THE MILONGA (OR WHERE TO DANCE TANGO in Buenos Aires)

Milonga is the porteño name for tradicional places to dance tango. Although its precise meaning is lost, we know that the word is African (the same as “tango”) confirming the influence of western African sounds in the origins of the River Plate’s rhythm. Since the beginning of the past century, the word milonga describes any place where a group of people meet to dance tango.

The first milongas took place on the streets with free attendance. Later, they went private, moving to clubs and cafes (where you can find them nowadays). The event had live music (a tango singer or an orchestra) which is no longer essential. Neither are formal tango dressings nor the curious ritual of “cabeceo” to invite someone to dance. This formal procedure that you can still see on typical milongas consisted in a slight movement from the man’s head towards the dance floor as he stares to the woman’s eyes. She accepts or rejects the invitation –also moving her head- or staring away, avoiding the embarrassment of face to face contact. In the milonga, first of all, people speak dancing.

Today, this ceremony gathers the elder and the young to dance and listen tango and contemporary dance music (in different halls or at the end of the night). Some of the most famous milongas are: Confitería Ideal (Suipacha 380, just 6 away from the hostel, http://www.confiteriaideal.com/), La Viruta (Armenia 1366, Palermo, http://www.lavirutatango.com/) and El Arranque (Bartolomé Mitre 1759), among others. You can find a milonga each day of the week. For a detailed list, visit this web page: www.buenosairesmilongas.com/