Has Buenos Aires lost its tango soul?

[ArbeeNYC]

I suggest a business model for a club to hire a whole lot of local taxi dancers, discretely, without the knowledge of tourists.

Ouch, that would be extremely expensive for the venue. I don't see how the economics work. Not sure but I feel there is a risk of this backfiring. The place could develop a reputation as one where the only people who will dance with you, a non-local, are taxi dancers. For some folks that may be fine, but others might stay away, preferring to dance with partners who really do want to dance with them.

 

[ArbeeNYC]

- the earlier in tango journey they go, the more they rave.

I have a couple of young tango friends, mid-to-late twenties, very attractive. One speaks Spanish. Both of them had a great time in BA. Stayed up late, went to many milongas, took classes. Ate well. Older, more experienced dancers talk about the floorcraft on crowded floors (so much better than locally) and the quality of the dancing.

 

[ArbeeNYC]

Are bigger scenes really fragmented like that? My only experience is Portland and the teachers here all go to other events and everyone just hangs out without many cliques. Smaller communities nearby drive up and down to each other and support each other. So this idea of fragmented cliques sounds weird to me. Like competing classes and milongas?

NYC is somewhat fragmented, yeah. The community is not all that large given the size of the metropolis. In fact, it's microscopic. I doubt there are more than 500 dedicated dancers in the city, a few more in the suburbs and nearby states. But there are certainly cliques and the scene fragments stylistically as well, generally determined by who you studied with. We lost a lot of people after Covid and a lot of places to dance as well. I get the feeling that the local tango scene has shrunk a bit, in spite of the newcomers.

 

[itwillhappen]

I suggest a business model for a club to hire a whole lot of local taxi dancers, discretely, without the knowledge of tourists. Make them actively work the room, both male and female taxi dancers. The reputation as a friendly milonga would spread fast.

I also think that this could create a freebie pull effect among followers, while on the other hand, the regular leaders (and couples) might prefer to dance elsewhere.

The tango infrastructure in Buenos Aires was almost completely rebuilt for tourists and their dollars starting in the late 1980s. At least since the pandemic, we know that there's an influencial association of tango organizers. (And since they take in and spend the tourists' money, I would look for the soul of BsAs tango there first.)
This association will surely be exchanging with the tango hostels and travel organizers about how best to integrate the taxi dancer business. My ex-girlfriend once witnessed in her hostel how slightly uninhibited older women picked out the invited, younger dancers - it wasn't exactly pleasant from the outside. But when is mass tourism ever pleasant?

 

[Brummbaer]

But when is mass tourism ever pleasant?

I'd expect unintended consequences from anything like that.

It would require strict regulation and management by the proprietor. Certainly, allegedly, one justification for those códigos in the early days, which can seem so much a relic of a past culture as we re-invent new forms. Perhaps a return to piringundines and a collection of tokens during some cortina? Or maybe just '10¢ a dance' (adjusted for inflation).

But

NYC is somewhat fragmented

Was there ever a unified AT scene in BsAs? 'Styles' of various locations serm to indicate otherwise. Are we looking for a unified front where one never existed? It's just a myth? Not all milongas are the same, and never were.

 

[itwillhappen]

Certainly, allegedly, one justification for those códigos in the early days, which can seem so much a relic of a past culture as we re-invent new forms. Perhaps a return to piringundines and a collection of tokens during some cortina? Or maybe just '10¢ a dance' (adjusted for inflation).

It depends heavily on one's own time, aptitude, intellectual capacity, and financial resources.

By time, I primarily mean the years one might have left. If you feel lonely in your later years and discover your love for tango, then it might be wise to book a tango package tour with "extras" - sooner rather than later - and to budget an adequate payment for these "extras", however.

Well, from our perspective, Argentina is a relatively poor country where mutual support is often essential. So, while "Tango Argentino" may lack a soul, Argentinians certainly do not. And the taxi driver might know a tango hostel; the tango hostel will have a practice room where you can meet tango teachers. If you have negative experiences at milongas, you might ask for help. If you spend a lot of money on accomodation and private lessons, they will find a solution. And perhaps that will be the taxi driver, who also happens to be a taxi dancer as a third job. No one is being embarrassed or exposed, commissions may be involved behind the scenes.

My ex-girlfriend is a (semi-)professional dance therapist. That's a privileged situation, of course; she essentially "imported" two Argentinian tango teachers, providing her studio and her contacts as a bridgehead. One of the teachers has been to Europe several times, found a partner here, and is doing well in the tango business. Word gets around, such will be naturally helpful in the milongas of BsAs.

 

[opendoor]

.

 

[itwillhappen]

I like this phrase, but honestly, how much effort does it take to rid the Porteños of the lies they believe about their own tango history?

The generation that shredded the master records in the 60s and drove the musicians abroad; and who, after 30 years of inactivity, wanted to tell us stories about how great they danced in their youth, is practically dead.
And today's generation mainly has the little white lie that as toddlers they always listened to D'Arienzo on the radio sitting on their grandpa's lap; do we really have to take that away from them? These days, they can either dance and teach well (in English), or they don't have much fun in the community.

Storytelling ... I think Uncle Gustavo's put about "tango tourists" and "milongueros of the world" is quite good:

 

[TTanguero]

wanted to tell us stories about how great they danced in their youth

There's a saying in the motorsports field: the older I get, the faster I was. I think this is the tango equivalent.

 

[opendoor]

..These days, they can either dance and teach well (in English)..

That's true, but they first have to admit that they only learned this form of tango in Berlin, not in Buenos Aires.

..they don't have much fun in the community..

What? I'm traumatized. Too often I've lost my dance partner to lured in, charmingly chatty imports from Buenos Aires.

 

[Brummbaer]

If you feel lonely in your later years and discover your love for tango, then it might be wise to book a tango package tour with "extras" - sooner rather than later - and to budget an adequate payment for these "extras", however.

Unnecessary (with regards to dance). I can meet those Argentinians sofa-surfing across Europe, or visit the better teachers who've settled here (or within travelling distance). I don't need to visit BsAs. If I'm passing by somewhere in south America, then I might stopover. Whilst AT is significant, it's not my whole life.

 

[ArbeeNYC]

Was there ever a unified AT scene in BsAs? 'Styles' of various locations serm to indicate otherwise. Are we looking for a unified front where one never existed? It's just a myth? Not all milongas are the same, and never were.

Unified? In BA? Probably not given all the variations between local barrios back in the day. However, I would think that has changed today into a more unified presence. I suspect that was the result of its greater visibility and dissemination and also the greater availability of video so forms of the dance could be more easily compared. Sure, even here not all milongas are the same but I think there's more internal fragmentation here.

 

[ArbeeNYC]

I was suggesting under the radar taxi dancers. Give the tourists the illusion of endless dream tandas and they’ll keep coming back.

A propose of taxi dancers:

 

[Brummbaer]

but I think there's more internal fragmentation here

Or, maybe because of visibility, it's just more obvious?

Unless they learn to work together, they'll always be divided and subject to some takeover.

 

[Bailango]

Back in college a friend had this idea of organizing parties with dedicated ice breakers. Basically they were just attractive people with necklaces that went around talking and introducing people to each other. A lot of shy folks paid money to go to these events. I don’t even think you need to make it hidden. Have taxi dancers with something that indicates that they are totally open to dance with whoever without attitude and people will still flock to the milonga. Tons of group tours already offer the idea of taxi dancers. This was the main selling point of a women’s retreat in Argentina I saw recently - come hang out with women but we screen all these men for dance level and friendliness and they are there to dance with you.

Kizomba in Europe (it is a small niche scene and very follower heavy) started offering free pass to good leaders so they are motivated to attend a festival. Unintended consequence was leaders not buying festival passes, hoping to be granted one by the organizers.

Those Kizomba people can dance together from half an hour to an hour, or couple of hours. Which means there is far less partner changes. The ladies are waiting forever because there are far more women who want to dance.

For instructors who organize tango tours to BsAs they probably have arrangement (for a fee) with local dancers to dance with the women in the tour group. Of if you are traveling as a single woman or with a friend, it is easy to inquire around and hire a man to accompany you to milonga who will dance with you. The impression I have got is that these men are younger and often very good dancers.

I am also told that the locals are used to foreign women at the milongas. And some locals are in habit of dancing and preying on foreigners.

Second info based on talking to more than a dozen local followers who keep visiting BsAs.