Tango Lessons

Posted in Argentina Travel

 

The  topic of Argentina Tango is no light matter. When we dream, we are good at things we want to learn. With fantasies swirling through the mind, aspiring Argentina Tango divas take to the classrooms in preparation for a pilgrimage to the Argentina Tango capital and birthplace, Buenos Aires. Many travelers have wanted to learn for years, many want to get in shape through dance, and most want to form a connetion to the dance from Argentina that symbolizes the soul of Argentina, the national charater, what we hope to feel when they arrive on the streets of Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina. We all start out with Argentina tango images handed down to us through movies, videos, and travel books: gorgeous toned legs jutting out from colorful, special tango-dresses, amazing shoes, and hair coifed perfectly in a shiny bun at the nape of the neck, with flower pinned at the center. How could anyone not love these images? How could you not want to learn to tango, especially before travelling to Argentina?

Basic Tango lessons will give you enough knowledge of the Argentine dance to get by at any club, whether it be in New York or Buenos Aires. They call this conversational Tango. Usually travellers might sign up for Conversational (or Basic) Tango and take classes for a few months, for up to three times a week, to prepare for a trip to Argentina. Some start out at once a week, then, as the trip draws near, will have built up to three times a week. This intensive training just before departure to Buenos Aires ensures a solid knowledge of the basica of this complex dance.

The names of the Argentina Tango steps originate in the barrios of Beunos Aires in the 1800s. Women in long skirts who danced the Argentina Tango in the rough streets make patterns in the dirt. The patterns gave the steps their names. Once you practice the steps and get good enough at basic Tango moves, you may be invited to attena a practica by your dance instructor. This is an evening session where you can dance with different partners and show off your Tango style, Argentina style!

Also, for the female Tango students out there, it’s likely that your class is made up of mostly women, then you may not have even danced with a man yet. The practica is your chance to tango with a man! You will learn something from each partner you dance with, even though you might end up feeling shy or humiliated by what you perceive to be your bad Tango style. You will meet people who are obsesses with the Tango, people who dance Tango more than 8 hours a week, and people who have been dancing Tango all their lives. It has been said that Tango is a dance you learn for life.

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Do You Speak Tango?

Posted in Argentina Travel

 

Tango has a language, and the words are the individual movements of the Tango. You can dance to the same piece of music over and over, and never dance it the same way. If you say something different each time you dance the Tango, you will have danced a different Tango each time.

There’s even a sense of humor to the dance, if you know the language. To be able to speak Argentina Tango, or in other words to be able to show the movements correctly, you’ll have to have some dancer intuition already in place. For example, pointed toes, flexed knees, balance tipped slightly forward, and mirroring your partner’s shoulders are all basics that you have to master, like building blocks on which the real Tango language will be constructed.

 There’s another language involved, as well: Spanish. As you learn Tango, you will learn the names of the movements, as your instructor, who might be from Argentina, calls them out. They may even be handy as you attempt a bit of traveller’s Spanish while on vacation in Argentina. Here are a few examples:

  • ochos, or figures of eight
  • el dibujo, or the drawing
  • cruzadas, or crosses
  • colgadas
  • volcadas
  • boleos
  • ganchos
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Tango Shoes

Posted in Argentina Travel

Women, you can indulge in Argentina Tango footwear if you are so inclined. Look for black suede Tango shoes, red Tango shoes, shoes made in Argentina or Urrguay, shoes with a 1940s heel, stilettos from Argentina or shoes from Buenos Aires made just for walking backward! Some think that the more a woman spends on her Tango shoes, the more serious dancer she is…silly! But some Tango shoes may be hard to resist, and watch out, they cost a bunch. Arika Nerguiz makes some gorgeous Tango shoes. The smooth soles are specially designed to pivot easily, and the suede feels like butter around your feet. Straps keep them falling off your feet, which is classic. There really is a sort of cult built up around Tango shoes, because they are so gorgeous. Tango shoes imported from Argentina have waiting lists, and designers like Manono Blahnik and Comme il Faut make Tango shoes. The basic elements of Tango shoes are:

  1. stiletto heels
  2. center strap down the foot
  3. suede, possibly
  4. red, possibly

Some designers from Buenos Aires to keep in mind when shopping for Tango shoes are: Neo Tango and Flabellas. Happy shopping, and Happy Dancing!

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Patagonia’s Lake District

Posted in Argentina Travel, Patagonia

Patagonia is a vast inland plateau covered in shrubs, lagoons and farms. In the western part, as the Andes mountains begin, there are several National Parks. This regions covers more than 4402000 square miles and actually expands into Chile as well. The border between Chile and Argentina is formed in Patagonia. The Argentina part of Patagonia covers about three quarters of the total area, and is sparsely populated. It’s windy all year, and the average temperature is mild, although parts of Patagonia have more harsh weather than other parts.

There’s a lake district next to Los Glaciares National Park, and rivers run through the region. You can visit such diverse elements as settlements founded in 18th century, caves used by these settlers, a sea lion colony in Northern Patagonia, and the giant port of San Antonio Este, from where all the fruit is exported. There are dude ranches like the gigantic Piedra del Aguila Hotel and Ranch, where guests can camping, horseback riding, sheep shearing and fishing.

There’s the Laguna blanca National Park which is popular with bird watchers because they get a chance to see the black-necked swan in flocks that contain thousands of birds. Flamingos also live here, as do peregrine falcons and eagles. In the Lake District get ready to see Indian reservations and the monkey puzzle tree, or the Araucaria Araucana, which is one of the oddest-looking trees on earth.

There’s also Lanin National Park where you can see the Lanin Volcano which borders Chile. You can also do some wonderful river and stream fishing here. Keep an eye out for numerous fishing lodges like the San Huberto Lodge which is right on the Malleo River. Hunters love this park too because they can hunt for wild boars and two types of deer. There are  lots of tourist info at the Tourist Office in San Martin de los Andes.

There are lots of hotels in the Lake District, and the town of Bariloche, especially, has hotels with lots of things for tourists to do. It’s in the middle of Nahuel Haupi National Park, and you can take day trips Mount Otto, or go skiing at Catedral Ski Center, or visit the Patagonia Museum which has wonderful collection of Indian Artifacts. Mount Tronador, at 11,728 feet, is a great day trip for hikers. Go horseback trekking from a dude ranch, where you can start out for a day trip or a weeklong adventure.

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Iguazu Falls

Posted in Argentina Travel

Iguazu National Park is the number one spot outside of Buenos Aires that should be on your list of things to see when you experience Argentina travel.   These falls are world-famous, and you’ll be amazed when you visit them, especially on the Argentina side (they form the border with Brazil.

On the Argentina side, you can walk trails that go right up next to the gigantic falls, and some trails do actually have spots where you can stand under the water, if you dare. The Brazilian side has the views, but you can’t get up as close to the water. Definitely set aside at least a full day, and spend a night at the Sheraton, which is the only place to stay that’s right inside the park. You will be able to see the falls right from the hotel, and it’s not horribly expensive, either. Just fly from Buenos Aires and stay at the Sheraton, leave a full day, preferable two days to explore the various trails.

There’s a tram ride to the most impressive fall, Devil’s Throat, or Garganta del Diablo which you can’t miss. The water falls 240 feet, sending up a cloud of mist that creates rainbows everywhere if the sun is out, which it probably will be. There are 600 yards of trails for you to explore, and a side trip can be taken to Isla San Martin, which offers you a chance to ride up into the great falls in a big rubber boat. If the water is too rough, however, they’ll close the boat ride services down for your safety. The guided tours are fun, but not necessary. Here are some examples of Iguazu tours you can take:
1. Amphibious Tour: Ride in a 4×4 vehicle over the Yacaratia trail, for eight km of trail-riding great adventure. You then navigate through the lower Iguazu River, six km of river, with one-third of the ride in total rapids! The waterfalls are then approached via speedboat, zipping into Devil’s Throat Canyon, and a few more of the bigger waterfalls on the Argentinian side. The whole tour takes about one hour. There are lots of stairs to climb, so no pregnant women or people with heart conditions.
2. Nautical Tour: Take a boat ride from San Marin Island, which is right down at ground level below the falls, in the middle of everything. You then get baptized under San Martin waterfalls, which are second only to Devil’s Throat in size. The entire experience takes 12 minutes.
3. Ecological Tour: You will ride a rubber raft from Devil’s Throat station, for 3 km, down the delta area of the Iguazu, smooth and silent the whole way. You’ll actually be above the falls, exploring the wildlife and plantlife. It takes about 30 mintues for the whole trip.

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