A Ride to the Elite
There hadn’t been an announcement of a manifestation, but traffic was snarled and moving at a snail’s pace. My taxi was crawling along Avenida San Juan. We were stopping at every red light. I watched as the meter changed and the price increased.
While living in this city, I transformed myself from an impatient Americano into a porteño. Now, I can sit in the taxi and enjoy the ride while chatting with the driver. It’s a more fatalistic approach to living life in Argentina. A friend often remarks, “You are a porteño, but you were born in the wrong city!”
After a costly taxi ride from Barrio Norte to Balavena, I arrived at the location and paid 15,000 pesos for this ride. It’s about twice the normal rate! Ouch!
And The Music
Getting into the elevator, I listened to the music that wafted down from the second floor. The doors open into a familiar scene of tango couples moving around on the well-worn floor, close in each other’s arms.
After being greeted by the organizer, Hugo Gimigliano, with a big bear hug and another hug from his partner, Julia Doynel, I noted the Milonga Elite was in full swing.
With approximately 11 male taxi dancers, ranging from professional to tango maestros, these women paid 25,000 pesos to dance for two hours with these fantastic dancers. There were familiar faces, including dancers from Turkey, Mexico, and the United States, as well as several local women.
For Two Hours
For two hours, every woman danced as much as she wished. Dancing at this milonga differs significantly from others, as there is no social break for conversation. “I’m only dancing,” said my friend Olga. But then she admitted that she was a bit tired, too.
Dancing continuously for two hours is a lot of work. This experience is very different than dancing at a regular milonga, where you can take a break, have a glass of wine, sit out for a few dances, and then return to the dancing.
After an hour of dancing, I was exhausted and decided to sit out a few dances. Watching this group dance was beautiful, as most women wore smiles on their faces. They were enjoying themselves dancing instead of sitting a lot.
For Some Women
For some women, it’s a difficult transition to make from dancing continually for two hours versus a regular milinga where you only dance for fifteen minutes in two hours. Many of these women now only attend this milonga, and a few have started to shun the regular milongas.
Yes, the experience of the Milongas Elite is rewarding and worthwhile.
It’s an excellent example of the creativity that can be achieved by changing a milonga’s dynamics.
A woman goes to a milonga to dance with a man.
In Milonga Elite
In this Milonga Elite, women choose the man they wish to dance with. These women dance with the best of the best for two hours rotating partners.
And yes, medialunas are served when dancing is finished.
Currently, this milonga takes place every Tuesday from 3 to 5 pm at Maza 457.
Reservations are required.
Organizer: Hugo Gimigliano
Tango Guapo on Facebook
If you wish to make a reservation, contact on WhatsApp +54 9 11 4197-0517
