Falleció Cacho Masci - another milonguero passed 5 April 09

In the present moment, April 2009

Earlier on, I was told the cryptic prediction by my girlfriend Maria, that March 2009 will be a difficult month.

"Pesado" she had said...

And it was.

A friend that I have known since I arrived in Buenos Aires 2007 was confirmed with lung cancer. Back in those early days when I hardly spoke a word of Spanish, she was a comforting presence. She is a non-smoker. In February, I had noticed the high cancer antigen marker in her blood test. Between disbelief and trepidation, we visited doctors and labs. Each visit was a further confirmation. A rollercoaster ride of denial, fear, determination, hope, self-doubt, reluctant acceptance, denial.

A draining repeating cycle.

Although I have been involved for years in the biomedical area in my line of work, I never had to accompany a friend through the diagnosis of malignant cancer until now.

I hope that you will make it, my friend!!! You have to...you have to. Life should give you another chance to enjoy what you have. Your true wealth. Because with this trial you have begin to see past the thick curtain of "rolling red dusk" 滾滾紅塵 as we call it.


Back to Buenos Aires tango.

On Sunday, halfway through the evening around 9.30 pm at Lujos at Maipu 444, milonguero Cacho Masci collapsed while dancing. He is the brother of "El Nene" Masci. A crowd of friends and concerned regulars of Lujos rushed to his aid. There were mutterings of his heart condition. Then the ambulance came to ferry him away. After that, nobody had the heart to continue dancing any further. Most people left Maipu 444 in sober spirits. My friends Louis & Janet who are visiting Buenos Aires were in the milonga..

The next night at Gricel, we heard the announcement he had passed away. It is sad to know there will be one less familiar face at my Sunday night milonga.


One hears about milongueros having a happy last dance and passing away. I know it is not a sad manner of passing for someone who spent a lifetime dancing. It is perhaps one of the best way of going for someone who lives for the milonga, to leave happily dancing and surrounded by friends. Furthermore it is a fast way to go, not drawn out and painful like how some milongueros have suffered in their last years. I should be happy for him.

As yet, I can't shake the heavy feeling in my heart.

"Maria de Buenos Aires" turns 40

In the present moment, Apr 2008

The coming 8 May 2008 marks 40 years of the première of "Maria de Buenos Aires", an operita work of Astor Piazzolla in collaboration with the poet Horacio Ferrer that became known around the world.

It is a surrealistic song cycle-like story told in 2 parts, recounting the life and death of Maria, who came from the slums of Buenos Aires to the city, fell to the seduction of tango and became a streetwalker. After her death, Maria was condemned to hell - of the city of Buenos Aires itself. Her shadow wanders through Avenida Corrientes, the epicenter of cinemas and theatres in Buenos Aires.

"Maria de Buenos Aires" was the first collaborative work between Piazzolla and Ferrer, the start of a partnership that left compositions from "Balada para un loco" to "Chiquilín de Bachín", "El Gordo Triste", "La ultima Grela" and many others.

The operita premièred on 8 May 1968 in the Sala Planeta, located at the streets Suipacha and Paraguay in the microcentro of Buenos Aires, with Piazzolla (bandonenon) and Ferrer (narrator): sang by Amelita Baltar and Hector de Rosas, Hugo Baralis and Antonio Agri (violins), Nestor Panik (viola), Victor Pontino (cello), Kicho Diaz (bass), Tito Bisio (vibes), Cacho Tirao (guitar) and Arturo Schneider (flute).

The operita was released in September of the same year under the recording label Trova (LP Trova TL-20/2).

It has been reported that Maria de Buenos Aires will form part of the next season of the Colon Theater, which herself will turn a century old this year.

The above has been partially sourced and translated from the publication "La Portena Tango", Buenos Aires, Issue No.45, April 2008.

Writer´s notes:
1. During his lifetime, Piazzolla struggled for recognition for his avant garde creations to be regarded as tango by the country that gave birth to him and his music. The acceptance came perhaps slowly, and not until his works shot to fame overseas before this land took their prodigal son to their embrace. Maria de Buenos Aires was one of the key works that led to his resounding success around the world, that came to know of Astor Piazzolla and tango.

2. Since my arrival in Buenos Aires almost a year ago, the grand Theater Colon has been stubbornly barracaded behind scaffoldings for renovation works.

I heard that the reopening of Theater Colon is scheduled for May 2008! Although this remains to be seen. Renovation works of heritage structures can be notoriously tricky to manage.

3. The Trova re-issue is a double CD 5013 & 5014 (1993, Argentina).

A Whole Heap of Tango Festivals

In the present moment, Nov 2007

Recently it seems that everywhere I turn, I am surrounded by a dizzy array of upcoming tango festivals in Buenos Aires. Likely this is a growing phenomenon compared to before. Below are just a few.

These festivals work in the favour of visitors with limited time in BA. Classes and performances by tango maestros lined up to maximise time and with sufficient English to make them accessible to visitors. Of course usually the workshop fees are higher. Nothing comes without a price, as we all know.

Just finished is "Pulpo Tango Week", 10-17 Nov 2007. Organiser Norbeto Esbrez's nickname El Pulpo means The Octopus. Look for the cute octopus icon on the festival website and follow it to Norbeto's website. You can see videos of his dancing and the reason for his nickname.

New addition, 20 Nov '07
Next up are 2 festivals held at almost the same time, but with different market segmentation.

1st is the "1st Festival Internacional de Tango Queer in Buenos Aires", 26 Nov - 2 Dec 2007.

The motto of the festival is "bailar tango sin que los roles esten fijos al sexo de quienes lo bailan", which is to dance tango without fixing the roles according to gender" ie. the exchange of roles in the dance "(Intercambio de Roles)" .

The website says this is why the festival is not oriented exclusively to same sex partners, but to all those who support this approach and promote the respect of this diversity.

I find this concept very interesting and am supportive of it. From time to time, one wonders what could be the lines of tango evolution in the next douple of decades? A possiblity could be the mutual influence and interfusion of "styles". A more lateral prediction on the "next big trend" in tango could be this interchangeability of roles during dance. I am laying down some money on the latter ☺


The 2nd is the " IV Festival Bailemos Tango in Buenos Aires" from 25 Nov - 2 Dec 2007, organised by Johana Copes, daughter of Juan Copes. The festival promises a bit of everything, tango performances and classes, shopping tours, ranch visit, gaucho's traditional show etc. Appears to be styled in the manner of BA tango "package" tourism organised by teachers from home countries of visitors and also offered by some local tango professionals.

The months of November and December are peak tourist seasons in BA for visitors from United States and other countries. Likely the above 3 festivals were timed to coincide with this traffic.


Next in line for December is the "Maraton de tango" held at the city of La Plata about 60 km south of the city of Buenos Aires. This is a tango campover on the weekend of 8-9 Dec 2007.

There don't seem to be a website for this event, so I have posted photos of the brochure and contacts of the organisers. This event may be targeted at locals rather than visitors. At least not visitors who don't speak the language.


For milonguero dancers, the "2nd Internacional Encuentro of Tango Milonguero" will be held from 11-18 February 2008. This festival is spearheaded by Susan Miller and Maria Plazaola as well as other well known milongueros. This would be my festival of choice if I was a visitor to BA, not primarily because I like the style. How do I put it delicately...some of these milongueros have many many years of experience...

New addition, 24 Nov '07
I confess my reservations about adding news of this particular tango festival, "X Festival Buenos Aires Tango", which is to be held from 22 Feb - 2 March 2008. The website for the upcoming festival gives the date and nothing much else at this stage, not surprisingly so since its still a few months away. You can go to the festival website for 2007 to have a look at the festival activities. The reason for my reluctance to list this information is because I heard an unconfirmed rumour that it may not take place to avoid clashing with MEGACITA 2008. Will update once there is a more reliable source.


The blockbuster tango festival in BA is undoubtedly CITA (Congreso Internacional de Tango Argentino). Next March is the 10th anniversary of CITA - "MEGACITA 2008", 15-25 March 2008! Just imagine the avalanche of visitors descending on the city.

The promotional material says "Singles welcome and guarantee to have a partner at no extra cost". I wondered how the organisers were going to manage this until I saw on the website it says there will be taxi dancers at every milonga. Put on your meters, radio taxi dancers!

For those visitors staying on after MEGACITA 2008, the "Tango Festival for Ladies" organised by Mariposita will be held on 23-30 March 2008. Festival exclusivo de technica para la mujer with clases de technica, clases especiales, milongas, practicas and shows.

Va a llegar Un Monton de Tango Festivals en Buenos Aires!

A Handful of Handy websites (a.k.a How to get info in Buenos Aires II)

In the present moment, Sept 2007

I was distracted by the coming of Spring!

Now to continue from where I left off.

Salon Canning – Well, actually it is the website of Parakultural. Of the hugely successful milonga organizer Omar Viola who holds the Monday, Tuesday and Friday milongas at Salon Canning (also a Saturday milonga at San Telmo, Peru 571 since April ‘07).

Information is updated regularly. The month’s coming attractions are all laid out, with line-up of performers and teaching schedules pre-milonga. Not sure who performed 2 Fridays ago?? Find them in the archives of recent months’ events.

Escuela Argentina de Tango (E.A.T) – school with a large assortment of popular teachers such as Aurora Lubiz, Jorge Firpo, ‘El Flaco” Dany etc. Many salon style teachers, a few nuevo style teachers. Main website is on the spartan side. But wow, the downloadable monthly schedules are good!

Now expanded to 3 venues - Galerias Pacifico, Rodriguez Pena 1074 and Recoleta (new, Aug/Sept ‘07).

The main venue is at the Centro Cultural Borges at the upmarket shopping mall, Galerias Pacifico, in the microcentre (cross streets Viamonte and San Martin). The school is slightly tricky to find but you will get there at the end after transversing a few galleries in the Centro Cultural Borges.

I can't resist a mention of the building itself. Galerias Pacifico is a historic building from the late 1800s in the style of Bon Marche in Paris. After falling into disrepairs, it was renovated to the present form and re-opened in 1992. Above is a photo of the famous glass ceiling of Galerias Pacifico.

D.N.I – Pablo Villarraza y Dana Frigoli’s hugely popular school on Av Corrientes. 4 main pairs of teachers including Pablo & Dana. Of the "schools", DNI is probably the most cohesive in terms of similarity of dance/teaching style. The other “schools” are more teaching venues with a loose medley of teachers, like a box of chocolate assortments.

Practica X – popular venue in Abasto for practica on Tuesday nights. Frequent haunt of nuevo style dancers and many nuevo teachers. Well updated website.

Porteno y Bailarin – downtown milonga venue notable for its 2 adjacent dance floors. On the other side of Av. Corrientes from El Beso, 2 minutes stroll. Okie website but sometimes late with info. Well, at least the past month’s archives are available.


There are 2 other popular school/venue to look out for:

* Mariposita – boutique hotel & teaching venue in San Telmo. Another loose assortment of teachers, but not exclusively of nuevo style. For example, Milena Plebs of classic salon style held classes from Jun-Aug ‘07. Unfortunately the teaching schedule is not available online at the moment.

Leti, mother of Carolina Bonaventura is often the de facto manager of the estudio y hotel. And yes, the place is the brainchild of mother and daughter Bonaventura.

* Tangobrujo – Classes held upstairs, shoes and clothing shop downstairs.

Assortment of nuevo style teachers, including Gaston Torelli, Federico Naveira & his sister Ariadna Naveira, Matias Facio & Kara Wenham etc.

Website has nice flash animation. But sadly thin on info besides the address.




For Mariposita and Tangobrujo, you have to look at El Tangauta for the monthly teaching schedule. Even then, its better to get hold of those “slips of paper” (See A Confetti of Paper )


If I come across other useful websites, will add those later.

New addition, 30 Sept '07
La Viruta - the swinging tango nightclub scene of BA, at Armenia 1366 in Palermo. Its said that many a tango wedding were made on its dance floors ☺. DJ Horacio Godoy (brother of Mora Godoy) is one of the organisers, kingpin teacher and a-larger-than life personality in the house.

One either likes it or not. Regardless, La Viruta is part of the tango scene. Frequented by all, from milongueros like "El Flaco" Dany to the young nuevo tango crowd. At La Viruta, you will find nuevo teachers dancing adjacent to absolute beginners. Personally I think that is why navigation is notoriously poor.

Entry is waived on Friday night after 4.00 am, so its a popular spot where the night ends for many dancers winding down the big night out with friends or waiting for Saturday breakfast.

Undeniably a popular venue for nuevo tango classes. Salsa & rock & roll also part of the repertoire. Information on the website for classes is updated.

From the link on this page, go to the La Viruta website. Either click directly on "Tango.milonga" on the mainpage or navigate further to the tango section, by going to the sections on "clases", "shows" and "novedades". The monthly seminario "specials" are listed under the latter.
New addition, 2 Oct '07
Above I have added a photo of the event poster this month at La Viruta. You can click on the photo to enlarge it for easy reading. Every month I will update the photo so that dancers from outside of Buenos Aires can lay their hands on this info.

New addition, 3 Oct '07
Hmm. This piece is taking on a life of its own.

La Marshall - Wednesday nights after 22.00 hs at Maipu 444 in the microcentre. Same sex gay & lesbian milonga but the crowd is not exclusively so. An interesting constrast, La Marshall is held at the same venue as the traditional milonga Cachirulo on Saturdays. Website is updated.

In Sept '07, La Marshal held its own Campeonata de baile (Tango Championship).

==========================================================
Basic Spanish for the non-English websites
==========================================================
Lunes - Monday
Martes - Tuesday
Miercoles - Wednesday
Jueves - Thursday
Viernes - Friday
Sabado - Saturday
Domingo - Sunday

1. If you see "de 21.30 a 0.30 hs", it means from 9.30 pm to 12.30 am. Buenos Aires often use the 24-hour time format.

2. "A partir de 19.30 hs" means from 7.30 pm onwards.

3. "Toca" means playing of a musical instrument or orchestra.

A Confetti of Paper (a.k.a How to get info in Buenos Aires)

In the present moment, Sept 2007

At some milongas and practicas in Buenos Aires, one is hit with a shower of slips of paper with information about upcoming events of the milonga, other milongas, clases & seminars, advertisements on shoes, clothes, apartment for rental etc etc. The list goes on.

Rather than being a total waste of paper, these slips are a useful source of information. Because often they are the only means of getting the most updated news on a monthly basis, short of actually dropping into the establishment. Or calling up to ask, especially if the option isn’t available for the linguistically challenged.

In this age of internet penetration, we rely heavily on websites as an essential source of getting info. But Buenos Aires doesn’t work this way. Some teachers, milongas or shops do not have a website. Or more often the case, the info listed is outdated. Here in Buenos Aires, that means last month’s info. Be warned about this, because this month’s schedule is likely to be different.

One has to understand a basic fact of the Buenos Aires tango world. Events are often planned from month to month and not 2-3 months ahead. It is just how it works here, so accept it.

In other cases, some websites have simply stopped working. As one of my friends here, a Korean girl named Rey says “all the info one needs is found HERE in Buenos Aires”.

So for tango visitors coming to Buenos Aires without time on your side, look out for these confetti slips of paper. In addition, arm yourself with the tango publications big and small (see previous post La Primera Vez). Else you should pop in the shop or school to get the new schedule for the current month. By the way, there is a scrabble to get the 3 larger tango magazines “El Tangauta”, “La Milonga” and "B.A. Tango" in the 1st week of each month. Yes, the mags are not released at the end of the preceding month. Or at least they only become widely available in the 1st week. Everyone zealously guard their own copies at this time ☺

But a word of warning, in case some readers takes these 3 tango magazines as the absolute tango bible guide. Although they cover the main scope of information, it is not a total comprehensive listing. Or, on occasion the current month’s schedule published is not accurate. For "El Tangauta", it is better to rely on the schedules published by the schools or the personal adverts of the teachers. The schedules listed via days of the week under the section "Tango Guia/Clases" can be invalid.

Just to illustrate the extent of variability, the teaching schedule for 2 popular schools of tango, DNI & Escuela Argentina de Tango, changed month to month since I have arrived. Why? Because teachers are going overseas for teaching and festival assignments. Otherwise they have just returned after months of teaching abroad. Understandably the timetable has to shift accordingly.

Occasionally, changes to the teaching schedule/venue happened after the monthly submission deadline for adverts to the tango magazines. You could double check the overall schedule with teachers or the establishment once you are there for classes or milongas. People are generally patient with such questions. Better yet, just ask for the updated schedule and you will be given yet another slip of paper to add to your growing collection of paper heap.

Despite of what I said at the beginning about websites, there are some good ones. That's for my next entry.


Footnote: If all fails, you can always download your monthly copy of El Tangauta online ☺

New addition, 2 Oct 07
You can also check out 2 other tango publications online:

La Milonga Argentina - Sadly (because its really quite colourful) its drawback are 2-fold. The online issue is at least 1 month late. And mostly in Spanish.

Punto Tango - The pocketbook guide. Issue is updated! ...though all in Spanish.