Tango lesson and amazing performance

(Katherine) Today marked our first tango experience in BA! After receiving a recommendation for a tango dance hall called Complejo Tango, I made a reservation which included transportation to the venue, a 1-hour group dance lesson (thank you Elaine for the Honeyfund gift!), an appetizer, wine, and a 1.5 hour dance performance. 


We started first with the dance lesson, and upon going around the room and introducing ourselves, we learned that there were only a handful of Americans, mostly Brazilians and Australians. They started by showing us the first basic tango 8-count, and then divided men and women to practice. Once Robert and I got to practice together, we were surprised to find we could actually do all of the steps! The second 8-count wasn't quite as successful – I would say that in the end, we mastered 14 of the 16 steps they taught us. Regardless, we were presented with a certificate at the end of class which said we had “graduated.” I think that might be a bit of a stretch, but it was a cute gesture.

We then gathered in the dining hall which included a small stage in the center. We had an opportunity to eat and drink wine, and then the show began at 10:00. A live band began to play from a balcony from above, and the dancers came out on stage. We figured out that they were taking us through the history of tango – the first section was comprised of dance style and costumes from the 1900's, the second was the 1940's, and finally they ended with the tango from today. There were also a couple of singers too who guided us through the story, although it was difficult to follow since everything was sung in Spanish. However, I think the overall message was about expressing love through tango.

We were sitting right next to the stage which made it very difficult for me to take video footage, but click on the link above to check out one of my favorite acts. This was our female dance instructor demonstrating tango from the 2000's. In one word – amazing!