Stellatango

Buenos Aires Trip, March 2005: CITA and Oscar Mandagaran

Two weeks in Buenos Aires always flies by much too quickly. The lady does not fail to charm even after more than a dozen visits, a part of my heart is always remains there, and even this last time I had so many things to do before leaving that my remise driver had to wait 15 minutes for me to finish packing. We rushed to the airport through rush hour Easter week everyone-off-to-take-their-holidays traffic, and I made it through horrendous lines for immigration, security, customs, and exit taxes just in time for boarding with not a minute to spare.

What I love most about Buenos Aires is the juxtaposition of the old, the young, and the proper mixed with the improper. Nostalgia mixed with mischief. Piropos (compliments) are an art form there. As I was eating my deliciously hot “papas soufflé” (puffed French fries which I haven’t found anywhere else in the world yet) in the Palacio de las Papas Fritas, with its old world wood paneling, proper table linens, and starched waiters, I realized that I was eating in a restaurant that had been there for almost 100 years! Café Tortoni with its marvelous mix of marble, wood, and painted glass skylights is nearly 150 years old. They built buildings to last in those days. And in the newly refurbished Museo de Bellas Artes, the gray-haired guard came over, not to tell me I was standing too close to a painting, but to whisper mischievously in my ear “From where I was standing you looked like a young girl of 15 or 16 years in your short skirts.” I retorted “And now that you’re closer?” He laughed and said “Like a young girl of 25 or 26. And then he added, I like your legs.” Oh those Portenos!

I had not been to CITA since the first two years in 1999 and 2000 when I was first beginning tango. At that time, it was an overwhelming but exhausting experience. I wondered what I would feel like this time going back. I found that some things never change: the extraordinary lack, one might almost say purposeful lack, of organization in some things. Performances that were supposed to start at 11 p.m. started at 3:30 a.m. Not enough tables and chairs for all participants, not enough room, waiting to get into shows, the smoke from cigarettes being blown right into your face, the lines for service with only one office worker. Also in the first CITA’s we were very lucky to be able to have live music from great orchestras every night. For the first time this didn’t happen supposedly because of the recent fire tragedy in Buenos Aires. The teachers were still good, many of the same high excellent caliber as at the first CITA’s. Robert Reis and his new partner Lucila Cionci were extraordinary, as were Chicho and his new partner Eugenia. One performance which I will never forget was created by Chicho and Eugenia dancing on stage to the music of a solitary bandoneon and at some moments only to the sounds of the breathing of the bandoneon mixed with human breathing. It was truly incredible, one of those things that you can experience only in person. However some of the older couples no longer made the grade and many of the younger couples just were not the world class one would expect from such a festival.

In order to gender balance there are assistants both male and female who attend the class and dance with the participants. In addition students are allowed to hire “taxi dancers.” There are generally more female students so most of the taxi dancers are male. I am not sure how I like this development. I suppose that it is a fact of life that the male:female ratio has been reversed. When I first started coming to Buenos Aires I remember that it was such a dream to have more men than women. Because in order to feel truly feminine I think you have to feel that you are being cared for and sought after, rather than vice versa. I think this is inherent in the roots of tango, in the dance, in its history, and even in the way women are asked to dance in the milongas. A male taxi dancer is not congruent with the emotional resonance of the dance. Now it seems that the economic reality is that these young men need to make money some way, even through something they passionately love, their dancing. I had many discussions with both male and female assistants and “taxi dancers” about this, the pros and cons. In a way both the students and the “taxi dancers” feel used. But perhaps given the economy and the gender imbalance this is the best that can be done at this time. I’m not sure. I met many delightful students and assistants and had many wonderful dances in the classes, but I never hired any “taxi dancers” for myself, although I would agree to do this to help out some others. So is this a mixed moral message? Yes I guess it is.

We had some wonderful classes with Oscar Mandagaran, formerly star of Forever Tango. We went to his home for dinner and got to meet the 3 dogs, 1 cat, two children and his wife. After dinner he showed us the newspaper articles of his charity organization “Mission Tango Guri.” He continues to have benefits in Japan where he works up to 6 months out of the year, and to donate funds to help the children in orphanages in his hometown of Missiones. Here in San Francisco we had two benefits for these children when he was here a couple of years ago. He showed photos of the wood burning stoves that he brought them, as well as shoes, clothing, medicine and food. He showed the cramped housing and poor conditions that the children were living in. He said that if he can obtain a visa he would love to come back and teach here in the US in the future.

There are some excellent practicas happening in Buenos Aires just now. The entrance is just a few pesos, the students are usually young and adept, style often tango nuevo, clothing casual. The three that seem to be the most popular just now are: Luciana Valle’s practica on Monday 8 p.m. to midnight, at Cordoba 5064, Tuesdays 9 p.m. to midnight with Pablo Inza at Anchorena 647, and the TangoCool practica on Fridays with Guillermo Cerneaz and Paula Rampini 11 p.m. to 3 a.m., again on Cordoba 5064.

Because a number of milongas are still closed, the remaining open milongas are even more crowded than usual. El Beso, La Viruta, Canning, Nino Bien, Ideal, Sunderland, Club Espanol were all open.

Happy Dancing

Stella