Traveling Tango

My friend, Eduardo Saucedo

At my first Seattle Tango Boot camp in 2018, I met Eduardo Saucedo for the first time. He is a handsome, well-built man. (He moves as a dancer, always forward and usually walking tall.)

At first, I was a bit intimidated by him, but he has this wonderful ability to make people comfortable with him. He’s charming and a gentleman.
And as a tango maestro, he is awesome.

After attending numerous group classes with him, I booked a private class with him. At first, I was intimidated to dance with him, as I was still a novice tango dancer but soon I learned to relax and did dance with him. He was an incredible lead with a delicious embrace.

That embrace was a long time ago, but one of the first steps in my understanding of the embrace and the ❤️ connection in Tango.

Today, he’s not my tango maestro, instead, he has become a very dear friend for me.

How did this happen you might ask?

When we discovered we were both living in Buenos Aires at the same time, we started going on these long walks. To sit in the park and talk. To get a coffee, then later on when it was finally possible, we added either lunch or diner.

To this day, this is a tradition we both enjoy when we both are in Buenos Aires

We just finished up a late lunch at Milion Restaurante on Parana near Sante Fe.

We talked for many hours, about the paths our lives are progressing down and future travel plans.

Eduardo is a wonderful story teller in 2 languages, but one of my favorite stories is as follows.

Young Eduardo had just started dancing tango 28 years ago. He was new to the city as having lived most of his life in Provincia de Sante Fe. Eduardo was 18 years old. He went for the first time to Salon Canning.

Imagine 28 years ago the tango scene in BsAs. When the milongeros ruled the city dance clubs. Men spent most of the day preparing for the night. They polished their shoes, wore their clean shirts with their suits, and perfumed themselves profusely.
Women totally dressed up, in tango outfits and their heels. In those days, you entered the salon wearing your heels. As it was not an acceptable practice to put your shoes on in the Milonga.

There was a young Eduardo, overwhelmed by the occasion. All the beautifully dressed men and women walking into the salon. I think he just stared in admiration and stayed in a corner, watching. Looking and watching.

Until an older woman, she walked over to Eduardo and invited him to her table. There were many older milongeros at this table. They adopted him. For nearly 4 years every Saturday, he went to Salon Canning and danced with all the milongeras.

Learning about tango in this manner, he learned about tango from the corazon. He learned the codicos of tango from these folks, especially the woman, Maria who became his Tango mom.

He did not learn his tango at the academy of Tango in Argentina. He learned from the old milongeras y milongeros that he met at Salón Canning all those years ago.

Tango from the Corazon. Tango is not about steps, it is about emotions and tango – el abrazo de tango.

This is what makes Eduardo such a wonderful maestro as he tries to teach this lesson to his students. The tango of the heart.

I truly think if you have never attended a workshop or camp of doing, your tango is missing something. The essence of tango

And all these years later, he continues to travel mostly to the US to teach workshops in Tango. He is well respected in the tango community and has officiated in many competitions as a judge.

/https://www.facebook.com/eduardo.saucedotango

https://www.instagram.com/saucedotango/

As to me, we will be leaving Buenos Aires shortly, traveling again first to Spain…until them. Abrazo y Besitos 😘 💕 🤗

Double Standards?

I have been following a couple of threads on social media that are on fire about the topic of charging foreigns a higher price admission to a Milonga than locals.

My immediate response to this practice of pricing double standard is, huh? standard?

Let’s see, this is my typical dance week.

On Mondays, I usually go to El Beso for an afternoon milonga that the price of admission is 800 pesos.

If I decide to dance on Monday evening at Nuevo Gricel, the price of admission is 900 pesos, too.

Tuesday afternoon at El Beso or Chique Nuevo on San Juan, again the admission is usually 800 or 900 peso.

Tuesday night at Tangotic Milonga at the Macedonia Hall in Almargo, the admission it is to pay what you like…or as said here …to the hat.

Wednesday night is Sueno Porteño in Palermo with an admission price of 900 peso.

Thursday back to the afternoon milonga at El beso for the admission price of 800 peso.

Friday for one of my other favorite milongas, Kiss Club at El Beso. Here admission is 900 peso.

Saturday or Sunday at the historic club Marabu on Avenida Maipu in Microcentro where admission is also 900 peso.

Now, you understand why I don’t understand the thread on social media. I pay the advertised admission at these Milongas regardless of my status of local or foreigns. That is the situation.

Remember we choose to support these Milongas. So if you don’t agree with this practice, the only answer is…don’t go there.

The milongas that I attend are usually a good mixture of locals [Portenyos] and international tourists. [Foreigns].

This works really well for a mixture of levels of dancers, as most international tourists have taken many classes, so usually are good dancers.

Quite a few Portenyos feel that as they were born with the tango spoon in their mouth, they don’t need classes.

And there are also some fabulous and amazing Portenyos who have taken many classes over the years. And it is evident in their embrace.

So be alert ⚠️. For this misnomer.

Hopefully after dancing a tanda or two,your body will not experience pain.

Many milongas are very crowded, so that makes the chances of getting stepped on or elbowed in the back are high.

At some milongas, floorcraft is best said to be an acquired skill.

And yes even here in the home of Tango, there are some woman who insist on doing high boleos on a crowded floor with high heels on.

Guess they missed the class on floorcraft !!!

Predominantly in my experience, the dancing is respectful, mutually appreciated and beautiful with the right partner.

In all my years of dancing, I have only walked off the floor early when my lead was overly pushing me around the floor and hurting my back.
This I will not tolerate in silence.

I feel so grateful that I have a delicious and talented dance and life partner.

As we Tango, Waltz & Milonga on the dance floors around the world. Abrazo to you all.

How inflation effects daily life in Buenos Aires.

Wow. In the past when traveling, you always carried a lot of cash, especially when visiting Argentina. I disliked this as it could be risky. Now sending myself money via Western Union is so simple and easy. Their storefronts are located all over the city. The exchange rate is usually the best. I just received 365 pesos for the each dollar.

Imagine being an Argentino and being employed locally. You are paid in pesos…that would be very difficult scenario.

As inflation is now about 100%. Things still cost the same amount of money when you convert but now you must carry more bills. And the biggest denomination is 1000 pesos. In July, the government will print a new 2000 peso bill.

Going out for a coffee is now 500 to 750 pesos, depending on where you go. But you can sit as long as you want before getting your bill.

A good steak dinner for two at the local parilla with a decent Malbec is about 9000 pesos.

My groceries have gone up 100% . My favorite wine that was bought in the past for 1200 is now about 2800.

Buying cheese and meats is the same situation. Recently changed stores, as the new place has better prices than the old fiambrera.

The price for salad, lettuce, tomatoes, onion, and carrot has doubled also. About 1500 pesos.

Blueberries are 800 pesos and a half a Melon is 1300.

A semi monthly pedicure is necessary when you dance tango. It is a must, and you might as well have a manicure…total $ 5500 plus a $500 propina.(tip)

Have been going to the same hair salon for almost three years to get my hair washed and blown out weekly.

This was a habit I learned while traveling. It feels so good to have someone else wash my hair. Looks great for a few days until the humidity takes over. The price three years ago was 750 pesos, today it is 2000 pesos

My wonderful hairdresser Walter, pandemic foto

Have gotten to know a few vendors and we exchange greetings in two languages. Spanish and English.

It’s pretty amazing, many people are bilingual here. The typical Argentina child studies another language when they are young …the skills are there but not many people speak English except the visitors.

AND I ĺove the enthusiasm that most Argentino display about chatting in English. Usually the first thing they say, is “My English is horrible.” I respond with no, you just need to practice more.

Around the corner is my meat market. There is a young man named Carlos, who likes to take my order. We converse in 2 languages. Me practicing my Spanish and him his English. He is studying English in school.

When people are curious about language and customs, I learn so much.

I still find people who offer to translate for me. My response to their kindness is, “No thanks.”

Yet, I prefer to struggle, as it’s the way I can learn the language .

Am trying to add more words to my vocabulary daily. Sometimes, my brain feels like it will explode.

Finding I chat all the time , trying to improve my accent…yet there are so many peeps here who speak so rapidly, it impossible to understand them.

All these different facets in the city contribute to my enjoyment of the city.

It’s so beautiful here. Even when the temperatures are in the mid 90s with 75% humidity.

But luckily for me am living here on dollars and not pesos. I so appreciate my lifestyle here is affordable, as I find the USA is very expensive now.

Abrazo y besitos

Traveling Tango

My friend, Eduardo Saucedo

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Double Standards?

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How inflation effects daily life in Buenos Aires.

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Traveling Tango