango orchestra El Alfronte plays at this friendly milonga.
Salon Canning Famous, popular and stylish milonga in Palermo, with good music.
La Catedral Casual, bohemian warehouse space that attracts hip young dancers.
La Glorieta Open-air milonga held in a park bandstand.
La Marshall Gay-friendly milonga where everyone is welcome – and where role reversals are OK.
Neighborhoods at a Glance
1The Center
Buenos Aires’ Center (geographically on the edge of the city and not in the middle) is where endless lines of business suits move hastily along the narrow streets in the shadow of skyscrapers and old European buildings. Stretching from Retiro to San Telmo, this downtown area is the heart and brains of the city, and is made up of the sub-neighborhoods of the Microcentro and Montserrat.
2Puerto Madero
BA's newest and shiniest barrio is Puerto Madero, home to lofty skyscrapers and regenerated brick warehouses that have been converted into some of the city's most exclusive lofts, offices, hotels and restaurants. Cobbled waterside promenades make walking a pleasure for pedestrians, the open green spaces provide room to breathe and there are plenty of upscale restaurants and cafes to check out.
3Congreso & Tribunales
The streets surrounding the Congress building (home to the legislative branch of government) are full of an interesting mix of old-time cinemas, theaters and bustling commerce. It's the city's top entertainment district, home to the Teatro Colón and the bright lights of Av Corrientes, BA's Broadway. On Av de Mayo the buildings still hold a European aura, but this area has more faded-glory atmosphere and grittiness than in the Center.
4San Telmo
Full of charm and personality, San Telmo is one of BA's most attractive neighborhoods, with narrow cobbled streets and low-story colonial houses. This is where some of the first homes were built in the early years of the colony and these elaborate mansions later became conventillos (tenement housing) for European immigrants. Amid the melancholy of homesickness and the merging of musical traditions in the shared patios of the conventillos, tango music was born. Take a walk around; history oozes from every corner of this barrio.
5La Boca
Blue-collar and raffish to the core, La Boca is very much a locals’ neighborhood. Its colorful shanties are often portrayed as a symbol of Buenos Aires, while El Caminito is the barrio’s most famous street, full of art vendors, buskers and tango dancers twirling for your spare change.
6Retiro
Sandwiched between the Center and Recoleta, Retiro was once the most exclusive neighborhood in Buenos Aires. Vast mansions dating from BA's early-20th-century heyday along with art-deco apartments and other landmark buildings characterize this area. The centerpiece is Plaza San Martín – a pleasant grassy park on a hill overlooking Retiro train and bus stations and the Torre Monumental clock tower.
7Recoleta & Barrio Norte
It's easy to see how Buenos Aires could be called the Paris of the South in this grand neighborhood. Recoleta is where the rich live in luxury apartments and mansions while spending their free time sipping coffee at elegant cafes and shopping in expensive boutiques. Full of lush parks, grand monuments, art galleries, French architecture and wide avenues, Recoleta is also famous for its cemetery.
8Palermo
Palermo's large, grassy parks – regally punctuated with grand monuments – are popular destinations on weekends, when families fill the shady lanes, cycle the bike paths and paddle on the peaceful lakes. The sub-neighborhood of Palermo Viejo (itself subdivided into Soho and Hollywood) is home to dozens of restaurants, bars, nightclubs and shops, along with the city's largest selection of boutique hotels.
9South of Palermo
The largely residential, middle-class neighborhoods south of Palermo are part of the 'real' Buenos Aires not much affected by the tourist trade. Villa Crespo is increasingly hip, benefiting from its proximity to Palermo; Almagro is full of alternative theaters, underground music venues and good local restaurants and bars; Abasto and Once are cultural melting pots and busy commercial districts; and Boedo has bohemian flavor and some very traditional cafes.
aBelgrano, Nuñez & the Costanera Norte
Though the affluent and largely residential northern neighborhoods of Belgrano and Nuñez don't feature on most travelers' itineraries, they are home to a number of worthwhile museums, parks and plazas, as well as a pleasant weekend market, that make for a great day trip. The Costanera Norte on the river's edge provides open spaces where you can walk next to the water as well as a number of attractions – including a kitschy religious theme park and a water park – that may appeal to families.
The Center
Sights
Eating
Drinking & Nightlife
Entertainment
Shopping
The Center
Neighborhood Top Five
1Plaza de Mayo Hanging out at BA's historic heart surrounded by some of the city's most important buildings, including the cathedral, the Cabildo, the Museo Casa Rosada and – last but not least – Casa Rosada, where Argentina's president's office is located.
2Centro Cultural Kirchner Catching a concert at this magnificent new cultural center housed in the city's former central post office.
3Manzana de las Luces Taking a tour of this historic center of culture and higher learning during the day and returning on Friday night to dance tango at the atmospheric milonga.
4Galerías Pacífico Shopping at a beautiful shopping mall with a gorgeous painted ceiling.
5Centro Cultural Borges Watching a tango show (that won't break the bank) and seeing the latest exhibitions.
Explore: The Center
During the day, the Center is a heaving mass of humanity moving hastily along narrow streets. The 2015 pedestrianization of 80 blocks of the neighborhood has helped, though a substantial amount of 'local traffic' continues to use the roads here, so watch out behind you. Come evening, the neighborhood can feel deserted.
Stretching from Retiro to San Telmo (and flanked by Congreso and Puerto Madero), this area is the heart and brain of the city. It's made up of the Microcentro and Montserrat sub-neighborhoods.
Plaza de Mayo is a good place to start. Here you'll see the Casa Rosada presidential palace, with the Museo Casa Rosada right behind it. The Catedral Metropolitana is nearby – stop by for a Pope Francis souvenir – and the Cabildo offers great vie ws of the square. If you want to see the Madres de la Plaza de Mayo, time your visit for Thursday
afternoon.
From here you can head south just one block, crossing over into Montserrat, and visit the Manzana de las Luces, a city block full of historic buildings. There are also a couple of small but interesting museums to visit around here. Further south a few more blocks is San Telmo.
If you're going north, walk along Calle San Martín, where there are a number of interesting little museums. Head east via Calle Sarmiento to reach the Centro Cultural Kirchner. Ideally you'll have secured tickets to a concert here, but even if you haven't, be sure to take a look inside this impressive cultural center.
Lonely Planet Buenos Aires Page 7
