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<strong>Buenos</strong> <strong>Aires</strong>’ <strong>Top</strong> <strong>10</strong><br />
26<br />
Tango<br />
Passionate, intense, and soulful, nothing quite sums up vibrant <strong>Buenos</strong> <strong>Aires</strong><br />
as beautifully as the dance form that developed here – the tango. Most<br />
historians place its genesis in the 1880s at La Boca’s Riachuelo riverbank,<br />
where Mediterranean, West African, and Eastern European immigrants would<br />
— among other things — dance, sing, and play guitar in the neighborhood’s<br />
bordellos. But it wasn’t long before tango captivated the salon culture of<br />
<strong>Buenos</strong> <strong>Aires</strong> and, later, the capitals of Europe, incorporating instruments like<br />
the piano and bandoneón, and florid, intricate dance steps. Today, tango is<br />
regarded as a wholly porteño invention. Experience the lore and heritage of<br />
tango as it has evolved in the city for over 120 years.<br />
Tango musicians<br />
• Confitería Ideal: Map<br />
Q6; Calle Suipacha 380;<br />
5265-8069<br />
• Café Tortoni: Map Q6;<br />
Avda. de Mayo 825;<br />
4342-4328<br />
• La Nacional: Map D2;<br />
Calle Adolfo Alsina 1465;<br />
4307-8796<br />
• Zival’s: Map N6; Avda.<br />
Callao 395; 5128-7500<br />
• Botica del Angel: Map<br />
D2; Calle Luis Saénz<br />
Peña 541; 4384-9396<br />
• Chiquín: Map Q6;<br />
Calle Perón 920; 4394-<br />
5004<br />
• Piazzolla Tango: Map<br />
Q6; Calle Florida 165;<br />
4344-8200<br />
• Mansión Dandi Royal:<br />
Map E3; Calle Piedras<br />
922; 4307-7623<br />
• Cementerio la<br />
Chacarita: Calle Guzmán<br />
680; 4553-9338<br />
• Comme il Faut: Map<br />
P5; Calle Arenales 1239;<br />
4815-5690<br />
<strong>Top</strong> <strong>10</strong> Features<br />
1 Confitería Ideal<br />
2 La Nacional<br />
3 Café Tortoni<br />
4 Zival’s<br />
5 Botica del Angel<br />
6 Chiquín<br />
7 Piazzolla Tango<br />
8 Mansión Dandi Royal<br />
9 Cementerio la Chacarita<br />
0 Comme il Faut<br />
! Confitería Ideal<br />
Suffering from a touch<br />
of neglect, yet all the more<br />
evocative and romantic for<br />
it, the century-old Confitería<br />
Ideal (below) remains<br />
among the city’s most<br />
vibrant grand salons, with<br />
tango lessons on offer<br />
upstairs, excellent musician<br />
bookings, and great coffee.<br />
La Nacional<br />
The Wednesday night<br />
milonga, or tango night, at<br />
this old Italian social club in<br />
Montserrat (right) has put<br />
the neighborly, communal<br />
aspects of tango back into<br />
play. Currently shut for<br />
renovation, it reopens in<br />
mid-2009.<br />
Call the venues for opening times<br />
@<br />
£ Café Tortoni<br />
Tortoni name-checking<br />
is a tango lyricist’s tradition.<br />
The café (center) was<br />
the “office” for composers<br />
and performers of tango’s<br />
1920s heyday. It continues<br />
to be a spot to dance and<br />
hear groups play live.
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