Ian in Argentina

Tonight, we went to the Tango Porteño, a dinner and show kinda joint.  The entire place was decked out like an Art Deco theatre from the glory days of tango.  Even the sign and menu font fit in with the aesthetic. (because I’m a nerd and notice that kind of thing.)

The dinner was ok, nothing to special, spectacular, or otherwise outstandingly noteworthy; It was good enough.  The dining room was spread out before the giant stage where rows of seats normally would be.  Everyone got their picture taken with the dancers, and could even keep them for around 60 pesos.  In case you haven’t figured it out yet, this was a MAJOR tourist trap.  The clientele was composed of the usual suspects: American, British, and Japanese globe trotters rounded out the majority of the customers of this establishment, conveniently located right on the main boulevard of the city, only a few hundred feet from the Obelisk. (Basically the “Time’s Square” of Buenos Aires.)  Furthermore, the waiters all spoke perfect english to complement the bi-lingual menu.

I didn’t pay for any of it myself, so I really wouldn’t know how much it cost to hit up this place, but however much we payed would’ve been worth it just for the tango, even if it would’ve been in a crumbling rundown warehouse.  The dancing was incredible.  I haven’t seen that much spinning and kicking since the last Bruce Lee movie I rented.  But this was awesome to watch.  Each partner moving gracefully in sync with the other across the stage and back.  Tango is like visual dulce de leche.  I could explain it to you ’till my keyboard breaks, but you would never truly understand it unless you saw it.

It was such an absolute treat to watch, especially in a grand production like this was.  The scale of the show matched, if not exceeded that of it’s housing.  The band, consisting of a piano, upright bass, cello, two violas, three violins, and 4 accordians was placed on a second stage higher up and behind the main one.  The show began with a large group number of people dressed in classic city suits and dresses, dancing in and around an artistic backdrop of nostalgic B.A. (very reminiscent of Guys & Dolls)  From there it would alternate between group numbers, sung interludes, one-on-one dances, and musical interludes.  All of it was incredible.  Some of the highlights.

• The second one-on-one dance, performed through scenery designed to look like a park, including around a tree and over a bench.
• A dance evocative of a dream where the female was blindfolded for it’s duration, including some of the most daring moves I saw all night.
• A woman who with puppetry, and sleight of hand appeared to be dancing with an otherwise empty frame of a person covered in a suit and fedora. (As in she essentially tangoed with herself, and made it look good.)

All of it was nothing short of amazing.  Professional tango is without a doubt the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.  I wont learn how to dance it until next semester, but it’ll be worth the wait.

Tango, just another way Buenos Aires never ceases to amaze me.