Saturday 26 July 2014

Dancers en La Viruta


La Viruta is probably one of the most famous places to dance tango in Buenos Aires, not a classical/formal milonga but a mixed one. By mixed I mean the music varies a lot, starting from classical to more modern tango vibes.
What are dancers in a tango context? So ... people who dance tango, right?

But being a dancer is a little bit more than that, and the more is added by the ability to switch feelings and music and rhythm smoothly. And the bit part is not just being able to dance tango, than waltz and after a fast milonga, which is the general acceptation of being a tango dancer.


So, why are dancers from La Viruta any different from the one going to Villa Malcom, La Glorieta, Confiteria Ideal or Club Gricel (other famous tango spots in Buenos Aires)? Here comes the “dancers”, not just tangueros or milongheros in place. In La Viruta quite often you can have music changing fast, one tanda (group of 4 songs sharing the same theme) of tango, one of milonga.. and one of salsa cubana, followed by lindy hop, and then back again to tango. And this is what makes La Viruta a dance temple, not just a tango hot spot in the boiling porteno city.

The dancers are the same, they do no change, no changing partners, the dance floor has the same number of dancers, who switch from tango to salsa and to lindy hop, and they are good, very good in fact at all three styles of dancing. Because that is why they are dancers, not just tagueros.

Dancing is a mindset and the music is the blood that flows and makes the dancer move and express the music. So, no matter the dance, they keep on dancing as the music makes the alive.