La Glorieta, in Belgrano, at the north end of Buenos Aires, is a historic Music Pavilion, which used to sit atop of Los Barrancos, the ravine, back in 1910.
Since then the barranco has been filled, creating a slightly inclined park and a large terminal for 'collectivos'. La Glorieta remains, surrounded by greenery, and at present by construction fences and small dirt piles....the brick pavement surrounding the pavilion is being renovated. Nevertheless, each summer evening La Glorieta turns into a 'pista de milonga'. Entry is by donation to 'la gorra', the hat. It's a popular venue, if it does not rain, for many Portenos to get their tango fix.
La Glorieta in 1910, still topping the edge of a now disappeared ravine.
 |
| La Glorieta, glorious under her night illumination |
La Glorieta
Milongueros y milongueras enjoying a warm summer evening dancing on marble tiles.
Mochilas (backpacks), shoe bags etc are 'parked' on a blanket in the middle of the floor, there is no 'guardaropa' and leaving one's gear hanging from the wrought iron enclosure invites ever present thieves to serve themselves.
One recognizes many of the same faces, dancers who regularly attend other milongas. The atmosphere is more relaxed, everyone stands around the edge of the pavilion and chats, or sits on the wrought iron railing during 'cortinas' (Pauses between tango sets), people invite each other to dance often without deploying a 'cabeceo'.
Instead of wearing suits and ties, as some milongueros do at regular milongas (for some an after work interlude before going home to spouses and kids), many turn up in casual clothing with their esposos/esposas, girlfriends and loved ones in tow. Women wear anything from short shorts (matched with very high heels) to glitter clothing.
I danced a couple of hours, some tandas with acquaintances from other milongas, others with 'unknowns'. I had the dubious pleasure of being invited by one Porteno, who assured me that he 'does not dance like everyone else here'. Truer words never spoken: half the tangos I spent in 'mid air' trying to look 'graceful', while my forceful and enthusiastic partner executed his 'tango escenario' tricks, which involved a lot of lifting (he must have watched Juan Carlos Copes once too often) and hooking of legs. Well, a more 'conservative' milonga with a pleasant dancer and a number of enjoyable valses and tangos made up for the one 'surprise' performance.
Leaving around 10 p.m., I negotiated the various construction dirt piles (one changes one's shoes sitting on the marble steps of the Glorieta) still sticky from the day's earlier rains, to take a 'collectivo' back to Palermo. Still early for Buenos Aires, I walked a couple of doors past my domicile, and stepped into Los Cardones, la Pena Folklorico.
The Program of Los Cardones, a popular 'Salteno' hang out for dinner and folklore dancing and singing, especially on weekends. Viernes, Friday, the 20th...ok lets see what goes...
 |
| Carol Retamoso (left) La Saltena, which leads the dance ensemble since years, as well as teaching chacarera, zamba, gatito y escondido during the week, treated patrons to various example of Argentine Folk Dances. |
 |
| The Place is open since ten years, and has not lost any of it's popularity. |
 |
Carol and her team...    I enjoyed a glass of wine and a 'pizzetta', very small pizza (which was cold) and enjoyed the contrast from TANGO to FOLKLORICO....one symbolic of Buenos Aires, the city, and the other representative of Argentina, the country.
A pretty good start for a weekend....temperatures had dropped by about 10 degrees from 36 to 26 degrees. A heavy duty overnight thunderstorm with heavy rains, helped cooling off the city, which felt like a furnace night and day for two weeks. A bailar a bailar, que la vida se va.....
|
