Hot Tango!

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Liz’s First Tango Lesson!

Recently I wrote about taking new friend Liz shopping for tango shoes, and last night she had her first tango lesson. As she was a tad nervous, I went with her, and Alejandro and I did a few demo dances.

Liz did amazingly well! Check out her video, and remember this was her first time dancing tango! (Due credit to Alejandro as he is an amazing teacher.)

Before you watch the videos, I wanted to say something people often ask me about. Every time I post one of my tango videos, someone usually wonders how I can remember all the steps and sequences. The answer is that I don’t. You don’t need to remember, because you dance according to where you’re being led, and as you contribute to the co-creation of the dance, the steps evolve naturally. None of these videos, including Liz’s, is choreographed in any way. It’s all about connection with the music, between the dancers and with the floor.

We did three demo dances. The first was a traditional tango with music from the thirties or forties, then we did a lighthearted, playful one, and the last one was dramatic and passionate — Liz said she couldn’t breathe as she watched it!

Anyway, I’ve included just the first and second ones for you to see the different ways you can dance tango.  I love tango — can you tell?

Liz’s debut!

Traditional style

A more playful approach

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More tango togs!

Here are two more of the tango outfits I bought last week.

The first one is actually a dress, not a skirt and top. It’s stretchy velvet. Tango clothes have no zippers and they are worn very tight. You have to allow for that when getting dressed — it takes me a while to struggle into them!

You can’t really see the skirt to advantage here, but it’s shocking pick with a thin black lace overlay — and a waist-to-hem black lace fish tail! I hesitated over that one, but I’m glad I got it. It swishes as I dance! The top is again tight stretchy velvet, with lace sleeves.

I think I may have said this before, but the milonga is the last bastion of over-the-top dressing, where you can be as fancy as you like. You can wear clothes you wouldn’t wear anywhere else, and I have to say I enjoy the whole experience more when I’m in these fabulous outfits!

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Tango Togs!

Well you already know about my tango shoe obsession, but I’ve recently been updating my tango clothes collection.

  When my friend Venetia came to Buenos Aires a few years ago, she thought she would dance tango. So she went out and bought this beautiful (and obviously very expensive) black silk chiffon skirt. Then she decided tango wasn’t for her, and she forgot about the skirt. She recently unearthed in in a cupboard and gave it to me. I love it! It’s cut on the bias and swirls beautiful when I pivot!

I bought this skirt on Friday afternoon and wore it Sunday night! Red crushed velvet with a fishtail — the milonga is the last bastion of over-the-top dressing!

At Sueño Porteño, where I went last night, they take random photos of the dancers for their Facebook page. This is me with one of my first partners of the evening. What a great dancer he was!

As if all this weren’t enough, I went shopping again today and bought more! My challenge tonight will be deciding which outfit to wear.

And today I secured another new client — so you know what that means! Stay tuned for photos.

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One of the Highlights Every Year!

Every year as my time in Argentina is winding down, Alejandro and I do a video of one of my tango lessons. This time we did two — one standard speed and one more uptempo. And there’s an outtake too — Alejandro had been drinking maté before I got there and he was wired! This bit of silliness was the result! Hope you enjoy all three.


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Milonga Obelisco

This is the milonga I went to last night with my friends Lola and Viviana. We had such a great night!

It’s a friendly crowd, with what we call here buena onda — similar to good vibes in English. All three of us danced a lot, and I was delighted I was even able to dance a presentable milonga. The milonga is not only the place to dance tango, but it’s also a variation of tango. I love watching people dance it because it’s fast, and it’s such a happy dance, but I’ve been a bit intimidated by it in the past because of the fast footwork. But I had a lovely partner who led me beautifully into it, and I danced blissfully, eyes closed, around the floor.

Love tango. Love the milonga. Love Buenos Aires!!

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Another ‘Research’ Event — and a Bonus Surprise for Me!

Last night I went with five women friends on another “research” trip for the new book. It was also International Women’s Day, which is very big down here, so a nice way to celebrate. We were Cecilia, Venetia, Joanna, Lola and Gillian.

Bar Sur is a very old establishment in the very old barrio of San Telmo, where many of the Bares Notables are to be found. It’s tiny, dark and very cozy and intimate. I had spoken with Beatriz, the proprietor, last week, so she knew we were coming and welcomed us warmly.

We ordered wine and picada, and sat back to chat and wait for the show.

Bar Sur claims to have the oldest tango show in San Telmo, and I believe it. The signed photos of tango stars of the past around the walls testify to its tight ties with the music and dance of tango.

There’s no stage in Bar Sur, so the performers sing, dance and play right there on the floor beside the tables, which makes you feel almost like part of the show. I particularly liked the bandoneonero and the two dancers, who beautifully evoked the soulful sound of tango, which was emphasized even more because of the very dim lighting. I’ve put some photos of the iside here.

You might be wondering what the surprise bonus was. Well …

While some of us were taking advantage of a photo opp with the dancers (see the end of the first video), I told him I actually wanted to dance. He didn’t say anything at the time, but before the end of the show I looked up to find him in front of me, giving me a cabeceo — invitation to dance!

I separated Joanna’s video of this, as I didn’t want to put it beside the real dancers, but take a look and let me know what you think.

Of course if I had realized I was going to be part of the show, I would have worn my tango shoes!

We still have a lot of bares notables to see, but it will be hard to top that one just for the experience! See the videos below.


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A5 starts in just 5 weeks!

Five weeks today I’ll be back in Buenos Aires — yayyyyyyy!!

I’m into heavy planning mode now. I have lists of things I want to take with me that I missed last time. For example, as most Latin women have great thick hair, they don’t need the volumising hair products I use and so it’s almost impossible to find styling mousse or my favourite shampoo. I have to take those with me.

As I have to pay my Buenos Aires rent in U.S. dollars, in cash, I’ve been gradually buying up greenbacks. Now I have enough, so I don’t need any more American money. I’ll buy some Pesos to get me started. I usually get my pesos from the ATM, directly out of my Canadian bank account. Only problem is, it’s kind of expensive because of the low withdrawal rates and the high charges, so I like to get a good supply to start. That’s also a tip for you if you’re thinking of coming down for vacation.

This year, for the first time, I’m considering renting my Toronto apartment while I’m in Argentina. When I look around and see all the decluttering I’ll need to do, it makes me feel faint. But I think it will be worth it.

Tonight I’m going to one of Toronto’s many milongas to dance tango — have to get in practice for Buenos Aires!

Now that my new book is out, I have lots of new ideas and plans around the book, its stories and Argentina in general. One of those ideas is to develop this blog into more of a site with “all things Argentine”. If you’re interested in Argentina, stay tuned.

Here’s the cover of the book. Like it? It’s now available in both print and ebook editions at most online bookstores. Click on the image to learn more.