Miss Bolivia playing at Ciudad Emergente 2012 (Photo: Lautaro Aránguiz)

If you have been craving a plethora of youth culture activities stuffed into a one medium sized area, then Ciudad Emegente held at Cultural Centro Recoleta between 6th-10th June is right up your street.

With more things going on than you can shake your stick at, the “five days which will join the pulse of half a million young people who pass through the festival,” is a clear effort by Buenos Aires City Government to once again desperately show that they’re at the forefront of porteño youth culture.

For the fifth year, Ciudad Emergente will be cramming live bands, DJs, VJs, fashion, poetry, film, street art, street dance, stand up comedy, theatre, digital art and interactive art, into a five day long extravaganza. Basically, everything and anything associated with youth culture as they can possibly get their hands on.

The festival will be showcasing work and holding lectures from some of the most interesting Argentines currently capturing the digital and graphic art worlds. Famous Argentine graphic designer Alejandro Ros, is exhibiting his infamous designs for CD sleeves, and street artist Lucas Grothesque, will be painting the courtyard. The ‘3D’ theatre spectacle Hombre Vertiente will take its viewers on a water odyssey every night at 9pm, which if you haven’t seen already, take the opportunity to see what you’ve been missing for free.

Although the festival is a platform for up and coming Argentine musicians, it is also made some stage time for big name Latin American bands throughout the week. Bomba Estéreo, one of the largest contemporary Colombian bands, are headlining the first night of the festival with their experimental-brand of cumbia will surely be a crowd pleaser.

People at the entrance of Centro Cultural Recoleta during the opening of Ciudad Emergente 2012 (Photo: Lautaro Aránguiz)

At 6pm on Thursday, see Chilean Ana Tijoux, whose mixed roots and political heritage is feistily exhibited in a rap/hip-hop/Latino infusion. Growing up in France after her parents were exiled from Chile during General Pinochet’s dictatorship, she started out rapping in French and Spanish, moving on to form Tiro de Gracia, the best selling Chilean rap group of all time. Expect politically motivated songs such as Shock, which was inspired by the student protests, and an impressive display of MC-ing 1977.

And then there is Miss Bolivia, whose cheeky reggae is probably the best (and only) aggressive, feminist, lesbian, tropi-cumbia rap you’ll hear all year. Watch her sneer and gyrate in her video for Alta Yama, then be impressed by the fact she’s just as likely to rap about the drug epidemic in South America or the beauty of pluralism as she is about ripping her thong off.

Street dancing will be taking centre stage on the Patio del Ajibe everyday at 4.30pm and 6.30pm, with body poppers and break-dancers contorting themselves in a way that would make your grandma blush. For old school b-boying check out Los Fabulosos Bboys or current Campeonato Knock Out competition holders Terrible Style Crew.

When you need to chill out from all the noise and movement, head to Sala 4 for a spot of spoken word. Almost agonisingly young and talented, emerging Argentine poets and lyricists will be reading their work aloud. Magazine lovers can discover the cream of Argentine youth publications in Sala 12, both events running from Thursday to Sunday.

Also catch brilliant music documentaries on in the BAFICI space, featuring “Talihina Sky: The Story of Kings of Leon”, “Leonard Cohen: Live at Isle of White”, Arcade fire’s “Mirror Noir”, and Chemical Brothers’s exhilarating “Don’t Think”. Spanish Film Quiero Tener una Ferretería en Andalucía unveils the lost years of Joe Strummer in Southern Spain, giving a rare insight into the iconic but enigmatic Clash frontman.

If all this isn’t enough, each night at 8.30pm a cutting-edge Argentine fashion designer will be speaking about the aesthetics of their designs.

Phew. The best part? It’s completely free. FREE!!!

Rock and Roll Dancing at La Viruta (Photo by Celine Massa)

Do I like rock and roll music? Definitely. Do I want to get up and groove? Without a doubt.

This week, rumours of my rock dancing turned in to a reality when I headed to Palermo’s La Viruta for my first class.

I arrived to the informal class a fledgling rock and roller, and while there are three levels of competency, I was directed to the beginners section of the floor. Standing beside me, in ‘beginners block’, was anyone from 20-year-old students to 70-year-old grandparents.

Myself and 13 other novice dancers were taught by two teachers, one male and one female. The class size was ideal, big enough for my dodgy footwork to go unnoticed, and not so small that I couldn’t sheepishly hide from the teacher’s glare. It was hard work though, as energetic as an aerobics class but much more refreshing, and a fun type of sweat-inducer.

First we learnt the four basic steps of rock and roll, which weren’t too complicated to grasp, and when we’d mastered these, we were allowed to dance with a partner and the turn was introduced. And this was when things turned tricky and feet were trampled upon.

“Cambien la pareja!” the teacher would shout frequently, prompting us to sidle over to someone new, and escaping the embarrassment of the last turn, when moves went slightly haywire.

A Very Rock and Roll Couple at La Viruta (Photo by Celine Massa)

Pablo Orellano, a regular dancer at the night, told me: “The most important thing with rock dancing is self-confidence, and not being embarrassed to loosen up and just have a good time dancing. It’s much more relaxed than other dance forms.”

But even for the rhythmically challenged, these classes are more fun than complex. Smiles and giggles are commonplace, and afterwards there’s still time to practise any newly acquired moves with whoever takes your fancy!

Perhaps, best of all, is that the music bestows the feel good factor on everyone. Ranging from the 1950s to the 1980s, and including hits from the likes of Bill Halley and his Comets and the Beatles, as well as some typical Argentine rock, it’s the type of music that demands at least a knee tapping when listened to. And the extensive menu of La Viruta’s bar is always on hand for when the rock and roll takes its toll.

Am I still a fledgling rock and roller? Very much so. Am I improving? Well, it may take a couple more classes to reach acrobatic rock and roll standards, but I’m on my way.

So how about trading tomorrow’s gym class for a glass of wine and joining me for some infectious rock and rolling?

The alluring term milonga is used to describe an event where people come together to dance tango. This sexy, sultry dance remains one of Argentina’s defining traditions, and with Buenos Aires holding fort as tango capital of the world, many see it as the soul of the city.

Influenced by a wave of European and African immigrants, tango was formed at the end of the 19th century and developed mainly within working class communities, who found refuge in its steps. Originally a popular means of passing the time, men would commonly dance with one another outside brothels whilst waiting for their turn. In the past 20 years, it has regained much of its popularity, with an array of fashionable milongas to choose from on any night of the week.

According to one dancer I met, “you can’t dance the tango badly, you can only move badly.” So, before you tie up your tango shoes and move badly, here are some tips on where you can go to dance or simply enjoy watching some of the city’s most authentic tango.

La Glorieta (Photo: Beatrice Murch)

1. La Glorieta

A traditional, quintessential milonga; I felt like this was the ‘true’ Argentina, where locals come to dance real tango.

Located in Belgrano’s beautiful landscaped park, I watched the dancers arrive and assemble under the same picturesque, open-air gazebo as orchestras and political groups have historically gathered under. As they change in to their tango shoes, I notice jeans are rare and elegance is a standard etiquette.

When they’re ready to begin, I witness the famous ‘tango invitation’, where the eyes do the talking and a man will stare intently at a woman before asking her to dance. At this milonga, you can feel the magnetic and compelling energy between couples as they dance, even though they may have been strangers to one another only moments before.

For many, La Glorieta isn’t merely a way to pass a few hours; it’s a way of life for a whole community of dancers, many of whom go to several dances a week. The gazebo fits a surprising 200 people, and at weekends, you’ll find it full. Whilst there are classes available, this particular milonga is better for those with a bit more experience, since the dancers here are serious!

But if you already have the basics, head to La Glorieta and get practising- if for nothing else than to talk to friendly, tango loving locals and admire their dancing.

Free entry, Saturdays and Sundays 7-11pm. Classes cost $20 and start before the dance at 5pm. For more information, click here.

La Catedral (Photo: Karine Lambin)

2. La Catedral

According to the doorman at La Catedral, this is Argentina’s, and therefore the world’s, most famous milonga.

Housed in a building that dates back to 1880 and which from the outside is unassuming, you can’t help but be hit by the wow factor of La Catedral’s dancehall. Impressive, charming and atmospheric all in one; recycled furniture fills the room and a huge heart–shaped sculpture hangs from the ceiling. Candle lit tables and dim lighting add to the already mysterious mood of this old warehouse.

The activity is non-stop. After the classes there’s a free milonga, followed by a 1am show. Nevertheless, you won’t be alone if you’d rather sit back and enjoy the quirky location; there’s a large bar area, which also serves food and the sociable atmosphere makes meeting people a certainty.

More accessible than most, La Catedral is tailored for beginners and intermediates. Tuesdays is the most popular day to go when the dancehall is packed.

Everyday from 9pm onwards. Entry costs $20 or $25 including a class. For more information click here.

Tango in San Telmo (Photo: Montecruz Foto)

3. La Milonga del Indio

What better place to dance tango than the place it first emerged?

San Telmo’s Sunday market is a ‘must do’ in Buenos Aires; full of street performers, antiques and many other quirky discoveries, Plaza Dorrego definitely draws crowds. But as dusk falls and the stalls are being dismantled, the sound of drumming is replaced with the songs of Carlos Gardel, and new crowds gather for something entirely different.

The open-air location, beneath trees adorned with coloured lighting, is rather romantic; and surrounded by classic, timeless cafes, you’re spoilt for choice picking somewhere to enjoy a post tango beverage. Indio Milonga attracts many young travellers keen to learn from the locals, so it’s a good place to practise if you’re feeling rusty or just want to try out your steps.

As well as tango, alternative music and folklore is also played, but be prepared – when the organiser orders ‘a bailar’ (dance!), the crowd instantly transforms in to enthusiastic tango dancers. 

Free entry, Sundays at 7pm. For more information, click here.

La Viruta (Photo: Beatrice Murch)

4. La Viruta

If La Viruta’s stark dancehall and coloured lighting reminds you too much at first of high school dances and runs the risk of appearing too commercial, it’s definitely worth sticking around to settle in.

Without wanting to limit themselves La Viruta offers classes in rock, salsa and tango, and as well as the typical after-class milonga, also hosts a show on certain days.

Perfect for beginners, their tagline boasts ‘you’ll enter walking and you’ll leave dancing’. And true to their promise, because it’s always busy you’ll feel less self-conscious if like me, your dance moves are more primitive than professional.

If La Viruta’s overflowing popularity appears a little more claustrophobic then classy, its distinguishing factor is how sociable it is. Pedro Soria, a frequent dancer, told me, “people come here to dance tango, but also to meet people, maybe as a dance partner, a relationship or simply a lover.”

In true Argentine fashion, the milonga continues in full swing until 5:30am, and as the surrounding venues close their doors, people head here for a concluding dance.

Every day except Monday. Entry costs $29 and $25 on Tuesdays. For more information click here.

Queer Tango in San Telmo

5. Queer Tango

The music from Queer Tango lures you in from the historic, cobbled streets of San Telmo.

As the name suggests, it’s no surprise to see dancers of the same sex here. While some are partners, others simply want to learn the role of the opposite sex in the dance. Traditionally in tango it’s the man leading the woman, but putting gender aside, it’s easy to see who has the female role since the female often dances with eyes closed, allowing themselves to be led by their partner.

A night at Queer Tango boasts a regular mix of locals and foreigners, and its casual location is definitely inviting for mastering the basics. Although the hall has a slight school theatre feel, it offers a light and jovial atmosphere in which to drink a beer and maybe eat an empanada or two whilst spectating tango with a twist.

The idea behind the night, which began in 2007, was to host an event where no presumptions are made, and where you can dance whichever role you desire in a relaxed setting. Mariano DoCampo, tango teacher and organiser explains its success, ”Queer Tango is important for the gay community, no-one asks any questions and people can enjoy dancing tango with their partners.”

In a city that’s home to an extensive gay community and an exciting destination for many more, we can’t see Queer Tango’s attraction fading any time soon.

Every Tuesday. Entry costs $25 with classes starting at 8:30pm and a milonga from 10pm-2am. For more information click here.

Tango Show at La Viruta in Palermo (Photo: Beatrice Murch)

She closes her eyes and instantly the crowd fades away and her perceptions are heightened, her senses intensified. She hears his breathing close by her ear, her nose is full of the man-smell of him. His hand at her waist, almost imperceptibly pressing into her flesh, incites her to even greater abandon. The world itself has become the encompassing circle of his arms and her heart beating in time with the music. There is nothing she wouldn’t do to please him.

He deftly sidesteps and avoids collision with a less experienced couple. He stops-corte-and whirls her around him-giro-as he guides her counterclockwise over the floor. Tonight her movements are so fluid, like water in his embrace; guiding her is a delight. Had she challenged him, or fought him, or even tried to anticipate his lead, he knows that this timeless moment would have been impossible. She conquered him by surrendering herself entirely, and he is entirely at her service, a slave to this thing of beauty in his arms. She smiles and he feels, literally, a pang in the area of his heart as her trust moves him, inspires him to care for her even more, and each step they take transports them into another realm, where music and man and woman are one.

No, this is not an excerpt from Danielle Steele’s latest novel. This is an apt description of what happens every single night at the various milongas in Buenos Aires and Montevideo. This is tango, and it rightly deserves its reputation for sensuality. The reported effects of tango are as heady as any drug, as deep as any meditation, and as earth-shattering as orgasm. If yin and yang dance – they dance tango.

What is it that makes tango so distinctive, so appealing?

A Brief History

The origins of tango can be found during the second half of the 18th and first half of the 19th centuries in Buenos Aires. The city at that time was a mixture of elegance and cosmopolitanism blended with poverty and misery, where the arrabales, or outskirts, of the city was a concentrated blend of immigrants, freed slaves, displaced guachos and native indigenous peoples, most of them poor. Unlike the immigrants who went to the US and settled in ghettos, those disembarking in Buenos Aires were more often than not forced to live under the same roof in conventillos, manors abandoned by the rich and built along a traditional Spanish colonial style with a central patio, which facilitated the exchange and sharing of cultural practices amongst the different peoples that settled here. Like all marginalised sectors of society, those living in the arrabales had different social codes than the economically privileged. Between the activity of the ports and slaughterhouses, the city received a constant influx of newcomers and rose to the challenge to meet their needs. Bars, music halls, eateries, whorehouses all thrived in the slums of Buenos Aires, as well as the human vices and violence that usually accompany them.

From this melting pot of cultures, languages and traditions, the tango was born. The underprivileged, having no wealth or possessions with which to distract themselves, had to subsume their misery in other activities. It comes as no surprise that they should seek solace in the most ancient of rituals: dance. An article in Critica in September, 1913, describes how men living in the conventillos would make fun of the Afro-Argentine candombes from the Mondongo district by dancing in this style to the music of the milonga, a folk music typical to the pampas. The combination of exiles, displaced peoples, sailors, migrant workers, white slaves – all with their own histories – was perfect for creating the crowded yet intimate scene which today is associated by the whole world with tango.

Bandoneon at center stage (Photo: Beatrice Murch)

What is tango?

Tango is first and foremost a musical style, with distinctive instrumentation, usually a sextet with violins, piano, bass, and bandoneon, with great emphasis on base rhythm, usually 2/4 time. The bandoneon, whose name is a corruption of this glorified concertina’s patent, Band-Union, is one of elements which lends tango its characteristic sound.  Some say there is a predominance of minor keys used in tango, which no doubt lends to its melancholy air, representative of the lost hopes and dreams, or faraway loves of those who developed the genre. There are distinct periods to the history of tango as music, but these are perhaps best savoured as they are expressed by Astor Piazzola, reluctant tango genius, in his Suite ‘History of Tango in 4 movements’: (Brothel 1900, Café 1930, Nightclub 1960, Concert d’Aujourd’hui).

Secondly, tangoes are songs, often of a nostalgic, reflexive nature. Enrique Santos Discepulo, one of the main lyricists/composers of tango (see Cambalache) during its Golden Age in the 20th century said: “Tango is a sad thought that you dance to.” While many tango lyrics are full of sexual innuendo, or double entendre, there is an element of melancholy that seems to mirror the lament of the bandoneon. The glory of days past, lost loves and opportunities, forgotten playthings or sunsets, and sad farewells are all grist to the tango mill. Arguably, the dramatic tone of tango lyrics reflects the lives of those who, unseen and unheard – except for the tango – made Buenos Aires what it is today. Tango became the mouthpiece of the masses, the way of expressing their sorrow at leaving their homes and their families, soothing their fear over the uncertainty of their futures in this new land, verbalizing their anger and criticism over the injustices that abounded at the time, and yes, crooning about their loves, both new and old. All these people had had to leave behind some aspect of their identity before arriving in Buenos Aires; tango was the voice of their new identity, and Carlos Gardel was and is their undisputed hero.

Last, but far from least, tango is a type of dance, at present either salon style or staged dancing. As refers to salon dancing, tango was and is danced in crowded rooms; there is a theory which claims that its complicated moves and counterclockwise lanes result from this reality of the milongas (tango dance hall) of Buenos Aires. The true innovation of tango in the area of dancing is that tightly closed embrace allows the hips and legs to be entirely free, giving rise to one European noble’s question: “Is it supposed to be danced standing up?” Dances such as the waltz, or polka, are sequence-based, that is, the same steps are followed at the same time. Tango allows for improvisation: the man must lead (especially if he doesn’t want to run into another couple) and the woman must follow – and never anticipate what the man’s next move might be. As one self-described tango maniac claims: “It is the male partner who makes it possible to be at one with the music.”

The Tao of Tango

Many Argentines will decline an invitation to attend a tango concert or competition, claiming the following to just name a few: a) I don’t like tango because it’s so male-oriented, so machista; or b) To dance tango you need a mysoginist and a defeatist:; or c) Women like tango because it fulfills their need for rape fantasy that otherwise they would get from romance novels. In reality, tango allows both dancers to fulfill the archetypal roles of male and female in equilibrium. Human rhythmic arts (i.e. dancing) are, according to Steven Mithen, author of The Singing Neanderthals, “rooted in courtship ritual”. Leave to the Argentines to get to the heart of the matter; tango is, without a doubt, courtship ritual taken to an aesthetic extreme. The balanced union of male and female each gracefully moving within the sphere of the other is a perfect embodiment of the yin-yang symbol, where male and female create the One, the Tao.

Salon Canning in Palermo (Photo: Beatrice Murch)

Nevertheless, the generations born after the 1955 coup d’etat which ousted Peron grew up in a world where tango was censored and banned. Curfews made dancing at milongas practically impossible (although they seem not to be enforced in places that played imported music, such as rock-n-roll). Time and time again, the Argentine government in turn expressed distrust and fear before local expressions and favored foreign influences in all areas of society: agriculture, construction, engineering, economics, music, film and television among others. As a result many Argentines today never learned to dance tango or enjoy their most famous heritage—or have they? Argentines themselves have tango so incorporated into their daily lives, that the music and dancing oftentimes become superfluous. Tango could be described as a meta-culture, a culture that underlies the strata of the porteño’s mind. In other words, an Argentine lives and breathes tango; he/she doesn’t have to think it. Tango is a part of who Argentines are: their identity. This is why it is so important to delve into the world of tango to understand the local mentality; Argentines move to 2/4 time; they improvise; they sail through crowded streets and venues like nothing. In other words, all Argentines tango, whether they dance it or not.

UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage

In October, 2009, the tango was declared world heritage by the UNESCO. Thanks to this induction, Argentina (and Uruguay) receive an annuity for “the promulgation, preservation, and education of this intangible cultural heritage”. Already there are efforts to foment new compositions, teach lyric writing and in general renovate the faltering genre. Milongas flourish, and more and more young people are showing interest in playing the bandoneon. As is fitting for a New World phenomena, tango is one of the youngest inductees into the UNESCO registry. Approximately one hundred years old, tango has penetrated modern man’s psyche unlike any other recent form. Although the joke is on the UNESCO: there is nothing intangible about the tango; it’s all hands-on.

Homero Manzi tango show in Boedo (Photo: Beatrice Murch)

It really does take two

The relief described by both men and women upon dancing tango appears to be related to this surrendering of unhealthy or irritating roles in daily life. Women seeking release from competitive, “masculizing’ roles professionally, or men who seek to assert their masculinity gracefully – these are some of the people who are attracted to the milongas. It would seem that each is able to carry out the archetypal part assigned to them: for the space of three minutes, the man encompasses and protects his prized partner; he is knight, prince, and hero all rolled into one. The woman becomes the centre of his universe, the end-all and be-all of his existence, his muse and goddess, cosseted and secure, while she yields to the subtle directions that he sends through his hands, totally given over to the experience. Tango practised thus fulfills all of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs – from the physiological to self-actualization during one tanda (set of four tango dances). No wonder tango dancing has been described as a parallel universe, the effects similar to deep meditation and overflowing joy.

A Word of Warning

Tango is not for the faint of heart, nor is frequenting milongas. If you are in Buenos Aires (or Montevideo) and are determined to explore this side of life, please take a few tango classes where the codes which rule the game will be explained to you, and thus save you any uncomfortable misunderstandings once seated at your table. If you only want to listen to tango music, try the Centro Cultural Torcuato Tasso.

For a list of places to take tango classes, click here.

For a list of milongas to watch, or join in, click here.

Many thanks to the Biblioteca Nacional del Tango and my patient partner.

An Orchestra Tipica plays at the opening event of the Tango Cultural Center (Photo: Beatrice Murch)

There is a kind of beauty to tango places in Buenos Aires in that you are trusted to be able to take to the floor with a sultry partner and do your thing, no matter how pro or no you are. With next week’s Festival de Tango Mundial (World Tango Festival) here in Buenos Aires, what better time to delve into the the country’s own special world of dance than now? However, some overly ambitious beginners can quash the steamy Argentine atmosphere in a heartbeat, and often, no matter if you’re practically brushing shoulders with them, the big shots of the tango circuit seem like an inaccessible clique.

Walking into Cultura Tanguera, a tango place in Buenos Aires that has a big open space with chairs and tables around it and a couple slinking around the dance floor, I was pretty sure I’d simply rocked up at another milonga, only this time with clothes dotted about the room. Fortunately I gave it a chance and plonked myself down with a coffee as it turned out I had most certainly judged too quickly.

First impressions: it looks like a classroom with a bar, not many people, and a bit like a shop/milonga identity crisis. Downstairs there is a much more authentic tango space, with black and white tiled floor, and a big wall where they project tango films during special events; red chairs – the lot. For a tango centre they seem to have cheaped out on their opening space and for the life of me I couldn’t understand why the couple have chosen the far less romantic setting to dance in.

The welcoming owner of Cultura Tanguera helped to clarify their purpose: “In Buenos Aires there are 500 milongas – 15 that are good, 5 that are really good. This isn’t trying to be a milonga; this is something else.” It’s meant to be an access point – a doorway into the tango world. With that it makes perfect sense, and it’s actually quite clever what they’ve done – it’s like taking you through stages: the classroom and shop to buy clothes to start you up, artwork if you want to immerse yourself in the full experience, then you can move to the more authentic dance floor, and then you’re set to hit the circuit with some good moves and well connected acquaintances.

With that in mind, it strikes a good balance between a class setting and something more casual. Open from 11am to 11pm, it’s not made to be a nighttime spot, so the polished decor is forgivable.

Tango stilettos for sale (Photo: Beatrice Murch)

Gesturing over to the couple, he points out that it is actually a class, not an impromptu post-dinner baile. This place gives you your pre-milonga training. The teachers, six of the top dancers on the Buenos Aires “circuit”, certainly know what they’re doing, and you’ve probably seen them out and about. Here you can meet them, dance with them, and hear their top tips for where to go. The whole atmosphere has an air of being ‘behind the scenes’.

Culture Tanguera targets itself mainly at foreigners wanting an access into the tango world, but it isn’t just a tourist spot. The people there are passionate and experienced, with a ton of things planned such as tango singing classes and closed door events once a month that you need a secret password for. It’s just starting up so as yet there’s not a thriving atmosphere, but they know their stuff and they are keen to let people into the tango crowd. If so far it seems a bit daunting head down there and you may feel like you’ve found a shortcut. Although it’s not buzzing with people yet, it has everything going for it, and truly is a unique tango experience.

Darío Cataife gets ready for the show (Photo: Andy Donohoe)

The lights fell down on the stage at Niceto Club as an enthused and raucous crowd donned an array of festive masks. Similarly, up on stage the four band group initiated the festivities in their performance outfit complete with hat, sunglasses, and long, thick beards. The electronic drums kicked in the sound system, and at the first sound of the Jewish traditional melody, the crowd erupted into a jumping frenzy.

Eight months ago Niceto Club’s electro Jewish rave band, the Barmitzmidis had its conception when three synthesizer keyboardists and an electric drummer met rehearsing as part of a synthesizer orchestra for the group Michael Mike.

The dead time from practice with Michael Mike allowed the group which is composed of Jean Deon on electric drums, and Pin Deon, Pablo (Peta) Berardi, and Darío (Turco) Cataife all on synthesizers to let loose the creativity which Darío refers to as “some crazy moments of improvisation.”

“The musical direction came a little bit naturally. The melodies that were heard when we jammed in the practices had a little bit of everything that there is in Barmitzmidis. A little bit of Cumbia, a little bit of festive Jewish music, the rhythms had to do with this as well,” says Darío.

The idea of forming together as a band with four plugged in instruments wasn’t too conventional, and as a result the group figured their sound should also take on a unique characteristic. Jean says that it was the cultural link to Jewish heritage that drew the group members towards the culture’s traditional music.

“I think it is infrequent that you go to a party that plays electronic Jewish music, and so we liked this idea, says Jean. “Some of us have the tradition, and so it seemed fun to make a modern version of Jewish music, to bring something traditional to 2011.”

The group uses a heavy electronic rhythm to evoke a powerful pulsating dance beat, while the synthesizers mix in and out combining different melodies that contain a suggestive Jewish style. The musical result more often than not generates a fanatical fever of collective jumping.

Dario mentions that he loves to perform the traditional songs from popular Jewish culture because they come just as naturally as their own written songs, and admits that these songs are what usually bring the audience into a full blown ‘Hora’ dance.

“Almost everyone or at least every Jewish person has had a good time in a Jewish wedding when they are passed around in a chair, or the Barmitzvah which has all the spirit of the party,” says Jean. “This is the spirit we try to bring to the concerts in places like Niceto Club or other night clubs.”

The electronic Jewish and Klezmer rhythms and melodies make up the bulk of the groups song list, yet their creative influence also extend to their Latin roots.

“Being from here [Argentina] you’re an automatic mix of things. So this happens when we write songs,” says Pablo. “Generally we all write together, playing at the same time, and we all support the result of this creation, sometimes there is an idea of the more traditional Jewish songs, but then someone puts together an idea with Cumbia.”

Similar to the festive Jewish music they play, Barmitzmidis uses the slower unique rhythm of Cumbia to naturally connect the tempo speed from the typically fast Klezmer dance music to the slower Latin cumbia. Dario says that the mixing of music is just another element that comes together during group jam sessions.

“We always arrive to the studio and we never know what we are going to do. We get together and play,” says Jean. “I play a rhythm and another begins on the keyboard with the melody, and then one follows the other, and that’s how we form the ideas, then suddenly the four of us are happy that we’re all playing the same song.”

The Barmitzmidis know the importance of band success and have almost a year into their existence used the results of their electro jam sessions to provide another club alternative to live music lovers in Buenos Aires. In their last show at Niceto Club they wowed the masked audience with video projections of images of Jewish traditional dance as they finished off an energetic set with their own rendition of the Klezmer classic Hava Naguila.

An exasperated crowd came to a dancing halt, but the quick exit after a set of less than 40 minutes gave the impression that while they’ve mastered the 2011 Jewish party soundtrack they still had some songs to write and jam sessions to rehearse before they’re ready to make a full album and a huge breakthrough outside of the niche experimental electro market.

However, the group sees positive aspects to their natural progression so far. While they continue getting together to record in keyboardist’s Pablo’s recording studio their ability to creatively contribute their own musical influences into jams which they record and then listen to again allows them to pick and choose elements they wish to further incorporate. The group composition also helps all members actively participate and contribute their ideas.

The band understands that in order to capture a bigger fan base through live performances they’ll need a clear goal in mind. An album of electro Jewish anthems is in the works but Jean explains the Barmitzmidis’s plan right now is to make every show big or small into a huge party!

Step inside El Cubo theatre and you instantly feel miles from the Almagro street that surrounds it. The building is single-storey and arranged in a square around a courtyard covered in gravel chips that makes you feel you’re walking across the bottom of a fish tank. Chairs and tables are stylishly silver and brick walls are low-lit. It’s a combination of minimalism and cosiness that makes for a great small theatre space.

Capricho Tango (Photo: Damián Nussembaum)

‘La Musa del Capricho’ (The Muse of Caprice) is a tango show with a difference. Forget slicked back hair, crisp suits and serious expressions; this 90-minute spectacle brings out a cheeky, fun side of tango you never knew existed. The small cast is comprised of dancers from the DNI-Tango dance studio, founded in 2005 by Pablo Villarraza and Dana Frígoli. DNI teachers see the body as a vehicle for expression rather than just aestheticism. They employ the Conceptual Tango Technique (TTC in Spanish) – a combination of yoga, biomechanics, contemporary and classical dance forms. All of these influences become evident when watching this show.

Fresh from a 2010 tour that included Sweden, Italy, Germany and the States, ‘La Musa del Capricho’ “dwells on those small, seemingly casual details that distance us from some people and bring us closer to others. Every day, in all things, we are moving towards somewhere. This piece hints at the signs of this permanent journey.” If this sounds somewhat cryptic, it is reflected in the ambiguous yet compelling plot, which opens with the Spanish lines: “Nobody knows that I am waiting for you…that I’m very far away.” The action goes onto present various dance-filled encounters that take you through situations of passion, betrayal, sweetness and risk.

Capricho Muse (Photo: Damián Nussembaum)

The opening scene is reminiscent of Grease’s ‘Summer Lovin’, with a guy and girl both excitedly talking to their friends about the other. Another scene centres round a fruit and vegetable stall and makes the audience laugh out loud. Dana Frígoli, co-founder of the DNI-Tango studio and producer/choreographer of this show, appears as the female protagonist (the Muse of Caprice referred to in the title), caught in a love triangle between two men.

In ‘La Musa del Capricho’, my desire to see some great tango, pure and simple, was more than satiated. Tight and impressive sequences are danced by several couples simultaneously, multiplying the wow factor several times over. In one scene two guys dance together, which harks back to the origins of tango as practiced amongst men waiting outside brothels. The strong tango flavour is infused with interpretative dance (think twirls, lifts and a freer style), made memorable by vividly-coloured dresses and bare feet. Throw in a solo, some lines of poetry, dramatic monologues and a few comic conversations and you have a spectacle that packs more punch than a traditional tango show.

As the performance drew to a close, the audience went wild with rapturous applause and a standing ovation, both normally reserved for much bigger theatres and higher-profile shows. But here it was entirely deserved. The dancing was sublime and the action both intriguing and entertaining. Head down on a Thursday evening to see for yourself. You’d be a fool to miss it.

During the long weekend of March 10-13 the city of Buenos Aires sponsored dance performances in three public parks: Plaza San Martin, Plaza Miserere and Parque de la Memoria. These open air events showcased dance troops and gave the public quite a show. Andy Donohoe captured some moments from the performances at Plaza Miserere and shares them with our readers.

Reading the intro to 'Taller de Luis Garay' in the afternoon sunlight.

Experimental and interpretive dance.

Lost in the moment.

A packed audience watches on as pages explode everywhere as part of 'Cariño'.

Getting acrobatic.

Moving with feeling.

Colours and lots of movement for 'Agua Florida'.

Moving as one.

A sparkly ending.

Getting the audience partying.

Getting down.

Contact Improv in pairs (Photo: Beatrice Murch)

While tango is the traditional dance of Buenos Aires, a new form of post-modern dance called Contact Improvisation (CI) has begun to emerge on the scene. Part acrobatics and part physics, this dance provides both the challenge of improvising a dance each time, with the freedom to let loose and become fluid in your movements.

In a silent studio, several students learn CI – no music, no rhythm or beats, nothing but pure movement, inertia and gravity to guide them. This is a very typical scene in a CI class. “You play with sensation and the rhythm within,” explains instructor of Jam Telmo’s class and 12-year student of CI, Laura Barcelo. “Music provides a tempo, everyone would dance the same. This is why often we dance without it.”

With the only sounds breathing, sighs and lightly padded movements, the students and Barcelo herself take to the floor to practise their sprawling moves. They slide, glide and writhe across the floor in a series of endless motion, using each other and the floor as places of contact from which to choreograph their unique dances.

The Gravity of Contact Improvisation

Contact Improv Balancing Act (Photo: Beatrice Murch)

Contact Improvisation is considered a social dance, and to Barcelo it is more of an art form than it is an athletic practice. Dancers of CI experiment with the motion impacted by gravity like rolling, suspension, weight sharing and counter balancing each other and on surrounding objects such as chairs, walls and the floor. “Dancers can dance with each other, with the floor – it is quite possible to dance CI alone,” says Barcelo. “Gravity is always there.”

As she continued to lead her class, she instructed techniques on how to properly descend and ascend again through a series of pivoting and twisting, appearing almost snakelike on the studio floor. To an outsider, the dance itself may seem sexually charged and a bit too close for comfort, but those familiar with it, the dance and the concept literally and figuratively embrace their close proximity to one another.

The dance itself was created in the early 1970s in the United States by dancer Steve Paxton. Paxton was dancer for several companies at the time, as well as being trained in acrobatics and martial arts. Since its early days in the US, CI has moved from coast to coast and country to country, finding growing popularity in the post-modern dance world. The movements and motions included in CI are not just utilized on the studio floor, but also in other more recognizable dances to the standard audience.

Modern and Dance Applications

Evidence of CI is everywhere in modern and post-modern dance, from studio warm ups to the creation of choreography. Barcelo notes that CI exists in all or many dances, even those like tango and ballet that far preceded it. The exchanges of weight in the duet of a dance are applied and heavily involved in the basic elements of CI.

Almost touching (Photo: Beatrice Murch)

Such techniques, Barcelo elaborates, are not just helpful for dance, but for life and meditation too, and she alleges they have a therapeutic quality outside of the palpable eroticism. “I believe Contact Improvisation helps to harmonize the mind and the body,” she says, going on to explain the applications of CI in everyday life. Not only being able to dance out frustration, the spontaneous choreography that goes into creating a CI dance of your own assists in more subtle contexts, such as the pushing and shoving on a subway. CI methods can transform a hectic and crowded subway into a system of weight balancing and trading to take the frustrations out of a morning commute – that is, if your fellow commuters can figure out what you are doing.

After a closer observation, CI became more and more reminiscent of a physics class in motion, which is exactly what Paxton intended. “If you’re dancing physics, you’re dancing contact, if you’re dancing chemistry, you’re doing something else,” he said in 1987. Laura Barcelo broke CI down to a science for her class, harnessing their own gravity and letting the free motion of their bodies guide them trance-like across the floor.

These scientific aspects of CI are particularly interesting to those who study it. According to Barcelo, they are often people interested in the natural movement of the human anatomy. “In general, people who dance this have professions on body and movement,” she says. “However at the same time there are people who study CI who are doctors, lawyers, actors and musicians.”

Jam Sessions

A “jam” as referred to by CI dancers is a free-space for dancers to create and collaborate together. Jam Telmo witnesses from 20 improvers and up per jam session, and people of every age, too, from early 20s to late 50s. Even children involved in CI have their own space to work and play. “Jam is a space of improvisation, like a milonga,” explains Barcelo. “There isn’t a teacher in a jam. It is a space to practise.”

Learning the basic concepts such as spatial awareness and always paying attention to your surroundings are some of the most important first steps of dancing contact improv. Careless students are likely to receive a foot to the face or end up planting their face on the floor. Because of the amount of physical contact involved in the dance, being wary of your fellow dancers at all times is literally an unmissable step.

However once the basic principles of care and caution are mastered, Barcelo says it is perfectly fine to cut loose and dance, freeing muscles of resistance and tension. “It isn’t about thinking,” she says. “It is about movement.”

To those unfamiliar with CI, it may look rolling dance party a bit heavy on body contact; however CI’s complexity and growing popularity can be noticed by serious students and first-timers, too.

With many people attending jams and classes every week, Barcelo is proud to admit that Buenos Aires has a healthy community of CI and possibly the highest concentration of classes and jams of any city. Classes can be found throughout the city, any day of the week, and taught by different instructors in different studios. Still, Barcelo doesn’t deny that they are all a community who know each other and work together to cultivate the CI experience, working harmoniously. “Like how children have a ball pit to play in on a play ground? This is our version, as adults.”

Originally from New York City, Michele Kadison has travelled extensively around the globe, from Europe to Japan before landing in Buenos Aires to absorb the city into her wealth of experiences that range artistically from acting, jazz, contemporary dance, tango and music. Qualified by Hamiliton and Connecticut colleges in the United States, Michele now teaches ‘Contemporary Jazz for the Stage,’ working with some of the most renowned names in the performing arts in Argentina.

Michele Kadison (Photo: Andy Donohoe)

What brought you to Buenos Aires?

Well there is the superficial reason and then there is the real reason. I was asked to choreograph a TV series in The States and one of the episodes was based on tango. I had zero concept of tango but I said ‘Oh sure! No problem!’ Fortunately it was a comedy so I got away with it, but in apology to the art form I started to learn how to dance tango. At one point I felt I should come here to see how I stood with the locals.

I really fell in love with the sensation here, I came here alone, stayed here for ten days and danced like a banshee, then I came back again and I decided that it was time to make a big change. The pace here is so different. I was finding that my life in the States was on more of an exterior level and I found that by coming here I could focus on something that was on more of an interior level. It changed my approach to my teaching and to the art form.

Can you tell me a bit about your dance programme?

I feel like it’s a compilation of contemporary dance and ballet. The class is constructed in a similar way to a yoga class. It starts in a very rational way to warm up the body so it’s not a shock to get into the later movements that we do. All the stretching in the beginning is to create space in the spinal column and all the places where we have a lot of tension. After that, we go to the floor and start working on strengthening exercises to work on the abdominal muscles. Then we get back on our feet and combine the stretching and the strength and work on the axis.

The principle behind my technique is to cut through space efficiently and quickly so the whole concept is working the secondary muscles of the body as opposed as the primary muscles. We are developing the spindle muscles such as the muscles inside the biceps. For me is a metaphor for life because working on the external as opposed as really feeling our emotions, it’s the difference between living an authentic life and a superficial life.

One of Michele's classes (Photo: Andy Donohoe)

Do you borrow from different art forms?

I don’t even know if it’s borrowing. I started dancing when I was three so it’s sort of an osmotic process – you just absorb all of the things that you are exposed to, not just dance, art, theatre, music, poetry, the street, being bruised…all of those things go into the work .

How does the jazz scene here compare to New York?

I don’t know how to compare it. I just think it is on a smaller scale. There are really good dancers here and they’ve got the sensuality, the rhythm and the desire to dance. I think in many ways there are certain elements of various art forms that are still a little bit behind the times and maybe it is because there is not enough exposure – we don’t have a lot of different things coming in all of the time from all over the world like in New York – there is some very good jazz here, but maybe not enough of it. I come from New York so I come with a very specific voice, attitude towards training.

I think a lot of the dangers that are in jazz are about getting your legs up higher at the expense of the health of one’s body. I don’t do that, I say be more humble – I would prefer a low leg that is really well placed, I want to see a balance because you crawl before you walk. I taught at one of the best studios in New York called Steps, it is very renowned and there was a time when everyone would say that my class was pretty much the hardest one around. I know that I demand a lot from students but in a way that is observing the health of the trajectory – we are working slowly to achieve an inner strength; that the expression comes from within and all the rest is like an adornment.

What have you done in the past?

A couple of years ago, I asked the question ‘why isn’t tango used to tell other stories other than the normal stories? Why can’t we use it as another language?’ I developed a concept for a tango ballet based on Orpheus. It was very well received at a festival called Cambalache which is a modern tango festival. Also, I was in a movie with Rita Cortese, where I was in the movie as a dance teacher where I coached her, which was not much of a stretch for acting!

And now?

Now, I’m working on a project called ‘The Love Project.’ The aim is to take sixteen classical poems in Spanish and unite them with four really amazing DJs. The classical poetry is being united with techno and chill out music. The idea is to create a cd project where kids can be exposed to classical poetry through the music. Alongside that I am doing performance, choreographing my dancers, which will be available to download to create a sort of virtual party.

Eventually what I want to do is have a whole series of CDs from every country, taking the poetry from each country, mixing it with cool music, creating a party, creating a cd and making it a worldwide experience with a lot of dance.