I never been to BsAs. Almost all accounts of experience there I have heard have been from women. I know a few men who been there but they don’t rave about it like the women do. Only man I have read or heard narrate BsAS experiences in detail is @TTanguero.
Based on what women have told me over the years:
- the earlier in tango journey they go, the more they rave.
- I haven’t heard advanced followers talk much about their BsAs experience. It is mostly intermediate skilled or lesser that go to BsAs multiple times.
- there are a lot of opportunities for taking private and group classes. Almost 10x of any other city.
- Argentina was extremely affordable for people visiting from the west or those who had moderately equivalent income of a middle class westerner.
- people went in group led by instructor and their experience was curated.
I always tell women that if they really want to go to tango heaven, they should go to Istanbul. A lot more me, who are good tango dancers, tend to be younger too and are technically trained. From my experience, they can be a bit showy when dancing but technically very competent.
Similarly for men, nothing beats Moscow. A lot of good to excellent followers with very little competition from local men. It is follower heavy and not likely to change. I haven’t been to Kiev so not idea how tango is there. I have danced in a few eastern and center European cities and dancing is also very good experience if you are a man (leader).
Of all the Argentinian followers I have danced with, the only good ones have been the visiting instructors or local instructors who grew up in BsAs. Among men I see only few Argentinians that can be said to have good skill. Most don’t. It is not surprising. I have come across or know a lot more Argentinians who don’t dance tango. They might have some familiarity with the music (as in heard it play on radio or otherwise). When it comes to dancing they have no to little idea. In Argentina too, tango dancing as a pursuit is a niche activity in my impression.
Places like Cuba for salsa or BsAs for tango, don’t live up to hype. In both places you will find many teachers and number of the good ones. Only place that lived up to hype for a short while in mid nineties till about 2010 was NYC for those that dance on2. The socials over there are no longer at the level that used to be.
Based on what women have told me over the years:
- the earlier in tango journey they go, the more they rave.
- I haven’t heard advanced followers talk much about their BsAs experience. It is mostly intermediate skilled or lesser that go to BsAs multiple times.
- there are a lot of opportunities for taking private and group classes. Almost 10x of any other city.
- Argentina was extremely affordable for people visiting from the west or those who had moderately equivalent income of a middle class westerner.
- people went in group led by instructor and their experience was curated.
I always tell women that if they really want to go to tango heaven, they should go to Istanbul. A lot more me, who are good tango dancers, tend to be younger too and are technically trained. From my experience, they can be a bit showy when dancing but technically very competent.
Similarly for men, nothing beats Moscow. A lot of good to excellent followers with very little competition from local men. It is follower heavy and not likely to change. I haven’t been to Kiev so not idea how tango is there. I have danced in a few eastern and center European cities and dancing is also very good experience if you are a man (leader).
Of all the Argentinian followers I have danced with, the only good ones have been the visiting instructors or local instructors who grew up in BsAs. Among men I see only few Argentinians that can be said to have good skill. Most don’t. It is not surprising. I have come across or know a lot more Argentinians who don’t dance tango. They might have some familiarity with the music (as in heard it play on radio or otherwise). When it comes to dancing they have no to little idea. In Argentina too, tango dancing as a pursuit is a niche activity in my impression.
Places like Cuba for salsa or BsAs for tango, don’t live up to hype. In both places you will find many teachers and number of the good ones. Only place that lived up to hype for a short while in mid nineties till about 2010 was NYC for those that dance on2. The socials over there are no longer at the level that used to be.
