First Tango in Argentina



Pam in front of Tango House in Buenos Aires

I have always wanted to learn the Tango.  The dance has grown in popularity since  "Dancing with the Stars" became one of the hotests programs on TV.  Its flare and raw emotion is as inspiring as it is fascinating. `So when I arrived in Buenos Aires for a meeting, the first extracurricular activity I wanted to do was to learn.......the Tango!



The history of the tango is amazing in itself.  What began in the bordellos of the port area of La Boca did not move to the upscale neighborhoods of Buenos Aires until the early 1900's.  Society women were not allowed to be seen doing the steps with bodies pressed together in a sexy embrace. The first people of Buenos Aires society to do the dance were men who danced together to learn the steps.  As the tango grew more popular, well bred ladies wanted to learn too.  

Carlos Gardel, considered the father of the Tango, made the dance a true art form when he opened his first restaurant  where dancing was permitted.  He became so famous that he made several movies in Hollywood and became an international tango star.

Today in Buenos Aires, his home is a museum, there are murals decorating the subways and paintings all over the city dedicated to his celebrity.  Milonga (local places where you can dance tango) are all over Buenos Aires and actual Tango Shows stem the gammut from the very sexy show at Faena y Universo hotel, to the show called Sr. Tango with flashing lights and a huge white stallion that appears on stage as a finale to a 3 hour show of Tango

But for me, the most fun were those 4pm tango lessons at a local place where I learned to kick my feet and feel the emotion of this sexy dance. Of course the only way to end a lesson is with a deep back extension and a kick to the sky with the final step to my tango lesson.