Translator: Maria Boura Reviewer: Rhonda Jacobs
I'm one of many foreigners who have migrated to Buenos Aires,
because of tango.
In the milongas here, the tango dance halls,
you will meet dancers from all over the world.
The United States, Europe, South America, and Asia.
Maybe they are here on a vacation for a couple of weeks,
maybe they stay for a few months,
and maybe they even become permanent residents.
Many foreigners begin dancing in their own country,
come to Buenos Aires on a tango vacation,
and keep extending their trip indefinitely.
One of my friends, an NYU Law School graduate,
was living in San Francisco working as a lawyer,
and she quit her job and moved to Buenos Aires.
She's just one of many educated professionals,
who fell in love with tango, moved here, and left their jobs behind.
If they don't live here permanently,
many have found a way to come back each year for a couple of months,
just to get their tango fix.
My story is slightly different.
I came to Buenos Aires and fell in love with tango while here.
But like the other foreigners, tango held me in its grasp,
and never let me go home.
So what makes people travel halfway around the world,
just to dance tango?
Tango was born in Buenos Aires, a city full of immigrants.
It tells a story of love and nostalgia.
The composer, Enrique Santos Discépolo,
once said,
"Tango is a sad feeling that is danced."
These are feelings we can all relate to.
I'm sure many of the expats here have felt homesick.
Well, just imagine Buenos Aires at the end of 19th century
when thousands of immigrants left their families
and came in search of a better life.
They were lonely and overwhelmed by work.
Tango offered a space
where they could express the nostalgia they felt
for their homeland and culture.
It was also a place to socialize and get lost in the tango embrace.
Many foreigners flock to Buenos Aires to experience the Argentine tango embrace,
because many claim that the feeling is different than in other countries.
Maybe this is because the tango embrace
is an expression of the Argentine culture, history, and identity.
The Argentines often have a deeper understanding of tango,
because the music and the lyrics are part of their history.
But the embrace is not the only thing that is different;
it is the feeling of tango in Buenos Aires, not just in the milongas,
but in the air, walking down the cobblestone streets, in the cafés,
in the houses, in the taxicab rides, and in the relationships.
This is the feeling that continues to draw people from all over the world,
to dance here, in the mecca of tango.
Most tango connoisseurs say, to really dance Argentine tango,
one must eat, breathe, and live it here.
Only then will you be able to truly feel and dance authentic Argentine tango.
What is so powerful about tango,
that forces people to change their lives for it?
If you ask any tango dancer to describe the dance,
they'll tell you that it's not just a social dance,
it's a way of life;
many even call it an addiction.
Most tango dancers will spend at least a few nights a week,
if not every night, dancing tango.
We often go out at 11 o'clock at night and don't return home
until six o'clock in the morning, visiting several milongas in one night.
Many, when not in Buenos Aires, where tango's always at your fingertips,
will drive hours, and often cross oceans, just to fulfill their tango desire.
We, as dancers, are addicted to the embrace,
a place where we can find intimacy, connection with another,
comfort, seduction, and endless possibility.
The tango embrace allows us to be present.
It can give you a feeling of utter bliss, or even transport you to another place,
and it is the embrace that keeps us coming back for more.
When I asked an Argentine friend once,
if he could explain what tango meant for him,
he simply responded, "Can you explain love?"
Tango, like love, is often difficult to describe,
but it's a powerful, addictive sensation
that is almost impossible to live without.
(Argentine tango music)
(Applause)
(Argentine tango music)
(Applause)