Author: hwilkie@mhwcom.com

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Dancing the Emotion of Tango

The deeper I go into tango the more I realize the importance of elements other than the steps. We are currently working on musicality, dancing to the various orchestras and noticing how the tango feels different with each one. These two songs are from the orchestra of Hector Varela, whose music is very dramatic! My aspiration now is to be able to not only feel the emotion in the music, but to dance the emotion.  Tango is oneness: with your partner, with the music and with the floor. With Alejandro’s help, I am coming to understand that achieving this oneness requires using my whole body.

The words of tango songs are almost impossible for foreigners (and even some Argentines) to understand, because most of them are not written in proper Spanish. Instead, they use a slang unique to Buenos Aires called lunfardo. Although I understand only a few of the words of these two songs, I can feel the pain, and I do my best to interpret it. It’s a work in progress.

I hope you enjoy my tango journey through these occasional videos.

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Cafe de los Angelitos

This is one of the Bares (or Cafes) Notables I am writing about for my new book. It is well known for its “tango” show, but none of my usual people were interested in going. I personally don’t like tango shows either, because they are more showy choreographed programs and not real tango. However, as I thought it would be useful for my book, I decided to go along anyway.

Two visitors I had recently met, Anneliese from Australia and Aytuna from Germany, were keen to see it though, so we three went together.

The cafe itself is beautiful, and has an interesting (read iffy) past. I will go again to do some sketching and perhaps have a further conversation with the manager, but in the meantime I thought I’d share some photos.

The theatre part of Los Angelitos is quite opulent, as you can see from this shot of the stage.

This lovely stained glass piece over the bar reflects the tango aspect of the cafe’s history.

I couldn’t resist a photo op with the lady who was checking in the visitors, in costume from the early 20th century.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From the video, you’ll see it’s not all tango. It’s more of a reflection of the music scene in Buenos Aires from the early 20th century. For me, this woman was the best part of the show. I should have made a longer videeo, but my phone was running out of juice. I hope you enjoy it anyway. Note the live tango orchestra on a platform behind the performers.

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Concert of Argentine Music

Venetia and I attended yet another great concert at the CCK (Centro Cultural Kirchner). It was by the Orchesta Nacional de Musica Argentina. Argentine music is much more than tango, but I have to confess that’s still my favourite.

It’s unusual to see a tango singer so dressed up and backed by a full orchestra, but we still loved it.

Venetia just told me she has tickets for the CCK tomorrow night, and it is a full tango orchestra this time, so looking forward to that. Stay tuned!

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My Anniversary Weekend Celebrations

Hard though it is to believe, this Sunday, November 24, was the first anniversary of my arrival in Argentina. Since November 23 was the day I actually left, I figured I might as well celebrate both days! Three events unfolded.

Tango and Champagne

On Saturday night, my friend Alejandro (who is also my tango teacher) took me to the milonga, where we danced every tanda but one over the course of two hours. It was marvelous! Before leaving, Alejandro took these photos. I don’t think they do much for us, but then selfies never do, do they?

Selfies aren’t flattering anyway, so you might as well get silly with them!

After the milonga, we went back to my place to quaff some bubbly — it was, after all, a celebration.

It was a beautiful, warm night, so we sat out on the balcony and had a lovely conversation as we drank the champagne and Alejandro blissed out on his pipe!

Paddy and John’s Picnic

On Sunday afternoon there was a big picnic for a couple in my group of expat friends. They are moving from Argentina to Italy, so we gave them a big sendoff. I had never been in this particular park before, and it is definitely a hidden gem. And it couldn’t have been a lovelier day for a picnic. Of course, this wasn’t technically part of my celebration, but I was there anyway so I thought I might as well tell you about it.

Night Out at the Parilla

Finally, last night I went with a big group of friends to La Gran Parilla del Plata, usually just referred to as La Gran Parilla. It’s in the lovely old barrio of San Telmo, and most people who have been there agree they have the best steaks in Buenos Aires — and that’s saying a lot! I also love the atmosphere, the friendly waiters (some of them very cute!) and the complimentary glass of lemoncello at the end of the meal!

I put up a note on our little friends thread of FB Messenger, thinking maybe three or four would be interested. 18 signed up and they all came! Here’s a selection of photos taken by Venetia and Anneleise.

All in all, it was a memorable celebration of my new life in this amazing country. I couldn’t be happier that I made this move and I look forward to many more years and many more anniversary celebrations!

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Jacarandas in Buenos Aires

One of the loveliest sights in Buenos Aires in early summer is the profusion of jacaranda trees all over the city. Here’s a selection of photos I took on various streets over the past few days.

From the roof of Venetia’s building

Outside my building

Purple lace

Jacarandas around the beautiful French Embassy

The other side of my street

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Great party last night at an amazing apartment

Last night was the monthly wine and tapas night at the home of one of the BAIN members. It was lots of fun as usual, and had the added bonus of being held in an absolutely amazing apartment. It was so big you could get lost in it — in fact Venetia almost did!

The host is a woman who is highly placed at the American Embassy, and the place certainly reflected that. The phrase “how the other half lives” came to mind!

Setting out my Portuguese pastries (pasteis de nata). If I showed up without these now, everyone would be diappointed!

With my friend Lynne.

Small group of “regulars”!

Believe it or not, this was on the balcony, and you can only see half of it here! Beautiful.

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A great night of music and company!

What a lovely night we had on Friday! Venetia had tickets for yet another wonderful free concert at the Kirchner Centre. A friend of hers is visiting from England, so he came along and I also invited Cecilia.

The concert featured the Orquesta Sinfonica Nacional de Argentina, and for the second half there was also a huge, amazing choir. You can just barely see them on the level above the stage in this photo.

Like most people who see a performance here for the first time, Ian was blown away with the place, the concert — and the fact that it’s free!

I just pinched this photo from Venetia’s Facebook page!

The concert finished just before 10 pm, but this is Buenos Aires so the night was still young and we weren’t finished yet. Cecilia lives quite far away, so she left, but Venetia, Ian and I went on to one of our all-time favourite places (which I’ve written about here before), La Poesia. It’s one of the old Bares Notables, and has the most wonderful ambiance as well as food and — if you’re lucky — entertainment. Tonight we were lucky.

As we were finishing our dinner, a woman came in the front door and I asked Venetia if it was the woman who sings. She doesn’t look anything like an entertainer, so I wasn’t sure, but Venetia said she thought it was. Sure enough, a few moments later the woman took up her place in front of the door and began to sing. No accompaniment, no stage, and plenty of ambient noise, but her beautiful voice rose above it all. My late husband would have said she had a “whisky voice”, which is just what you need to sing tango. I asked her to sing Cancion de Buenos Aires, one of my favourite tango songs, but I didn’t like to video it as she was standing right in front of me. Maybe next time I’ll ask her if I can. In the meantime, I hope this video will give you a taste for her singing as well as the lovely old place itself.

If you ever come to visit me in Buenos Aires, La Poesia will definitely be one of the places I take you to!

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More Tango Shoes

This week I signed up a lovely new client. I am going to coach her through writing her book and then editing and publishing it. I can’t wait to get started. In the meantime, of course, a new client means new tango shoes — and here they are!

My friend Patti recently asked me if I really needed more tango shoes. Of course nobody really needs more tango shoes, but when you are a tanguera it becomes an obsession. It’s all part of the marvellous tango subculture here in Buenos Aires and one of the many reasons I love my life here.

Like the shoes?

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Ah yes, Buenos Aires!

There are so many occasions when odd things happen that we expats simply shrug and say, “Ah well, it’s Buenos Aires.” It’s said with love and a smile, of course, because it’s the quirky things that make this such a special city. In the past two days, two things brought that response from me.

Roberto

At Sueño Porteño with Lina and Anneliese

Last night I went to the milonga with my friend Lina, and an Australian woman she had met up with recently. Anneliese doesn’t dance, but she did want to see tango. Not the “tourist tango” you see in the big shows, which isn’t really tango at all, but she wanted to see the real thing. So Lina and I took her to the milonga. We all thoroughly enjoyed it, and champagne and picadas at Lina’s place afterwards was a nice finishing touch.

But I digress. This is about Roberto.

I met Roberto at the same milonga last year. I’m not exaggerating when I say he has to be pushing ninety, but he’s there, dancing almost every dance. Not very energetically it has to be said, but dancing nonetheless — I hope I can still dance at his age. A few weeks ago I noticed that I hadn’t seen him at the milonga for quite some time, and given his age, I admit I did wonder if he had died. Well, he hasn’t.

Last night he not only asked me to dance, but he propositioned me! He said he would show me a good time if I went to Quilmes (a nearby town) with him next weekend. We would dance tango on Saturday and Sunday nights, and I could stay at his house so that we could “get to know each other better”. He told me to bring my pyjamas! I played the old “My Spanish is not very good” card, and made sure I didn’t catch his eye for any more dances. Ah yes, Buenos Aires!

To Try or Not to Try?

Again I was with Lina this afternoon, checking out the shopping in a barrio called Flores, which I had never visited  before. It was at the end of the subway line, an adventure for me all by itself as I only go on the subway with people who know where they are going. We had a nice lunch in a Korean restaurant and then prowled the shops.

We both found something we liked in the same shop. Mine was a very full tunic-length dress I wanted to wear with leggings, with those nice “cold shoulders” that I like so much. I asked to try it on, and the girl pointed out the two prices on the ticket. One was labelled Mayor, and was 477 pesos. the other said Menor, and was 755 pesos. I’m quite used to two prices on things here, but usually it means the higher one is for payment by card, and the lower one cash, but this was different. When I inquired, I was told that if I took the dress without trying it on, I would pay 477 pesos, but if I wanted to try it on, it would cost 755 pesos. Almost 300 pesos to try it on! I took a chance, and when I got it home it fitted perfectly. And 477 pesos is Cdn. $10.59, so it wasn’t much of a risk!

When the guy explained the numbers, we looked at each other with a shrug, and said, “Buenos Aires!”

I just love my life here!

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Ruta 40

Several years ago now, my dear friend Cecilia introduced me to a group of her friends which they call Ruta 40. This is a major highway that runs the length of Argentina, similar to the TransCanada Highway or Route 66. These friends all do lots of road trips and often find themselves traveling the legendary road — hence the name.

They meet once a month at someone’s home, and when I first started going it was a challenge for me because everyone was speaking at once in rapid Spanish. Now it’s kind of a measure of how far my Spanish has come, as I can pretty much keep up for most of the conversations.

Anyway, now that I have a nice big apartment, I can take my turn at hosting, and last night was my first time. It was a smallish group, just eight plus me, but we made plenty of noise with chatting and laughing. These photos will give you a taste.

Thanks for coming, everyone!