Tango

Tango is of huge cultural significance here and all tourists are required to try it atleast once. Like sushi is to Japan, samba is to Brazil, and beer is to Germany, tango defines Argentina.

My introduction to tango was at La Catedral. This milonga (place where tango is danced) gets points for sheer originality. Unlike many milongas it’s not located in a shabby old dance hall or a beautiful Art Deco building, but rather a factory which has been converted into a big tango salon with beat-up old furniture and strange artifacts. A big portrait of Carlos Gardel (the man behind tango) smiles down from the wall behind the stage. After taking part in a beginner lesson, the dance floor opens up to all levels and ages!

From there, I moved to Cafe Tortoni. Founded in 1858, Café Tortoni is the oldest coffee shop in the whole country. With a very rich history, it is visited at all times by intellectuals, politicians and artists. Every night they have tango shows in the lower level of the cafe…an intimate setting where the walls are drapped in red velvet and the waiters, all male, wear tuxedos.

Tango is everywhere here. Even if you don’t attend a show you will see it being performed in the streets, the music played on the radio and fancy dance shoes being sold in zapatarias!