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For many people, dancing the tango is a must-do when visiting Buenos Aires. But there’s only one problem: the steps are difficult to learn, and venturing onto the milonga floor without knowing the moves can be a brutal experience.
Enter the Argentine capital’s “taxi dancers” — professionals who accompany novice dancers on a night out on the town.
Taxi dancer David Tolosa, 35, told AFP the experience could be “terrifying” without help from someone in the know.
“The dance floor… is like a showroom. People are always looking at you. There are a lot of dancers, well-known dancers, sitting there looking at the dance floor… You feel like you’re being watched, and you feel pressured.”
Experienced dancers can be impatient and “a little cruel” with new outsiders, Tolosa said, adding that untrained dancers may be pushed out of the way or have their toes stepped on.
This can be a frustrating experience for women who are alone, as they must wait, as is customary, for an invitation to a dance that may never come.
“Women are more willing to hire me … because if they don’t have a regular partner, they can spend hours sitting and waiting,” Tolosa said.
His clients are almost all foreigners, “mostly women, mainly Asian, Japanese, Chinese, but also French and British,” who pay about $50 an hour.
His busiest time is August, when Buenos Aires hosts its annual Tango Festival.
Even outside of festivals, milongas – social events where people come together to dance tango – are held regularly throughout the city throughout the year.
– “Learning by doing” –
Most “taxi dancers” like Tolosa work independently, but the capital also has some agencies like TangoTaxiDancers, which has 17 years of experience.
It offers not only private lessons but also accompanied dance outings, promising on its website: “Don’t sit and wait – dance and enjoy.”
Insiders say that just knowing the steps isn’t enough to enjoy a night of tango.
To do this, you also need to learn the art of the “cabeceo,” a nonverbal dance invitation performed only with head movements.
“There are certain rules in tango, like how to…ask someone to dance,” explained Laura Florencia Guardia, a 28-year-old Taxi dancer and teacher.
“There are still some traditional aspects like asking someone to dance, looking from table to table… people need to learn that as well. That’s why it’s good for them to hire dancers to show them the world.”
Guardia expertly dodged the feet of Salvador Bolanos, a Mexican tango enthusiast taking her class, and boasted with a smile that “no client has ever stepped on my toes!”
Bolanos, a 37-year-old systems engineer, said he came to Buenos Aires to “learn about music specifically. I’m learning about tango: the culture, the creation.”
He said he loves “the melancholy of tango, but also its power.”
Guardia said tango tourists can get from “taxi dancers” something they might otherwise miss: an authentic experience in a traditional setting.
“At first they were shy, then they became brave,” she told AFP.
“You learn by practicing.” — AFP
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