WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF TANGO

A spark inside of me was ignited when I visited South America.

You may ask WHY.

Well, I admit I’ve a passion for dance.

The journey began at a young age learning jazz, tap and ballet. I studied dance as part of my Victorian Certificate of Education, at university learnt contemporary and Latin dance followed in later years.

So when the opportunity came to visit the home of Latin Dance, South America, I jumped at the chance.

Spotted before I had even left home soil, two tango dancers moved across the carpet at Melbourne International airport as I patiently waited to board my plane. This whet my appetite for what was to come, first stop Buenos Aires home of the TANGO.

The classic 1930’s Ford car stopped in front of the building. I strolled the red carpet wearing the black and red feather bower I had been given ready for my dance class.

I was greeted by my tango teacher, head of the tango dance company. The tall man in a black suit made his new students stand on either side of the room, male and female. We watched him teach the steps.

I smiled at the thought of learning a new dance.

Teaching the steps slowly to the class, he counted in eights. The group moved to the side in a sliding motion and then stepped backwards. After this, he partnered his students and I was happy when he chose to dance with me.

I’ll never forget his smile. He was proud of the way I was learning the steps. Having some dance knowledge but never learning TANGO it seemed natural and I eased my way into this new style.

When in Buenos Aires I learnt,

Tango is known as a dance that started in the La Boco area of Argentina. Migrant people from Spain and Italy gathered there. Tango dancing was initiated by lower class men so was not popular with the higher class till it became known all around the world.

In Argentina I visited La Boco. I strolled the cobbled streets amongst the colourful buildings covered in splashes of yellow, red, green and blue. In front of restaurants, TANGO dancers danced to guitarists striking their cords.

My first taste of dance in South America was uplifting, sharing a love of movement and experiencing a new dance style for the first time. As mentioned previously, the joy on my tango teacher’s face sent a tingle down my spine.

Life is better when you dance. Stay tuned for Part Two when I dance in a different part of South America.

In the meantime, happy dancing 🙂 🙂 🙂

Spread sunshine and inspiration,

Juliet x