Estados Unidos

Calle Estados Unidos is a fascinating street of Buenos Aires. If we follow it out to the west beyond barrio Caballito, our tree-lined calle fades into calle Valle, only to end abruptly eighteen blocks later at calle Miró (just short of LaBaldosa Milonga). 

But, for the purpose of our adventure we shall walk east taking us on a journey through Boedo, Monserrat, San Telmo and finally into Puerto Madero.

Treaty of Pilar 1820

Following the defeat of the 'Unitarians' by the 'Federals' in 1820, the new ‘United Provinces of the Rio de la Plata’ was recognised by the USA, and Calle Estados Unidos was later named in their honour. 

It is one of the city’s greener streets bearing jacaranda and tipuana tipu trees along its length. In spring and autumn the pavements glow with pink and yellow petals. With a relaxed feel, preserved architecture, and an intimacy, it presents as a favourite street to walk.

Save for the inexplicable dog-leg at Riobamba, Estados Unidos is a straight, one-way grid road running west to east bringing light traffic into the city. It is sandwiched between the busy east to west roads of Independencia and Carlos Calvo which take traffic from the centre. On the whole, incoming traffic seems to prefer the more versatile roads of Chile to the north and San Juan with its wide open carriageway to the south.

Estados Unidos is unremarkable before we reach Av Boedo, where the street passes one block to the north of DeQuerusa Milonga at Carlos Calvo 3745, skirting the gardens of Plaza Mariano Boedo, and running three blocks north of Club Gricel Milonga at La Rioja 1184.

At Pres Luis Saenez Pena you are but one block from Casa Bella (Independencia 1502), a worthy detour to an emporium selling everything from a portable BBQ to a full size asado.

Estados Unidos becomes more interesting once across 9 de Julio (the widest avenida in Buenos Aires) as you enter barrio San Telmo. Passing the small park of Plaza Concepcion del Alto de San Pedor, the street narrows and cobbles replace tarmac.

At Tacuari 905 is our first San Telmo milonga ‘Chanta 4’, and at Estados Unidos 802 you will encounter the Museo Argentino del Titere (puppet museum).

A stop at Estados Unidos 617 is a must. Here you will find Walrus Books, one of the more interesting stores in Buenos Aires, stocking the widest selection of foreign books in the city.




Further on look out for the street art at 553 and proceed down to Peru, where a few steps right will take you to The Gibraltar at 895, a very popular San Telmo pub. Thirst quenched, continue on to La Brigada at 465.



La Brigada is said to be one of the best steak restaurants in Buenos Aires, combining eating with football. But this place is no slouch. Booking is essential, as is a well-charged credit card. It is all worth the effort and expense, setting almost unattainable standards of cuisine and service for its rivals.

Across the road from La Brigada is the Mercado de San Telmo, the city’s most iconic covered market containing restaurants, cafes, antiques, hardware, grocers and butchers.

Freddo (Defensa 901) might prove to be a suitable stop for ice cream, but for morning coffee, lunch or afternoon cocktails continue down to Café Rivas at 302. This has to be a favourite for those visiting San Telmo. Intimate, smart and friendly, Café Rivas ticks all boxes for those seeking a midday snack or full evening meal. For vegetarians, continue down to Balcarce, turn right to 958 where you will find Naturaleza Sabia.



Beyond Balcarce, Estados Unidos descends to Av Paseo Colon with the dramatic frontage of the Engineering faculty on your left and the gorgeous Ministry of Agroindustry to the right. Walking between them leads you towards Av Alicia Moreau de Justo, the gateway to Puerto Madero where Estados Unidos gives way to Rosario Vera Penaloza and the Rio Darsena Sur.

Will you be dancing Argentine tango at 100 years of age?

James McManus, born on 05.01.20 in Paisley; still dancing.

What do you want to do for your 100th birthday, Jimmy?

“To dance Argentine tango with tangueras in Buenos Aires, of course”.

For most of us, our imagination, impulses and passions will be extinguished long before we reach 100 years of age, but for James McManus from County Wexford, Ireland they are only just beginning.

James has taken on arguably the most challenging of dance genres, Argentine tango. And now, four months before his 100th birthday  has today landed at Ezize Airport, Buenos Aires with the intention of competing in the qualifying rounds of the ‘Mundial’ – the prestigious World Tango Championship 2019. He will be the oldest contestant. His partner will be the renowned Lucia Seva.

James is not a stranger to dance, for it has been part of his life for 80 years, his first dance experience being in the ballroom above Paisley’s 'Burtons' shop to the west of Glasgow, Scotland. However, at a theatre show in 2002 he was first introduced to Argentine tango. “I always loved tango music but this show really got me hooked.”

In preparation for his trip to Buenos Aires he has been dismantling a lifetime of ballroom dance and jive, to assimilate the special intuition of Argentine tango from his teacher Hernán Catvin, for whom each week James brings a bottle of his favourite ginger beer.

Born in Paisley, Scotland, James’ father was a Fermanagh man from Enniskillen and his mother from Sligo, and his childhood holidays were naturally in Ireland.

James joined the Territorial Army as a teenager, was mobilized in August 1939, and by 1 September 1939 was guarding fuel storage on the Clyde. During the war he was posted to France where he saw action as part of the Northumberland Fusiliers after the disbanding of the Argyle and Sutherland Highlanders.

The war over, James travelled the world as a marine telegrapher and radio operator, and following retirement in 1994 moved to Waterford, Ireland with his partner Patricia Lusby; and later to his childhood haunt of Wexford where Patricia died in 1998.

Described as kind, gentle and ‘an inspiration to his community’, James’ tango journey has kept him young. In conversation with Ronan Morrissey (Waterford News & Star) he said, “You get to meet people, it’s very social. It’s important now that I’m older because otherwise you’d sink into a seat and it’s a spiral to oblivion”. “I love the music. It gives you a buzz and when you’re moving right in time with it… it’s hard to describe it. It’s a feeling of happiness.”

James is now in Buenos Aires in the hands of one of  the best of the world’s top tango teachers, Lucia Seva, described by Buenos Aires’ elite milongero the late Pocho, with the words, “La flaca Lucia, oh how she dances, incredible"; and by the late Alito, “Yes, she lives and feels the moment”. 

So who would bet against James becoming part of Buenos Aires’ history of tango?


To find out more about his journey, subscribe to the blog.

All you need to know about tango in Buenos Aires

Readers have asked for some guidance on tango in Buenos Aires - where to learn, where to dance. 

What a seriously difficult task I have been set. 

Let me start by identifying the problem, and only then will I propose a handful of solutions. I am simply a tanguero on my personal tango journey, which may be very different from those of my readers. And I will almost certainly miss more than I cover.  So here is your task. Should I neglect your favourite location,  milonga or teacher, just add details in the comments section below.

Note too that tango in Buenos Aires changes from day to day. 

My first visit to Buenos Aires was in the heady days of Confiteria Ideal at Suipacha 384, El Arranque at Bartolome Mitre 1759, Cachirulo at Maipu 444, Centro Region Leonesa at Humberto Primo 1462. Who would have thought they would ever close and that the El Arranque milongueros would become too old to dance? Venues come and go, turned into hotels or offices. With them, the milongas disappear, some to be revived in different locations by new organisers, inevitably with changed codigos and a different feel. Teachers, once supreme, become too old to teach, and others who were but children, now reign supreme.

Each tanguero (and would-be tanguero) has a different tango taste. Some find themselves in milonga heaven when dancing with the old milongueros in milonguero style, others are committed to strictly salon tango and its technique, and there are those that want to stretch their tango aerobically with tones of nuevo; with all of the tango tastes in between.

Stephanie and I are becoming more comfortable with milonguero style, but our hearts remain in salon tango, as danced in the Tango Mundial. To an extent this will influence our choices here.

Beginner tango in Buenos Aires

If you have never learned to dance Argentine tango before your visit, getting started can be daunting. It can also be fatal. An inappropriate tango methodology, or the wrong tango teacher can spoil or ruin your personal tango journey, maybe instilling bad tango technique, and at worst causing you to give up on the task. 

Beginners in Buenos Aires should look no further than Lucia y Gerry  Lucia, known historically as the milonguers’s favourite follower is at the top of her game. They provide reasonably priced private tango lessons for beginners that are not simply about the steps, but encompass your whole tango journey. With them, you will learn about the structure of tango, its codigos, where to dance, and even be taken to a milonga for your first tango adventure. Check out their reviews and awards by following the Trip Adviser link above.

Beginners should also take advantage of the tango classes that precede the milongas. A quick check of Hoy Milonga will show which are available. Here, you will never learn good technique, or indeed how to dance tango with skill, but you will meet new friends that share your passion and can accompany you to milongas.

Beginners and Intermediate tangueros

Yes, I know what you are thinking. What is an intermediate tanguero? When do you become one, or stop being a beginner? Well, actually, there is no answer to this. With intuitive skill and lots of practice it is possible to advance quickly in tango, and some that have danced tango for a decade remain long term ‘beginners’. 

For both beginners and intermediate dancers, the rules are the same.

First and foremost, find a great teacher, then stick with him or her for the duration of your visit. Here, I shall not be recommending particular teachers, for the choice is massively dependent on one’s age, aptitude, preferred method of learning, tango aspiration, personality type and tango style.

There are two great ways to identify ‘your teacher’. Some tango tourists have found a visiting teacher in the USA or Europe. Others have their favourites from YouTube. My recommendation for those that have yet to find a teacher is to visit the principal tango schools here in Buenos Aires and to take a group lesson with different teachers. If you are living in Palermo, especially for younger dancers, visit DNI  In the microcentre, you cannot beat Escuela de Tango de Buenos Aires  with the widest range of classes throughout the day from a variety of top teachers. Should you be staying in San Telmo, Carolina Bonaventura’s Marieposita de San Telmo tango school offers a great starting and finishing place for your tango journey.

Whilst on the topic of tango teaching, it is important that I mention tango music. Those hearing ‘Golden Age’ tango music for the first time frequently describe it as alien scratchy and incomprehensible. It is, after all, from another age. But Golden Age tango is ubiquitous here in Buenos Aires both in the milongas and on the street, and you must understand it before you can properly dance to it. 

My advice is to listen to as much Golden Age tango music as you can before you visit Buenos Aires. Ideally, you should be able to distinguish between the orchestras - the distinctive sounds of Canaro, Biagi, D’Arienzo and Fresedo. You should have worked out the structure of the songs, and better still, understood the words. Listen and learn the full names of the principal orchestra leaders,  their singers, and when the recordings were made. This will help you to develop tango musicality - the key to dancing tango. You will discover that different parts of a tango bring a different mood to your dancing, just as dancing to each instrument may take you on a changed tango journey. Here, I highly recommend Michael Lavoca’s fascinating book.

Milongas

I have already mentioned Hoy Milonga - the essential app that you will need for your visit. Use it to find milongas, their locations and how to get to them. It is kept up-to-date and is mostly reliable, although milongas can be cancelled at short notice, or disappear overnight.

The number of traditional venues has reduced, but the variety of milongas still remains rich. 

The main salons and tango clubs, including the ‘must do’ list are:

Salon Canning, Scalabrini Ortez 1331

The most iconic tango venue in Buenos Aires, known for its smart set and tango performances. It tends to be crowded, so be prepared to dance on a tile.

La Viruta, Asociación Armenia, Armenia 1336

If you happen to be under 40 years old (and even if you don’t), Friday and Saturday nights here are a lot of fun. Siesta beforehand and stay until 6 am to see the professional dancers when they arrive from other milongas

El Beso, Riobamba 416

A personal favourite, especially those of Eli Spivak,  with a variety of afternoon and evening milongas offering quality dances in milonguero style

La National, Associazione Nazionale Italiana, Adolfo Alsina 1465

Hosts a range of milongas that have gravitated from other locations, now housed in a gorgeous salon with a great floor

Obelisco, Entre Rios 1056

Popular, modern salon hosting a number of milongas throughout the week. Not my favourite, as the cabeceo/mirada is difficult here, but many love it.

Villa Malcolm, Cordoba 5064

Choose the right night to see the young, fast performers practice for their next exhibition. Choose the wrong night and sit with the aged.

Lo de Celia Tango Club, Humberto Primo 1783

I love this milonga - friendly, traditional and relaxing to dance

Club Gricel, La Rioja 1180

A popular place to dance in milonguero style, with a degree of formality of codigos

Nuevo Chique, Asociación Casa de Galicia, San Jose 224

A delightful little location, with a very popular milonga for tangueros at every level

Maldita Milonga, Peru 571

Wednesday night is El Affronte night - when an orchestra of 10 musicians will introduce you to the dark side of tango. Lots of fun as an event, but stay on for the best feel after the non-dancing tourists have left at 1.00 am.

La Catedral, Sarmiento 4006

Attracting tourists and beginners to practice their steps, and with a questionable floor, this is a ‘must-see’ place, simply because it is so unusual.

La Glorieta, Echeverria 1800

Open air milonga in a big bandstand. Not a high standard of dancing, but a very romantic location.

Plaza Dorrego, Defensa 1100

My favourite open air milonga. Don’t wear your best dance shoes, and avoid taking a bag, but this has to be part of your tango journey whilst in Buenos Aires.

De Querusa, Carlos Calvo 3745

A personal favourite attracting a range of age groups, and many better dancers of the salon tango style. 

Bar los Laureles, Av Gral Iriarte 2300

If you have the time to do this in your visit, book a table, come to eat pizza, pasta and budin de pan, and dance on the small floor of Buenos Aires’ oldest tango cafe. It will re-define your love of tango. Choose the tango dance nights.

El Tacuari, Tacuari 1557

Little milongas like El Tacuari exist all over Buenos Aires. Many can be fun for a night, and some may become your tango home during your stay. The art is to ask other tangueros where they go, and to follow them there.

Your tango journey

Your visit to Buenos Aires will almost certainly re-define and refine your personal tango journey, helping you to mature as a tanguero. You may (as did I in 2007) arrive with a love of nuevo tango music and leave with an obsession for Golden Age. 

Importantly, come with a truly open mind. Forget preconceptions absorbed from dancing tango elsewhere in the world or watching professional dancers. Tango in Buenos Aires is not really about either of these. It is owned by the Portenos that dance it day-in and day-out. It is managed by the cordigos that you will need to learn and respect. It is a living, organic dance that is defined by the embrace, the music, the mood, and the feel. It is danced on a floor with feet that rarely leave it.

If I were asked to sum up my tango check-list learned over eleven years and 30 months of dancing in Buenos Aires, it is this:

• Respect the traditions - they are not restrictive - they are what allows tango to develop and remain the most fascinating dance genre
• Use the cabeceo and mirada - without it you are simply a tourist to be avoided
• Perfect your embrace - with the right embrace, you may be forgiven all of your other shortcomings
• Concentrate on musicality rather than steps - any fool can learn steps
• Leaders - always respect the pista, the lanes, your partner and lead her from the pista
• Followers - relax and have fun - your mood will be infectious

So, that’s simple isn’t it? I would love to hear from readers that are able to take anything from this post - what worked; what didn’t; what was most valuable; what I missed or should be corrected. 

Leave a comment on the post below, or message me via email or Facebook/Messenger. And have a great tango trip.

Mindfulness, awareness and tango

Jon Kabat-Zinn, pioneer of modern mindfulness, says that mindfulness is “a form of meditation”. “To be mindful is to be aware”, he says, “it is to be acutely aware of the here and now, of your sensory perception, of your breathing and of the sounds around you. It’s an awareness of the feel... of the floor’s touch on the soles of your feet, and of the quiet”.

Before I danced Argentine tango I was a ‘feel-aware’ sceptic. Touchy-feely nonsense of mindfulness? What was that? Yet Kabat-Zinn's definition of mindfulness is in fact a perfect description of Argentine tango.

Argentine tango is very different from ballroom tango that you may have seen on BBC's ‘Strictly’ or USA's ‘Dancing with the Stars’- just as chess is different from dominoes. Argentine teachers struggle teach ballroom and Latin dancers, their torsos leaning from their axis and who regard the floor as something to be ‘crossed’, rather than ‘possessed’.

In Argentine tango, the floor is the vital, grounding, mindful element of the dance - ‘the feel of the floor on the soles of your feet’ being the first tango lesson. The tanguero learns to walk like a panther, pressing their feet into the floor, stepping onto the toe or heel, but instantly descending to the ball in a mindful moment of arrival.

A further dimension of mindfulness is found in the ‘partner relationship’.

It is a tradition of tango that you will dance with many other tangueros at a milonga (the social dance) - some known, others as strangers. A ‘tanda’ - three or four consecutive dances that are danced with the same partner - starts with an ‘embrace’, essential to develop the outwardly imperceptible lead and follow. In the course of the tanda you may get to know a stranger's name if between songs, you ask; and maybe where they are from if you share a language. But at the end of the tanda, still as strangers, you part with a mindful awareness of each other's presence through the shared experience of dance.

During the first song of a tanda, a leader will dance simply, gauging their partner’s balance and mass, their skill, experience and capacity, their responses and preferences. In the course of the remaining songs, the dance develops in complexity, dictated by the music, its rhythm and structure. As different instruments of the orchestra emerge, the lead may switch from the basic rhythm to the solo instruments or singer, changing both mood and storyline of the dance.

Whilst some professional tango dancers perform to non-tango music (and inexperienced tango dancers seek to emulate them), Argentine tango should be danced to tango music. At the turn of the last century tango arrived with migrants to Buenos Aires and Montevideo, and they created a unique dance to accompany it. Tango songs have a particular structure, one of which experienced dancers are mindful, and one that creates an essential ingredient of mindfulness.

The music is crucially important, just as is the capacity to recognise, understand and interpret the different orchestras. A tanda of 'Biagi' will have a different quality and feeling from that of 'Fresedo'. Played by a live orchestra, tango will offer different possibilities compared with a recorded version. True tangueros never neglect the difference they feel as they listen to the music; they are totally mindful of its power and significance.

The ‘embrace’ is also unique to tango. Tangueros close their embrace and the magic mindfulness happens within it. An observer will see the footwork, perhaps playfulness, or challenge - but rarely penetrate the feeling that exists within the embrace. In social tango this is a completely private moment, experienced and understood by the embracing dancers. It can be enormously powerful, involving a connection of mindfulness that exists only within tango. 

The final element of tango mindfulness is ‘the moment’. A ‘tanda’ presents a journey. Yet that journey is not conceived or understood at the outset, nor indeed during it. Tangueros live in the moment. It may be a moment of silence, of stillness; or a giro (turn); a sacada (possession of axis), a boleo (removal from axis) - all unchoreographed moments in which the tanguero transitions seamlessly from one moment to the  next.

When you next think of sitting and being mindful, doing nothing apart from contemplating your own awareness, why not simply dance tango? It will certainly be better for you, and you may indeed enjoy it. But mind, the mindfulness of tango is addictive and you may forever chase that ‘perfect mindful tango moment’.

Salon Canning and Orquesta Romantica Milonguera

There are fringe milongas; and there are posh ones. Salon Canning (or just Canning to its regulars) is definitely one of the posh ones.

Canning is less favoured by this vernacular tanguero; yet there are times when it is fun to dress up, hail a cab, arrive in style and dance until the early hours with the glitterati, the polished Canning crowd. Tonight is one of those nights.

It's 11pm when our dance professor insists that we join him for a night out at Canning. We are already dressed with our best dance shoes. The invitation is timely. Moreover, Orquesta Romantica Milonguera is to perform there at 1am, after which there will be two dance performances. Moments later we collect in 9 de Julio, flag down two cabs, and race towards Av Cordoba and the journey to Scalabrini Ortiz. 

Canning is one of those iconic milongas that seems to have been there, always. Its history is a little cloaked - its name does not register in the list of famous milongas of the Golden Age - but every self-respecting tanguero (and those that aren’t) ensure that they dance at Canning. 

Spilling from the taxi, we join a short queue to obtain our 150 pesos entrance ticket. Around us magnificent milongueros hug their friends, as well-heeled milongueras disappear into the banos to change into their dance shoes. On entering, the room is packed. It is hard to discern a single seat, let alone a free table, however Patrick has pre-booked the last remaining place in the corner of the salon. 

The Canning set inspect arrivals as they process to their tables. Milongueras in tight fitted dresses slashed to the thigh look disdainfully, whilst the old milongueros, busy with each other’s egos, hardly notice our arrival. If you are somebody in tango, Canning is a definitely place to be seen; a smart club of mixed age group that tolerates the spice of foreigners that flock to dance here.

Settled, with sparkling water, Stephanie accepts my cabeceo and we wind our way to the dance floor. Along the route we teeter between close packed tables with innumerable chairs. We angle our bodies and tip-toe through to the pista. The unending passage of tangueros breaks with a nod to invite our entry, and we are subsumed into the outside lane.

Late last year, Francesca reported the demise of Canning’s ceiling. During a sudden downpour, water and plaster rained onto the floor and tangueros scattered. Tonight, all is restored, with new lighting and bright white walls to replace the yellowing paint. At the head of the room is the iconic mural, a photo-montage depicting the Canning notables. Elsewhere, bright coloured pictures grace high walls above the sea of tables. 

Busy Friday nights at Canning test the art to deliver a joyful dance for one’s partner. The floor is so tightly packed that movement is confined to immediate personal space, and even this is under constant threat from those behind or in an adjacent lane of dance.

The first song over, we have advanced four metres. Ochos, ocho cortados, and giros become the staple diet of the Canning floor. Walking, which was the mainstay of Golden Age tango, is almost impossible. Our tango world has shrunk to a micro world where every movement is condensed, shortened and tightened. I intercept my giro as I sense the closeness of the dancers behind. 

It is now evident why tonight Canning is so densely populated, for we pass an area, usually filled by tables, that has been cleared for the orchestra. Pink blouses and black suits identify the performers who have gathered to one side for photographs. Orquesta Romantica Milonguera is currently the darling of the milongas, having taken Buenos Aires by storm in 2017.

Sometime after 1.30 am the orchestra performs, and the floor floods with tangueros and others. Buscandote, Oigo tu voz, Solamente Ella ring out like bells across the floor. Tomas Regolo leads from the piano, Roberta Meagli, nursing her bandoneon, looks up and smiles; Roberto Minondi and Marisol Martinez arrive simultaneously at the microphone to sing. 

Whilst Orquesta Romantica Milonguera’s sound is distinctive, it is Marisol that seduces the audience. As in the Golden Age, where the vocalist would not appear until half-way through the song - it is said, because to do otherwise would result in the women standing to look at the handsome singer - Marisol will often make a late appearance. When she appears, the floor before the orquestra congests with desire as both men and women watch longingly. 

Later, as two professional couples give back-to-back performances, we struggle to watch through the press of standing dancers. It is time to leave. With our dance shoes tucked away in dance bags we nod to Andreea, and step out together into warm night air. Somewhere distant, a clock chimes 3 am. A taxi pulls up and we board. Now racing along the calles and avenidas, slowing only for the storm drains, we head back to San Telmo. Andreea is humming Fueron tres anos; dawn light appears just above the horizon. We all picture Marisol and re-define our tango love.

Orquesta Romantica Milonguera

Lucas furno: Violin

Luli Christe: Violin

Sara Ryan: Violin

Oscar Yemah: Bandoneon

Ricardo Badaracco: Bandoneón

Roberta Maegli: Bandoneón

Juan Miguens: Contrabajo

Tomás Regolo: Piano

Marisol Martinez: Voz

Roberto Minondi: Voz

Bar Los Laureles - Golden Age of tango

Have you been to Bar Los Laureles?

Deep in Barracas, southern barrio of Buenos Aires, there is a cafe. It dates back to 1893 when it was a hotbed of socialism and tango. Later in 1940 Jose Lomio, the famous tango singer known popularly as ‘Angel Vargas’ sang at the bar, and since then singers have come from across the southern barrios of Buenos Aires to perform here.

It is Friday night - open mic night one might call it in London or New York. But the very term seems to steal the true-tango-authenticity of Fridays at Los Laureles. The songs are tango - of the Golden Age singers Carlos Gardel, Alberto Moran, Angel Vargas, Armando Laborde, Virginia Luque, Pepita Avellaneda. They are tango at its very best, some of the resident and visiting singers having sung throughout a lifetime as professionals or talented social singers.

We meet with Moneypenny and Damian to board colectivo 24 to Herrera, then on foot to Av Gral Iriarte 2290 Barracas. Stephanie and Moneypenny sit towards the front of the bus, whilst Damian and I stand by the wide open window to feel early evening cooling air. Green traffic lights in our favour, allowing us to career through the intersections, the windows of closing shops and opening cafés flashing past in a blur. 

In contrast to the rest of Barracas, Av Gral Iriarte is a suburban boulevard which we recognise by the long slim garden that divides the road. Just before the railway bridge on the left is ‘Bar Los Laureles’. Tables have been gathered close beneath the street windows, locals already sitting there with copas de vino, beers and empanadas. Nearby, a mechanic and car owner appear to dismantle a carburetor and momentarily Los Laureles is lit blue by the flashing lights of a passing police car. 

 

The bar’s owner takes us to our table by the dance floor. Finding that we were tangueros, this place was reserved specially for us. To our left shellac resin and vinyl spins on the turntable of the analogue radiogram. It is Pugliese, his plump face peering out at the room from an old crumpled photograph on the album’s cover. We have come early for Yuyu Herrera’s tango class, but we need not have rushed - here in Barracas we are definitely on ‘Argentine time’. 

With the change of mood to Osvaldo Fresedo, Moneypenny accepts my cabeceo  and we take to the pista. Odd tables are now occupied, yet we dance alone. ‘Los Laureles’ is not a place for show. Here, in the traditions of the barrio, tango is totally grounded, feet barely leave the floor, movement is unhurried, continuous and seamless. We dance in close embrace, receiving approving smiles from faces by the floor and beyond the windows in the street. Shortly, we are joined on the floor by Stephanie and Damian and the evening has started.

Within three tandas a small, fiery woman bearing a shock of curly black hair appears in the room. In a place that has seen no sudden movement since the 1950’s, her arrival amounts almost to consternation. The music switches to a Canaro beat, and she corralsher students into groups of ‘beginners’ - and ‘the rest’. Yuyu darts to a window to repel staring chicos with the sweep of her arm; then as if by magic, she sets the beginners to walk - the most important skill of the tanguero - and we (the rest) are invited to embrace. Argentine tango is a dance that requires contact, a proximity so close that the follower can understand the lead from the partner’s breath and torso. 

Stephanie and I hold each other in the perfect embrace before moving to the next partner and a new embrace. Here in Buenos Aires, it is often visitors that have an issue with the embrace; Portenos simply relax into it. After all, it is part of the culture. If one wants to learn Argentine tango and become truly integrated as a tanguero here, you simply have to release any aversion to hugs and rotation of partners.

Before Yuyu takes us all onto the giro (the tango turn) she admonishes a couple for talking and lines up her students in a column, as if for a Greek Sirtos; but these steps are those of the turning giro. Within seconds we are all proficient - including the new beginners. Then it is the moment for timing...one, two, three-four, five. Yes, we have got it. And the class finishes with applause. 

 

I need not take you, my reader, through the menu, the taste of the Malbec, nor the finale of fabulous budin de pan with dulce de leche and cream. In truth, one does not visit ‘Los Laureles’ for gastronomic delight. We are here for tango. And so it is now that a small, compact man in a black pinstripe suit and shiny shoes seizes the microphone. 

You must understand that everything about ‘Los Laureles’ appears in time-lapse, so even the microphone dates to the 1950’s, it’s platted cord extending from the radiogram plug. In his hand is a single sheet of paper bearing names in a neat hand - those who are to be called to perform. At this moment, we are transported back to the 1930’s and 40’s as one-by-one traditional silver tango singers, and young handsome men with slicked back jet-black ponytails arrive to sing their favourite songs. A lone guitar player sits to one side, the warmth of his accompaniment visceral in quick moving fingers on the fret. 

Just like the projected images of old film that flicker on one wall, the evening turns sepia; time slows to walking pace; a little shudder of a breeze moves dropped blossom from branches in the boulevard; yet another police car sales past - quietly as if not wishing to break the spell. Small groups of local men and women occupy outside tables to enjoy both song and night air. I feel that time is rolled back, and with it, I sway like a seaweed frond in a moonlit swell. Time now has no significance or meaning.

 

We dance, just the odd couple of dancers to accompany the singers, our movement directed by their orchestration; we express in dance what they sing. I feel a touch to my arm and turn. A young man stands before me and speaks in Castillano. Will I dance a tango with his mother? She has not danced since his father died, and apparently I remind her of him. She is tiny, but in tango this matters not. As we dance she comes alive with memories,  fitting for a night at Bar Los Laureles. Her face is wreathed in smiles as I take her back to her seat and give her son a hug. The pinstripe man reaches the end of his list,  and we feel a sense of loss. It is as if another century is stealing back its place. 

Outside, a taxi waits, it's meter ticking. We board and speed through Barracas streets, now deserted and in shadow from the moon. Then there is the moment that we cross 9 de Julio, the road that divides the city. This tells that we are nearly home. Bar Los Laureles seems a distant dream, but most definitely one we shall remember. 

It’s time to talk about Katrinski

Women, shoes and tango; three words that go together well. To these, those living in, staying at, or visiting Buenos Aires should add a fourth - ‘Katrinskis’.

I should make it clear. This blog is inspired by shoes - with no hidden deviance or incentives to hyperbole. Katrinski is just like any other bespoke shoe maker in Buenos Aires, but better. And it is her professionalism, attention to detail, line of sight, shape and form - that makes her shoes outstanding.

Stephanie and I arrive in Gallo on the 29 colectivo and walk to Katrinski’s studio via Soler. Within seconds of pushing the bell, she is there to escort us to her first floor atelier overlooking the street. Her workbench sits just inside the door. Here are her tools: leather shears, mundial tailor scissors, nickel hammers, shoe knives, lining pliers, rasps; and the skeletons of shoes - neat heels and soles awaiting leather uppers. Ranged beneath the window are finished shoes, glistening with style and sophistication. Shoe boxes containing hidden delights mount up the wall to the left.

Over to the right is the leather-trove: a cupboard containing small rolls of the finest hides, fabrics and leathers - some bright, others shimmering. They feel soft to the fingertip, with almost an elastic stretch. They smell divine.

Katrinski (Katrin Urwitz) came to Buenos Aires from Sweden just over ten years ago. Since then she has dedicated herself to making shoes for dancers - up to 8cm heels for tango, and her famous ‘Katrinski flats’ for every occasion. In a previous blog I said that no woman should be without her Katrinskis - for the open air milonga, the time after midnight when feet in heels are exhausted, or simply to walk the city streets in style. 

A first pair of Katrinskis tango shoes constitutes a rite of passage from ‘dancer’ to ‘tanguera’. Today Stephanie selects a high open heel, double cross-over strap style in embellished nude gold. The sample are so light that they seem to float in the hand. The finished shoes will be bespoke-made in three weeks.

As we leave and walk hand-in-hand to ‘La Pharmacy’ bar I boast to Stephanie, “So that’s my Christmas shopping done”, and grin with a pleasure that only us guys will understand. “Now, who’s going to buy the coffee?”

To visit Katrinski’s Facebook page click the link

Packing for tango - Buenos Aires

This blog is a collaboration between Stephanie and me - to assemble a nearly definitive guide for those travelling to Buenos Aires to dance tango. We have approached it on the basis of longer-term stays in CABA thoughout the year, with additional advice for trips to estancias or travelling in Patagonia.

Weather is an important consideration for what you pack for your trip to Buenos Aires where temperatures vary from mid 30’s in December/January, to bitter cold wintery days in July. Between May and September it is wise to take a coat, hat, scarf and gloves, together with robust shoes. From September to the end of April simply consider something to protect the shoulders from sun, and a light jacket or a wrap for the evenings when travelling home from the milonga.

Travelling to the north, be ready for a hotter, wetter climate; and to the south - depending on distance, you may need an entirely different wardrobe. Here we have information for Buenos Aires:

Tango needs

In Buenos Aires you are coming to the centre of the tango universe where tango clothes and shoes abound, so why bring them with you? Part of the fun of staying in the city is browsing rails of tango clothes at milongas and shoe shopping. Our advice here is to pack one versatile outfit that is suitable for day or evening milongas, together with a pair of light tango trainers for classes, then treat yourself at Comme il Faut or the DNI shop. Remember, whilst tangueros dress to the nines in the USA, Europe and UK, a modest tango wardrobe is all that is required in Buenos Aires. 

For longer stays Stephanie packs some pretty, wash-and-drip-dry dresses or tango skirts, open toe tights, plus couple of pairs of tango pants, a cheap throw-away fan for milongas, and her duty-free perfume. She includes one pair of trusty worn-in tango shoes in her hand luggage should she be ‘Stranded at the Airport’.

I pack a lightweight jacket to wear at and from the milonga, teamed with a pair of loose but smart tango trousers and a cool white shirt. Like Stephanie, I slip my old tango shoes into my flight bag just in case. Once in Buenos Aires I head for my favourite shop, Aux Charpentiers to collect a couple of collarless cotton shirts and some casual pants.

Street needs

Whatever the season, Buenos Aires weather can change quickly from hot and fine to cool (or cold) and wet. Importantly, streets are busy and congested - not a place for heels, jewellery or showy clothes that announce you as a tourist target. 

We recommend that you pack for the street, for it is here that you will spend most of your time walking, exploring, meeting friends and drinking coffee at street corner cafes. The art is to combine comfort with a pinch of style. Street shoes should be robust enough to withstand heavy drenching downpours and broken pavements - but light enough to keep your feet cool on hot summer days. This means packing two pairs and checking the forecast. Team with a shirt or t-shirt and loose casual trousers for men, and lightweight wash-and-wear pants with a t- shirt or top for women. Accessorise with a little colour, or pack a change of top for the evening.

Dining out

Don’t dress up for dinner, for none of the Portenos do, and you will feel totally overdressed. What you wear during the day is sufficient for evenings out, although I recommend a jacket for men and a dress for women in the posher restaurants. Wearing shorts in the evening is not advised, instantly identifying you as a tourist. For cooler evenings or sitting under air conditioners, bring a versatile wrap for the shoulders.

Connectivity

The latest technology is expensive here in Argentina, so smart phones are at a premium for street thieves. If you are to pack your iphone and ipad, ensure that they remain discrete and safe.

I pack a UK extension cable with 4 x 240v and 4 x USB outlets, attached to an Argentine adapter or plug. This will give instant connectivity for charging multiple devices, toothbrushes, operating hairdryers etc., reducing the need for a fistful of adapters and searching for additional power sockets. 

Additionally I take a Zendure powerpack for remote charging,  

and a Hootoo TripMate Titan to create a safe wifi hotspot or act as a wifi repeater. If your kit uses AA or AAA batteries, pop in a lightweight charger and handful of rechargeable batteries. 

Those readers who have read earlier my blogs here will know that we also pack a bluetooth speaker, giving instant smartphone connectivity and great music wherever you may stay.

Once in Buenos Aires, we recommend buying a cheap mobile phone and sim card when you arrive. For just a handful of pesos, this gives you local texting and contact without the worry of a smart phone snatch. 

Travelling further afield

If you are heading for an estancia, or trekking, you must consider weight. A suitcase, ideal for Buenos Aires, becomes a liability on longer journeys. You should only pack what you know you can carry (and what you are prepared to lose), and this means compromise.

 For this we recommend a good size rucksack with separate compartments and the emphasis on layers for clothing. Ensure that you set off with strong footwear and a cool light-but-strong jacket. Remember, if you are to travel by coach, space is limited and you will get minimal help with luggage. More important, the loss of a total wardrobe will wreck your trip, so split your clothes between your pack and day sack.

Whilst in transit - or should you be staying in hostels, security may be an issue. Our advice is to be attentive and to pack accordingly. I bring a Lucky-Line keyback, Packsafe security travel net, digital padlock, remote snatch alarm, body wallet, Travel Blue wallet, false wallet, and small LED torch, providing a near-perfect lightweight kit for most eventualities. Of several day sacks, I carry a day-glow sack for outdoor milongas, enabling me to quickly identify my street shoes in the grey bag pile. 

For HIM

Day selection of shirts, tee shirts, underwear, socks, trousers, shorts & street shoes

Jacket for milonga

Lightweight tango trousers

Wash and wear white shirts for milonga

Shoe horn, sweat towel, fan, wipes & hand gel, plus spray cologne for milongas 

Old trusted tango shoes

Hat and sunglasses for hot days

Hat, gloves and scarf for cold day

Folding mac and umbrella

Under-arm sling bag

Small rucksack

Day bag

Cheap waterproof watch

Toiletries

For HER

Day selection of street pants, underwear, light tops, street shoes and warm wrap

Two wash-and-drip-dry dresses

Two pairs of tango pants

Two tango skirts and teamed tops

Toeless tights

Old trusted tango shoes

Fan, wipes & hand gel, perfume for milongas

Hat and sunglasses for hot days

Hat, gloves and scarf for cold days

Folding mac and umbrella

Tiny front carrying shoulder-strap bag

Transparent rucksack for milongas

Waterproof watch

Favourite cosmetics and toiletries

For BOTH 

Small first aid kit, including antiseptic cream, eye bath, paracetamol and indigestion tablets

Sewing kit and travel scissors
Incognito mosquito repellant spray and sticks

Extension cable and adapters

Battery pack for remote charging, battery charger and rechargeables

Hootoo TripMate Titan 

Bose bluetooth speaker

Travel binoculars and camera  (optional)

Keyback, security travel net, digital padlock, remote snatch alarm, body wallet, security purse, false wallet, key fob and small torch

For the FLIGHT BAG include:

Emergency clothes (should your suitcase be delayed)

Pesos and emergency currency

Flight socks, neck support, eye covers, ear plugs

Wetwipes

Warm wrap

Facial mist spray

Nasal anti-cold spray

Toothbrush and paste

Zip bag with facecloth

Travel sweets

Earphones, bluetooth speaker and MP3 player or iPhone

Kindle and backup battery pack

Water flask

Passports (plus card with passport numbers and issue date)

Note with hotel/hostel/apartment address

Biro for completing landing card

Tango shoes for ‘Stranded at the Airport’

(Note: extract from Flight bag to underseat travel bag - those items needed in-filght)

Cleo the dancing cat

It seems that you love Cleo the cat. From a regular readership trickle, the blog 'Dancing with the Cat' soared virally into cyberspace, receiving a record number of views. Maybe its because of Cleo's photo posing with Stephanie; maybe because search engines love cats.

Whatever the reason, readers have said that they want to know more about the dancing cat of Buenos Aires, and who am I to deny them this?

Cleo is a house cat. The sort of cat that owns the house which she never leaves. I am sure - if we left the door ajar - she would poke a small black nose into the street before retreating to safety; but in fact her world is here at Casa Luna.

Cleo stalks the public areas of the house. She patrols the kitchen, mounts the staff stairs to the laundry, visits the Porteno room and tours the terrace. She knows each tub and plant pot in the wide passageway leading to the Garden room, she sidles against the dance studio rails and checks each corner of the garden with a sniff. Tables are out of bounds to the cat, but perceptive early morning risers may see her momentarily jump from the garden table to the ground. 

It being a tango house, of course Cleo is a tango cat. She knows the orchestras of the Golden Age - Rudolfo Biagi, her favorite; Juan D'Arienzo next, with a soft spot for Pedro Laurenz. With each, she adopts a different gait - sometimes quick and sharp, other times slow and purposeful. With Anibal Troilo she adopts a prance, then a pause; with Pugliese - a jump, and maybe a crash. When we play Piazzolla, Cleo simply becomes the inscrutable cat, and drifts to another place.

Cleo watches the guests - maybe for a forbidden tit-bit of food, or for the stroke of her back. But the guests watch Cleo. She demonstrates the illusive tango walk, her paws flicking the ground as if she owns each step; which of course she does. She will walk, then stop; but in stopping, her body continues to move as muscles ripple with inflection. She indicates a direction and goes - a lead of distinction. She is the perfect milonguero.

I sit here in the garden and Cleo caresses my leg, a ocho cortado, and enganche and a pasada. With me she is a follower and will wait for the next move. 

So, should you want to learn Argentine tango, you really need a tango cat.