Visiting New York

New York, the city of work, is a great city. New Yorkers call it "The City" and that means Manhattan. In New York we have some of the best of everything you can think of, including the tango.

In fact New York is a godfather of tango. Rejected at birth it might have expired in the dustbins of history if it had not been used by the sons of rich Argentines to seduce the lovely French women in the salons of Paris, becoming a fashion trend that spread across Europe, before crossing the pond, dancing its way into the penthouses of New York and finally being accepted by its parents in Buenos Aires and Montevideo.

We have tango in New York for the same reason there is tango in Paris, the Argentines love to come here and go shopping. Some of the elite sent their children here to grow up and get wise to the ways of the world. Those boys made quite an impression on the New York women with their tango. It is probably the source of the popular myth of Argentine virility. They still make quite an impression.

Carlito, Carlos Gardel made movies and recordings in New York including his very last. Ástor Piazzolla lived here as a boy. His father found a bandoneon in a pawn shop and bought it for his son as a way to connect with their roots. In fact the once and future masters met and Carlito invited the young Astor to join him on tour. Fate had other plans for the boy. His father wouldn't let him go. Carlito and his entire band died in a plane crash in Colombia on that tour. Astor would often joke about his luck saying that if his father not been so careful, he wouldn't be playing the bandoneon, he'd be playing the harp.

It was New York that first exposed Astor to Bach and jazz. He experimented with jazz tango here between 1958 and 1960 and his concert in Central Park in 1987 helped his Tango Nuevo music to touch a broader audience.

Tango Argentino, the show that sparked the modern tango renaissance, came to Broadway in 1985. It was the same year that Paul Pellicoro, the owner of Dancesport (a studio known for teaching tango and other dances to actors), trained Al Pacino for the famous tango scene in "Scent of a Woman." This is when Robert Duvall whose deep understanding of tango is beautifully expressed in his 2002 film, "Assassination Tango," discovered our dance. In 1997, Luis Bravo's Forever Tango came and more or less stayed.

So we have tango. The flavor of the New York tango is influenced by New Yorkers who come from everywhere, are always busy, and expect to do things fast. New York, home of Broadway, Ballet and Modern dance brings out the pro dancers. Argentines love the City so they have a strong influence. In return the City loves the potent Latin image. New York is a sexy place and the New Yorkers are entranced by passionate imagery of the tango show, in a way that you do not see in other places of the tango.

The New York tango is traditional. There are three crowds in New York: older, younger, and Argentines, although in general New York is a little older than most tango communities. New Yorkers are crazy for steps. They want to dance like the tango they see on stage (even though tango fantasia is choreographed, not led, and not intended to be danced in the millonga). If you know how to connect, you will be considered an exceptional dancer in New York.

Anyway New York has a little of everything and it is the City that Never Sleeps, much like the Argentines. Coming from New York, I expect to be able to get anything, at any hour, and on Sundays too. Here is the Tango Beat Winter 2009 Guide to the New York Tango. ¿Quieres bailar?

Biggest Milonga

Buenos Aires Feeling

Argentines

Live Music

Nuevo

Younger Crowd

A Community

Visiting Artists

Daytime Dancing

Good for Beginners