Bailando! Tango Lessons in Argentina

     On our last night in Argentina, we paid homage to the neighborhood we had visited earlier in the day, La Boca, where the Argentine tango originated. At 7pm on Friday evening our group was swept up from our hotel and transported to a beautiful theatre a few neighborhoods away. After being led up grand, illuminated stairs, we were led into a ballroom with a bar and tables on either side. Our emotions ranged from anticipation to excitement, nervousness to fear, and everything in between. We were about to conquer the Argentine tango.
    Four lean, muscular dancers dressed in all black walked in and introduced themselves. Leah, one of the two female dancers, informed us that she would be leading a majority of the lesson, since she was from New York and spoke fluent English (finally!). The girls stood on one side of the ballroom and the boys (who, on this trip, are few and far between) on the other.

This was, however, quite typical, as men are usually outnumbered by women in the world of ballroom dancing. Leah and her peers taught us weight transfers and the basic step, after which we were instructed to randomly pair up to practice. As it turns out, many of our students are naturals! The professors joined in on the fun as well, and Professor Zdravkovic even learned to tango!

 

 

     Once the basic had been mastered by most, we moved on to learning pivots and a tango pose (you know, the famous one where the lady lifts her leg up).

Though a few students chose to sit these more advanced parts out, we all had a great time switching around partners, even pairing up with the pros, to nail the routine we had been given. By the end of the lesson everyone was covered in sweat (it's mid-80s here and air conditioning is a hot commodity), but grinning from ear to ear. Our wonderful instructors handed out diplomas certifying that we had achieved high honors in the art of Argentine tango, and we were escorted downstairs into the theatre to dine and watch a professional tango show!