There's something special about performing in Buenos Aires. Being a foreigner coming to the birthplace of Argentine Tango to dance for old milongueros who have lived and breathed Tango their whole life is quite intimidating. Cyrena has years of experience after living in Buenos Aires and working in the Tango Shows, but she also gets nervous before dancing in the milongas here. There is a pressure to not only perform well according to your own standards but also earn the approval of the chieftains of the milonga. They sit together at their usual tables, drinking champán until 5 am several nights per week, impeccably dressed, and they are not afraid to let you know what they think.
Last week we performed at Milonga Parakultural in Salón Canning, one of the most famous and popular dancehalls in Buenos Aires, named after the avenue Canning (now called Scalabrini Ortiz). As the performers of the night we were seated right next to table of the several of the most respected milongueros, and before long we were already being questioned about our choice of music for the performance, to see if they approved.
There is a particular tradition among dancers in Buenos Aires regarding the first Tango you perform in a milonga. It should be improvised, showing an elegant walk and a nice embrace without any fancy steps - "bien al piso" as they say. Below are two videos from our performance showing the first Tango, according to this tradition, and a choreography we have performed a couple of times before, but that keeps changing as we practice more and more. Let us know what you think!
Cyrena & Steinar dancing Hasta Siempre Amor by Carlos Di Sarli in Salón Canning
Cyrena Drusine & Steinar Refsdal dancing Gallo Ciego by Osvaldo Pugliese in Salón Canning