Buenos Aires: Taconeando Tango in San Telmo

A trip to Buenos Aires is not complete without attending a tango show.  The city offers a plethora of options to experience this Argentine tradition, ranging from the small, unassuming, and local to the large, pretentious, and touristy.  When we were in “BA,” as locals lovingly refer to their city, we were fortunate to attend the Taconeando tango show.  A friend who had lived in BA recommended it to us, referring to it as a hidden gem popular with the locals.  Our friend added that while it would be unlikely to find Taconeando on a top ten list, that is in fact part of its charm. 

Taconeando is located in the historic barrio San Telmo, the oldest of BA’s forty-eight neighborhoods.  Taconeando puts on its show in an intimate theatre with space for just 200 guests.  Due to the theatre’s small size, there isn’t a bad seat in the house.  Two to three rows of individual tables surround a horseshoe-shaped stage.  My husband and I and our two friends were lucky enough to sit at a table for four right next to the stage.  And when I say right next to, I am not mincing words!  One side of our table was pressed up against the stage.  We were so close to the action that we could smell the perfume, cologne, and sweat of the dancers and feel the breeze they created as they whizzed past us. We could have literally reached out and touched them. This is perhaps the greatest highlight of the Taconeando tango show. Due to the intimate nature of the theatre, guests feel as if they are a part of the show itself and not simply just watching it.

We enjoyed having our own table, too, another highlight of Taconeando’s small and intimate setting. By contrast, at large and touristy tango shows guests are often seated at long tables with other guests they do not know, which can be a bit awkward.  At Taconeando, it is possible to take in the experience with just your friends and family.

Another feature that sets the Taconeando show apart is its simplicity, which I believe makes it more authentic. Just three couples danced to music provided by a quartet and tango singer. Unlike some of the larger tango shows the stage décor and musical accompaniment were not garish and overbearing, which drew the audience’s attention to the dancers. Also adding to Taconeando’s simplicity vibe was that some of the dancers arrived at the theatre the same time and through the same door as we did. Once the show began, we realized we had seen a couple of the dancers forty-five minutes earlier in their street clothes. This gave the show a sort of local authenticity and touch, as if the dancers were from the neighborhood and had simply walked in from the street.

The show began with the tango singer welcoming us and paying homage to the late Carlos Gardel, who is widely considered the greatest tango singer of all time.

Three different couples performed throughout the show and underwent at least a couple costume changes each. I’m not an expert on the tango, but I believe some of the musical pieces they performed to were common tango pieces. Some of the locals in the audience reacted to the pieces as if they were familiar with them. And given my figure skating background, I was able to appreciate a little about their presentation and form as they danced. For example, their elegant posture consisting of shoulders pressed down and shoulder blades pressed together, as well as maintaining strong core strength. There was no breaking at the waist. The upper body was beautifully upright, creating an elegant line from the waist through the top of the head, with the feet, legs, and hips doing all of the work. This allowed for consistent flow throughout the dance.

After the show ended, the six dancers each selected a member of the audience for one final dance. My husband Jaroslav was one of the audience members pulled up onto the stage.

And when the show ended, the night was still young by Argentine standards. While a pre-show dinner was an option at Taconeando, we decided to forgo dinner at the show and instead extend our evening by indulging in the Argentine midnight steak tradition at one of the happening restaurants in BA’s fashionable Palermo neighborhood. And that is a subject for another blog post!

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