MUST You Go to Buenos Aires To Learn Argentine Tango?
When it comes to learning any language, art form, sport, and the like, one would often hear that it is best to study that particular concept in its country of origin.
Those who have made the trip tend to exclaim that there’s simply nothing like the experience. This is especially true for those who have traveled all the way to Buenos Aires to study tango.
At some point, one may have come across various articles from tangueros and tangueras who have narrated their extraordinary tango experience in Buenos Aires. On the other hand, those who have yet to travel to the mecca of the dance tend to make it their objective to do so.
Is it an absolute must to go to Buenos Aires to learn Argentine Tango?
Getting Tango Lessons
What may seem like a simple question is not easily met by a simple answer. For starters, there are multiple factors to consider, and it is inevitable that not all tango dancers have the capacity to fly such a long distance.
Although there are many tango dancers who have left their hometowns, careers, and lives in pursuit of what they deem an authentic tango experience, not everyone is given the opportunity to make such a leap.
This becomes even more difficult now that the pandemic has restricted travel. Even in Buenos Aires, local tango lessons and milongas are facing numerous challenges in light of social distancing protocols.
Thanks to technology, however, there are alternatives to getting tango lessons besides attending in-person classes.
In fact, websites offering online tango lessons have experienced a boom during the height of the pandemic. Both students and instructors turned to live Zoom meetings and pre-recorded video workshops. One would only have to do a quick Google search to see that there are numerous online tango websites offering courses for anyone who wants to learn tango.
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Of course, even before the pandemic, there are many physical tango schools that have been offering tango classes for years. One may find this in their own city or a nearby locality. Since tango gained worldwide popularity, numerous communities have formed where people from all walks of life became interested to learn the dance. The word had spread, and many began to attend these classes.
That said, another question comes to mind:
Why is it that tango dancers still feel the need to travel to Buenos Aires when they can sign up for lessons in their own city?
Enriching One’s Tango Experience
Perhaps one of the primary factors driving tango dancers to study in Buenos Aires is the fact that the trip can enrich their knowledge and understanding of the dance. It is important to remember that any concept, especially art forms like dancing, carries historical, cultural, and social elements.
The evolution of tango is not just about how its steps have developed or how its movements became structured over time; Argentine tango as a dance is a culmination of experiences from different people of different cultures who have immigrated to Buenos Aires at a certain point in history.
The social, cultural, and historical conditions of that time have all contributed not only to tango’s movements but also its music, philosophies, and codes.
While these can all be introduced and taught by tango instructors outside of Buenos Aires, the very idea that tango is an experience is what encourages students to gain a more profound understanding of the dance.
The very idea that tango is an experience is what encourages students to gain a more profound understanding of the dance.
By immersing themselves in the local culture of Buenos Aires, they have a better way of appreciating some of the nuances that may not be present outside of the Argentine community.
A good example of this is in the practice of the cabeceo. On the surface, this can seem like a simple gesture, but it has actually sparked many discussions within the North American tango community, ranging from cultural differences to ego and perceived gender roles.
In Argentina, practicing the cabeceo during a milonga is considered tradition.
This is because in the old days, women did not go to dances alone. They were accompanied by their mothers or a chaperone — typically a relative — and it was considered rude to ask a lady outright to dance. A post from Tango High and Low describes this scenario:
“The cabeceo may have been a way, perhaps the only way at the time, of approaching a young woman to invite her to dance. It would have been less brusque, less forward, and less intimidating than having a strange man approach her directly. Such behavior would have been frowned upon in polite society (and tango was striving to be polite). For the woman to approach the man would have been unthinkable. In the scenario I am proposing, I can imagine the young woman, once a man had caught her gaze, turning to her duenna to obtain approval. A simple word or two or nod of the head from her chaperone would do (another cabeceo!). Once this had been given, she could rise and wait for her dance partner to lead her to the floor.”
To this day, the cabeceo continues to be religiously practiced in Buenos Aires milongas. However, this method of invitation may sometimes be overlooked or entirely dispensed within milongas that occur in first-world countries. This boils down to cultural differences where most North Americans tend to have no qualms about direct verbal invitations. Culturally speaking, North Americans are more straightforward than Argentines, and many progressive tango dancers from this side of the world might even find the cabeceo old-fashioned as they feel it encourages women, in particular, to be passive. Tango Voice attempts this explanation:
“In general, the most common method of dance invitation at First World milongas is a Direct Approach to the table accompanied by a verbal request to dance. In First World milongas the cabeceo is understood by few, mastered by fewer, and this is rarely successful as a method of dance invitation.
Gender-segregated seating is virtually non-existent in First World milongas. [...]
Although gender-segregated seating greatly improves the efficiency of use of the cabeceo in finding available dance partners, its implementation in First World milongas has met with (and will continue to meet) culturally based resistance…”
Although some may consider this a trifle, the cabeceo remains an important element in having an authentic Argentine tango experience.
Since the cabeceo might not always be implemented in North American milongas or might not be a point of focus in classes,
this becomes one of the primary reasons tango dancers might want to fly to Buenos Aires to learn more about the original codigos of tango.
Advantages and Challenges
Of course, there are many other advantages one may gain by studying tango in Buenos Aires. Aside from being able to immerse oneself in the local culture, one can practically enjoy dancing tango in the streets. There are also tango festivals in Buenos Aires, which celebrate both Argentine culture and tango as a dance itself. Of course, one does not easily find this in first-world tango communities either.
Traveling to Buenos Aires also presents one the opportunity to visit places that have been historically and culturally significant in the development of the dance.
Some examples are the Museo Mundial del Tango (World Tango Museum) and the Academia Nacional del Tango.
Similarly, tango instructors from Buenos Aires are often locals, though there are also foreign instructors who offer classes after staying in Argentina for years, even decades. One can then reasonably expect that living in Buenos Aires has offered these instructors a more profound perspective and approach in teaching tango. Some may have even been students of tango luminaries who are considered as pillars of keeping the tango tradition alive.
On the other hand, receiving lessons outside of Buenos Aires instructors may pose some challenges regarding the kind of tango they teach.
It is inevitable that tango has evolved into many different forms over the years. In fact, the popularity of tango eventually led to its commercialization, where some tango teachers tend to incorporate elements of, say, ballroom into the dance.
People within the tango community tend to have contrasting opinions when it comes to “show tango,” which some belief is not authentic at all. Some may reason out that Argentine tango is all about improvisation as opposed to choreographed performances. Students who are just starting to learn about tango might not be able to readily make the distinction between show or ballroom tango, Argentine tango, or other forms of tango unless an instructor clearly specifies this or explains it.
However, there are also challenges that one may encounter when studying tango in Buenos Aires.
For those who do not know how to speak the language, it may be difficult not only to dance but also to communicate.
At the same time, adjusting to life in Buenos Aires and the culture of the place may also pose some difficulties. This may be true for those who might feel uncomfortable with a more seemingly conservative social and cultural setup.
Being Clear About One’s Intentions
In this case, it may work to one’s advantage to be clear about their goals when it comes to learning tango. It is important to ask:
“What are my intentions? How much do I want to learn about tango? How do I want to learn about tango?”
If one is happy with learning tango without making the trip to Buenos Aires, then they are perfectly allowed to do so. Keep in mind that different people have different learning curves. They also have different preferences when it comes to studying certain things. Not going to Buenos Aires to learn about tango doesn’t necessarily mean that they are less passionate about the dance compared to those who have made the trip to this wonderful city. It is still very much possible to become a skilled tango dancer who profoundly understands its codes and philosophies, even while receiving lessons in one’s own locality or from instructors outside Buenos Aires. In fact, learning about tango isn’t about the place; it is all about one’s commitment to attend classes and one’s open-mindedness to receive feedback and corrections.
Not going to Buenos Aires to learn about tango doesn’t necessarily mean that they are less passionate about the dance compared to those who have made the trip to this wonderful city.
It is still very much possible to become a skilled tango dancer who profoundly understands its codes and philosophies, even while receiving lessons in one’s own locality or from instructors outside Buenos Aires.
In fact, learning about tango isn’t about the place; it is all about one’s commitment to attend classes and one’s open-mindedness to receive feedback and corrections.
On the other hand, if someone wishes to study tango in Buenos Aires, it is also perfectly fine to do so. As mentioned, there are many advantages to doing this, such as being able to get a more enriching experience. Knowledge of the cultural, historical, and social elements that have led to the development of tango as it is today can provide more context. A tango dancer can use this in understanding how and why certain steps or movements are executed or why certain songs are played in milongas. One can also have a greater appreciation of the dance when they are immersed in the place of its origin. However, without the passion for learning and the needed practice and open-mindedness, the trip to Buenos Aires might not be as fruitful.
Thus, to go back to the initial question:
is it necessary to go to Buenos Aires to learn Argentine tango?
The answer is both yes and no. Yes, it is necessary if one wishes to broaden one’s knowledge. No, because it is ultimately up to the individual if they will open their mind to learning.