The entire length of the Avenida 5 Mayo...all six lanes, is blocked to traffic and turned into a nocturnal pedestrian zone. Three giant stages are spaced a few blocks apart, one is dedicated to Tango for Listening, one to Stage Tango, and one to popular Tango Orchestras...the last attracts the dancing crowd, who dances the night away under the stars in the middle of the Avenue...
El Corte by Carlos Alonso
Casa Rosada, the Government house at Plaza de Mayo. At night it shines in eerie pink splendour.
Cafe Tortoni, without the line up of tourists
Another government building at the beginning of Avenida de 5 Mayo
And here we are, a fitting continuation to the Candombe: the Tango
Around 1860, between Criollos and Gauchos, People from Rio de la Plata, Sailors, Indians, Black People and Mulattos, people danced a mix of music like waltzes, originating in the Austrian Alps, Pasodoble from Andalusia, and Scottish dances, Habaneras from Cuba, Polkas and Mazurkas.
Based on the Fandango and the Candombe, with some of the above genres of music added in, Tango was born in bordellos, ranches, and pubs.
The idea was then to get male and female bodies closer together in the ambience of the 'prostibulos'; now things are somewhat more gentil, but bodies still get rather close together.
The first tangueros are said to have been Afro-Argentinians and Afro-Uruguayans.
Carlos Gardel, both, Uruguayan and Argentinian national, is considered to be the father of Tango Song.
One of the most famous tangos, La Cumparsita, composed by Francisco Canaro, is indeed the cultural national Anthem of Uruguay.
Both words, Tango and Milonga, actually have their roots in African language.
From 'd'ango' to Tango....
Portenos dancing in the streets..
Avenida 5 Mayo turned into a pedestrian zone...dance floor, restaurant patio, stage...
I wore my walking shoes, which was a definite turn off to the local tangueros participating in the Milonga. Despite being an open air event, the strict codes of a Milonga dance apply. The cabeceo, the nod, which indicates an invitation to dance, works even here. I saw a few glances at my outfit (dress ok, just came from a tango class) and my shoes (definitely not ok, but I was not going to put on my dancing shoes hidden in my shoulder bag at this stage) but the cabeceos went to another lady with more appropriate foot wear.
Fine with me...I could feel every single bone in my foot by this time, after all I had been up and about on my feet since about six hours.
I mean, look at these shoes - these dancers came prepared for the occasion, pavement or no pavement.
I was surprised how may young people unglued themselves eagerly from their cell phones, cast a short inviting look about, embraced the next good looking person, and danced perfect tangos dance after dance - texting totally forgotten.
By 10 p.m. I headed for a Subte home, whilst Buenos Aires just woke up...
