A Night of Tango at La Viruta
When people ask me for tips on things to do in Buenos Aires, two things always top my list: 1) Visit Recoleta Cemetery and 2) Take a tango class at La Viruta.
La Viruta is a milonga located in the basement of the Armenian Cultural Center in Palermo. If you’re new to tango, let me explain that a “milonga” is simply a place to dance tango. In the case of La Viruta you can also dance Cuban-style salsa or something the porteños call “rock and roll”, which is swing dancing.
Here’s how your night will go at La Viruta.
First, you check the schedule at the website and decide you want to take the 9pm tango class. Because you plan to have a bite to eat, you call in advance to reserve a table.
When you arrive you head downstairs and pay the 15 peso entry fee. (Once inside, after the class, you can buy discounted entry coupons if you plan to return and take more classes.)
You take your seat and watch students finish their sweaty class of salsa. You notice that the decor is not by any means fancy but the energy is good.
After the salsa class finishes, the tango music starts and the instructors head to the dance floor. They improvise a couple of songs. The dancing is sensational – vibrant and alive. You’re inspired and ready for your class.
One of the owners introduces the teachers and further energizes the crowd. He explains that “beginners go here, intermediate level 1 students go there” etc. You join the group at your level and enjoy the class. You see that partners are rotated frequently so it’s unnecessary to bring a friend. You make new friends quickly.
After the class, the milonga begins. At first, there are dancers of all levels on the dance floor. As the night goes on better dancers arrive.
Now it’s 4 in the morning. You’re mezmerized by the music, atmosphere, energy and dance. It’s at this moment that you realize that tango will be your life-long passion.
Here’s a link to La Viruta’s website.
Filed under: Tango, Things To Do
February 25th, 2009 at 10:13 pm
A fun milonga but the washroom was a terrible mess when I went. They need to improve that.
January 14th, 2010 at 5:05 pm
Wow..That sounds fun! I’ve always wanted to take classes on dancing, that is my first love when I was young – dancing. The place looks like a party place. It looks inviting. Just wondering how much it cost per class or is it by package?
January 14th, 2010 at 7:13 pm
It’s super-fun and inexpensive. Entry, which includes the lesson, is less than US$5. After your first lesson you can also buy multi-entry packages that are even cheaper.