La Milonga

While the original plan was to leave Tandil at 10:00 am on Wednesday morning, our leaders made a wise decision to depart at 7:30 instead. This change maximised those early hours of the day and set our schedule up so that stopping for lunch would not be necessary. We loaded up the luggage only after grabbing a filling breakfast of cereal, pastries, yoghurt, cured ham, cheeses, hot cocoa, coffee, and orange juice. I suppose I shouldn't forget the omnipresent croissant. While the French felt a crescent best described these pastries, they are best known in Latin America as medialunas, or half moons.

Most everyone chose to spend the afternoon living the life of Riley, either by doing some more shopping, soaking up some rays, gorging himself with empanadas, or some combination of the three. Needless to say, 7:45 rolled around quickly and with everybody looking excited to head out, we left for Piazzolla Tango, only blocks away from the Plaza de Mayo. The name of this milonga, or dancehall, gives away Argentina's strong Italian roots and can help in understanding how many different cultures converged (and still do) on Buenos Aires. While it pays tribute to a number of European salon dances, the tango was undoubtedly developed in the Plate River region with strong African influences. In fact, one of the pieces we performed Tuesday night, Candomblé, employs the same Afro-Latino rhythms that can be found in many forms of tango.

The night started off with a delicious three-course meal (steak obviously being the chef's recommendation) and a seemingly unending supply of great Argentinian malbec. With the end of dessert, we transitioned into the show. I cannot claim to know enough about the art form of tango to praise or criticise the performance, but it would have been impossible to miss the fury, romance and energy that went into it all. One could see on their faces the concentration it required to pull off their manoeuvres. Furthermore, the dance is notably exotic, due to its unabashed machismo, a characteristic that is often surprising to our North American attitudes; still, coordination between the two dancers is indispensable. Without a doubt, the chance to see tango performed in a venue like Piazzolla is not one that presents itself often and left us all thoroughly impressed. The photos that I've included will not do the night justice, but hopefully they will provide some visual aid.

Saludos Amistosos,
Byron