Tag Archives: tango

My First Bachata Dance Lesson in Buenos Aires

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I am in love with Bachata music. I listen to it every morning during breakfast time. Angel, the assistant property manager at Conventillo de Lujo was kind enough to give me a short lesson on Bachata. By the way, Angel is a beautiful dancer in tango too. 🙂

Video: My FIRST Bachata lesson.

Learned some basic Bachata moves. It was great fun! 🙂

Thanks to Amy for the recording.

Bachata:
Bachata is a style of dance that originated in the Dominican Republic. It is danced widely all over the world but not identically.
The basics to the dance are three-step with a Cuban hip motion, followed by a hip tap on the 4th beat. The knees should be slightly bent so the performer can sway the hips easier. The movement of the hips is very important because it’s a part of the soul of the dance. Generally, most of the dancer’s movement is in the lower body up to the hips, and the upper body moves much less.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bachata_(dance)

Dancing Bliss

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Excellent performance at Villa Malcom last night. In Buenos Aires, there’s no shortage of milonga every night. I have been learning and dancing on a daily basis. Planning on extending my trip …

Villa Malcom Milonga

Villa Malcom Milonga

Tango Map Guide is a free guide that has milonga listing for every day.

Milonga Schedule in Buenos Aires

Milonga Schedule in Buenos Aires

For example, here’s the schedule for Wednesday. Check out the hora (time). Most milongas don’t start before 10pm, and usually end late around 3am. When I left at 2am last night (Wednesday) at Villa Malcom, its dance floor was still jam-packed! I wondered … is Thursday not a work day?

Mario & Laura

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Went to Mario & Laura’s tango class today. It was hardwork!

We did two hours of walking, sequences, embellishments, ochos; practice, practice and practice more!

Mario and Laura were amazing partners and dancers. Laura spoke perfect English and she was extraordinary in many ways. She was so patient (and lightning fast) when translating Spanish to English for me. GREAT job.

Someone brought dessert and mate for the class. Yum!

I would highly recommend this class. Fun. High energy. Excellent teaching.

Class Schedule:
Tuesday & Saturday
7pm – 9pm

Location:
2696 B. Matienzo Ave.
Buenos Aires

30 pesos for 2 hours. It was well worth it.

The after class hanging out at the ice cream place was icing on the cake. I had my first Dulce de Leche ice cream and it was out of this world. No wonder Argentineans consider Dulce de Leche as their national dessert. And please, don’t describe Dulce de Leche as caramel because that will offend Argentineans. 🙂

Here are some photos after class (using self-timer, five consecutive shots). We are a crazy bunch. 🙂

The Comme il Faut Experience

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“No woman needs more than one pair of shoes.
But when it comes to shoes and women, the word need doesn’t make any sense.” ~ Alicia Muñiz

Alicia Muñiz: Shoe collector, designer and founder of Comme il Faut the house that changed the design concept of women’s shoes for tango and Buenos Aires nightlife.

Yes, it’s time talk about Comme il Faut and it deserves a post on its own.

Comme il Faut means “the right way”, “as must be”.

What’s Comme il Faut in the tango world? It’s basically the Jimmy Choo in tango shoes.

Would Comme il Faut make you a better dancer? OF COURSE! :p

When you dance tango, people are looking at your legs and feet. A pair of beautiful tango shoes enhances the visual aspect of a tango dance.

Tango shoes should be comfortable, has strong heels for good balance and slippery sole (usually made in leather or suede).

I looked hi and low for Comme il Faut shoes while I was in U.S., and couldn’t find a retailer that carries it. Some online stores carry a few pairs, but it’s only one size per style.

Comme il Faut (http://www.commeilfaut.com.ar) shoes are very exclusive. They never publish the photos of their shoes.

I know sometimes it might seem a bit shallow to talk about shoes and clothes, but a pair of well-made shoes is indeed a work of art.

Enough talking. Let’s go.

Oooooo… look at this. A court-yard leading to Comme il Faut store. My heart started to beat faster.

After climbing a fleet of stairs, I reached at the front door of Comme il Faut.

Comme il Faut door

I know, this looks like a regular door. But trust me, there’s a world of shoes inside.


The whole room is a fitting room. There were no shoes been displayed.

I told the assistants my shoe size, the color and the heel height that I like, and they brought a few boxes of shoes from behind the curtain.

Waiting for the assistants to bring me my shoes.

The store was closing in 10 minutes. My friend Lujan and Birgit were focused on helping me finding my dream shoes. So, no photos on me trying the shoes. And of course, they were both busy checking out the shoes …

The assistants were really helpful and they gave me good advice.

Due to time constraints (thank God), I managed to pick up ONLY two pairs.

What was the price? It’s quite reasonable (not Jimmy Choo price). In U.S., it usually costs around $200 for one pair. I got it for $150 and you’ll get 30 pesos discount if you pay by cash.

While the assistant wrapping up my shoes, my brain was hit by high dose of endorphin that I couldn’t help being a little goofy. No, tango hasn’t made me into a woman yet.

Got the shoes! We were supposed to show a bitchy aristocratic look, but Lujan totally failed the challenge.

Note: If you need company to go buy tango shoes, you can contact Lujan at info@badesigntour.com.ar. XOXOXO for all the help.

Ok. Back to the shoes.

Irresistible black and white. The color combination is quite unusual. Leather insole.

Side view. Pencil thin heels. The heels are not so high. Believe me, I am not high heel material.


The back is the showstopper. Made in leather.


After one night of happy tango abuse. I pivoted much better in these shoes and felt like a million bucks. I wore these shoes whole night and my feet felt fine.


Classic black and red. Made in suede. The design is very elegant.
Some dancers don’t like open toe design because sometimes your toes get stepped on by other dancers.



I especially like the red at the bottom of the heel.


Leather sole

Each pair of shoes comes with a shoe bag that has two open ends and the middle part is sewn shut (to avoid shoes touching each other).


Put Comme il Faut shoes in the sling bag, and I’m ready for a night of tango.

Contact Info:
Arenales 1239 door 3 apt. M
Rues des Artisans
C.P. C1061AAK
Buenos Aires

Be careful, Comme il Faut is an addiction. 🙂

Nerve Wrecking, Earth Shaking Milonga Experience

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As I was putting on my dance shoes in the court yard of Alsina, I couldn’t contain the butterflies in my stomach any more. All four generations of butterflies had gone crazy.

Codigos (tango etiquette): Always change your shoes outside the milonga hall.

Me:”Amy, I’m scared. Can I not dance?”

Amy:”Don’t worry. If you don’t feel like dancing, you don’t have to accept any invitations.”

Me:”How to say I am a beginner?”

Amy:”Don’t tell people that. They’ll find out.”

A graceful host in her silky gold-colored dress led us to the Plaza Bohemia dance hall.

How do I describe my feeling at that time?

Hmm…

I walked with poise, but what I really wanted was to be covered in a table clothe so that no one could see me. But that wasn’t possible since that would just make me even more visible.

The host led us to our table.

Milonga 101: Men and women are seated separately unless you come as a group or as a couple.

I observed the dance floor and my heart sank to the center of the Earth.

I’ve never seen so many expert dancers in one place.

As a beginner (learning tango for just two months), I really should go to milongas that have dancers of all levels. Oh well! Too late!

Beautiful tango posture, well controlled movements, the way the dancers walk, pencil thin heels (I’ve been told these tango shoe heels are strong as steel since you need good balance when you dance tango.), all were clues to the quality of the dancers.

Pencil thin heels

Me:”I just want to hide under the table.”

Amy:”… …”

Sitting uncomfortably and as a nervous wreck, I tried to not look at anyone.

Cabeceo (nod of the head): In Argentina, leaders ask followers to dance with a certain glance, movement or nod of the head toward the dance floor or smile that says, “Dance with me?” This can take place from across the room if the right eyes are caught. If a woman wants to accept a dance with a man, she smiles back and keeps looking at him while he approaches her. To decline, she simply looks away or starts to speak with her friends at the table. Leaders can avoid the embarrassment of having walked up to a follower and being rejected and followers can decline dances without feeling rude.

The nods were so subtle that it was hard for me to tell who was nodding at whom, but right before the end of a cortina (curtain in English – announces a short break, say around 1 minute or so, during which people can have a rest and a drink, and change partners), people started getting up and met at the dance floor. Amazing system. As Argentine Tango was created over 100 years ago, it had plenty of time to develop a set of customs that make good sense.

Milonga 101: At milongas, the music generally is played in sets called “tandas.” It usually includes three to five songs played by the same orchestra. Tanda is followed by a “cortina” which signals the end of a tanda. A cortina is your signal to smile, say ‘thank you’, and leave the floor quickly and gracefully, then prepare for the next cabeceo.

Naturally shy, I barely can make eye contact with any man in real life, not to mention to “choose” a milonguero (men at milonga) and “stare” at him.

I thought to myself, I could just watch and learn. I didn’t have to dance.

A man came to our table.

Amy:”I think he wants to dance with you.”

Me (in horror):”ME?????”

Amy:”Yes.”

The milognuero smiled at me.

Milonga 101: If you (especially a beginner / new comer) reject a man in such an obvious way (since this milonguero came to our table), then expect to stay seated the rest of your night since no one else would want to risk the embarrassment again.

Me (“gracefully” smiled back to the milonguero):”Sure.”

I grabbed my heart back from the center of Earth, had a deep breath while escorted by this milonguero to the dance floor.

He raised his left arm as an invitation to start dancing. I put my right hand in his and he wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me gently and firmly towards him. O.M.G. A close embrace, and a very tight one.

Note: In milongas, Argentines only dance in close embrace.

I thought to myself, “Oh. S**T. I’ve only learned open-embrace. I’m in deep trouble.”

In fact, I just learned how to walk tango two months ago.

Where should I put my head during a close embrace? Where should I put my left arm?

Codigos: There is no teaching during milongas as that disturb the flow of the dance and it’s considering very embarrassing if you give / receive a lecture.

The cortina was almost over.

FOCUS!

I had no choice.

… to be continued …