| From the very beginning, Buenos Aires and the | | | | larger amount of snobbery. Many of these |
| tango have been inseparable. | | | | milongas will offer mini-shows with famous |
| | | | dancers, usually at 1:00 or 2:00 am, as a |
| It was in the brothels of this burgeoning | | | | break in the middle of the dance session - |
| South American port city that, around the | | | | check with the show's organizers beforehand. |
| turn of the century, Italian immigrant | | | | Most of the same dance halls will also offer |
| laborers first invented the dance. By the | | | | classes, normally in the early evening hours |
| 1920s and 30s, with these brothel beginnings | | | | before the "milonga" begins. |
| largely relegated to the past, tango reached | | | | |
| its golden age, a time of immense popularity | | | | Contact information for these and other |
| for both the dance and the music alike. | | | | "milongas" can be found on the official |
| During those years tango could be heard, in | | | | Government of Buenos Aires site: |
| both its sung and its orchestral versions, on | | | | |
| the radio and in dance halls around the | | | | For those who don't yet have the skills to |
| world. | | | | take on Buenos Aires' best dancers, or who |
| | | | are looking for a more relaxed or more |
| Tango, of course, remains popular to this | | | | youthful atmosphere, the "practica" or |
| day. And Buenos Aires is still the best | | | | practice session has recently been gaining in |
| place in the world to dance the tango or see | | | | popularity on the traditional classic |
| it performed on the stage. | | | | "milonga". A variety of these less formal, |
| | | | even "underground", dance halls have risen up |
| Tango dance halls are called "milongas." | | | | to the task of providing young Argentines and |
| Even the uninitiated are welcome at a | | | | foreign visitors with a place to dance where |
| "milonga" - which is to say that anyone is | | | | they won't be beholden to the constant |
| free to take a class or to watch from the | | | | pressures of tango-world snobbery. Some of |
| tables which encircle the dance floor. But | | | | these "milongas", like the more traditional |
| those with little experience should be aware | | | | dance halls, also have shows. Amongst these |
| that in the late evening, when the "milonga" | | | | places, you'll find: |
| is in session, you are expected to be a | | | | |
| highly proficient dancer before you should | | | | Tango Cool! (in Club Villa Malcolm) |
| think about selecting a partner (Ladies, | | | | |
| don't even think about it! According to the | | | | La Viruta (in The Centro Cultural Armenia) |
| tango code, only men may do the asking). | | | | |
| Stepping on toes is not appreciated and | | | | Catedral |
| anyone who does so will not be asked to dance | | | | |
| again. "Tangueros", as tango dancers are | | | | Finally, for tourists and for tourists only |
| known, are not a forgiving lot. | | | | (most Argentines could scarcely afford the |
| | | | ticket price), a number of places in Buenos |
| "Milongas" don't begin until 10:00 or 11:00 | | | | Aires offer dinner - show combinations. The |
| in the evening and normally will not end | | | | food is mostly forgettable, and the shows are |
| before 4:00 or 5:00 am., so make sure you | | | | of the Andrew Lloyd Webber variety, with |
| have a siesta the day before. | | | | flimsily constructed plotlines, a random |
| | | | selection of music, unfunny jokes told by |
| A list of some of the nicest "classic" | | | | garrulous MCs, and plenty of spectacle and |
| milongas in Buenos Aires includes: | | | | special effects - in one of the shows, a live |
| | | | horse is brought onto the stage every night! |
| Bien Pulenta | | | | The dancers are, however, true professionals |
| | | | and, especially when more than one couple is |
| La Confiteria Ideal | | | | dancing together on stage, the spectacle is |
| | | | truly amazing. For that alone it may be |
| Salon Canning | | | | worth paying the entry fee. The price for |
| | | | these shows is, however, extremely steep, |
| El Niño Bien | | | | especially by local standards. Expect to pay |
| | | | around one hundred US dollars for dinner and |
| All of these are traditional dance halls, | | | | a show - more if inflation continues its |
| with marble or hardwood floors, chandelier | | | | current course of eroding away the savings |
| lighting, gilded ceilings and black jacket | | | | that tourists used to see from the devalued |
| waiters - places that are imbued with no | | | | peso. |
| small amount of class, and perhaps an even | | | | |