Tag: Tango

Tango is a synonym of Argentina. This dance, which was included in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists in 2009, originated in the harbour towns of Buenos Aires and Montevideo (Uruguay) along the Rio de la Plata as a result of the influences of Indigenous, European and African dances. Today, it is so famous and recognisable that even the international radiotelephony spelling alphabet uses the word ‘tango’ to represent letter ‘t’. Tango is danced in a close embrace, the man leads the dance steps and the woman follows. The music is a 4/4 time signature and has a binary form, while the accompanying lyrics are composed in an argot called ‘lunfardo’ and usually speak about love. Through The Real Argentina, Bodega Argento’s blog, you can discover the best places to dance and enjoy tango, which are usually called ‘milongas’. Our collaborators propose some well-known milongas, some other milongas away from the conventional routes and even some places where you can dance tango in a different way –on the outside or with partners of the same gender. We will also tell you the origins of this famous dance worldwide as well as its evolution throughout the periods of the Guardia Vieja and the Guardia Nueva. You can learn some basic moves in our blog and find out the best tango bands and orchestras. Although tango is genuine of Buenos Aires, it is also relevant in Mendoza. In fact, the wine province celebrates an annual tango festival called ‘Tango por los caminos del vino (Tango along the wine paths)’. It is a tribute to this Argentine dance, which fills the vineyards and wineries of musicians and dancers for a few days. It is celebrated at the beginning of spring in the southern hemisphere, around September. Tango is also present during the Fiesta Nacional de la Vendimia (Grape Harvest Fest). The end of the harvest is completed with parades and music and dance shows.

Folklorico – Traditional Argentine Music

Mercedes Sosa

If tango is the soundtrack of Buenos Aires, then it is traditional folklórico that scores the rest of Argentina. And where the countryside collides with the city is at wine-sloshing musical shindigs called peñas. Peñas in Buenos Aires attract everyone from home-sick northerners from Salta and Jujuy, to city folk who don’t want to get their feet dirty, to students looking for a bit of culture mixed with a lot of fun. Each peña has a slightly different musical angle. The term folklórico is a catch-all term for a lot of traditional music…

May 7th, 2010

The Lure of Tango in Argentina

They say that tango is the very expression of the Argentine soul. Certainly its roots are entwined with those of modern-day Argentina as the country emerged into a nation of immigrants in the late 19th century. It was a time of tremendous change especially in the port of Buenos Aires (B.A) which was swamped with Europeans seeking a new life in the New World. Soon the influx of Italians alone outnumbered the resident porteños – citizens of B.A, who were mainly descended from Spanish colonists and African slaves…

March 12th, 2010