Tragedy .  . . BUENOS AIRES  WITHOUT MILONGAS Special report from Buenos Aires By ORLANDO BUDINI

The Tango’s Capital was getting ready to celebrate the end of the year, better than that: it was getting ready to celebrate the beginning of the new one, the streets were dressed-up for the occasion: Avenida de Mayo, 9 de Julio, Lavalle, Florida and all the main arteries of the City showed lights and adornments everywhere. The Obelisco, proudly planted in the middle of Avenida 9 de Julio and Corrientes, was decorated and all lighted-up, it looked like that very simple but always beautiful monument was trying to say to the thousands of cars and people that circulates every single day thought-out one of the wider streets of this world: “I’m the symbol and the hart of this City and I’m bigger than you think you are”. Milongas in Buenos Aires usually close at 4 o’clock in the morning but now, all them were competing each other with specials presentations, performances and longer hours (some of them open to 6 o’clock in the morning) in order to attract locals tangueros and, specifically to attract the great number of tango tourists that fill up all practicas every day and all milongas every night. It was Thursday night December 30, early 31.. we all were laughing and toasting, chatting and dancing at “Club Espanol” one of my favorite milongas, its organizer Julio A., Pablito Nievas and Valeria Zunino (couple of excellent dancers and teachers), el “lerdo” Walter (organizer of Dandy’s) and my good friend Jorge Arias were making plans for the New Year when the news, the sad news spread out: A rock Disco in “Once” caught fire during a concert!. This disco was crowded large beyond its capacity of 1200 people, the stage and the ceiling were made of inflammable materials, the fire extinguishers were empty and, when almost 4.000 desperate funs ran looking for the emergency exits … the doors were locked from the outside!. A lot of confusion... a lot of deaths! All the city and the country was shocked to its roots by the tragic news… Investigations, responsibilities, signs of corruption, new laws and regulations, guiltiest and innocents and… more deaths (191 was the final toll).
Even when “Republic of Cromallon” (the name of the disco) was not related to Tango, after a 3 days of mandatory duel, all Milongas of Buenos Aires were closed down “for inspection” and hundreds of milongueros from all over the world that were there to see it for themselves, to dance on those famous floors and to feel in their own skin Tango at its birth place found out that in Buenos Aires, the Tango’s Capital of the world, was not a milonga to be found. After 3 weeks the ban was over for those who comply with the new rules, unfortunately many of those milongas were functioning in old historical buildings and they will be forced to make radical changes to be in order to comply those rules, some of them probably will never be open again.

Besides the tragedy and the human losses, as an old milonguero like me to be in Buenos Aires without milongas was a sad and terrible experience, it was like being in Paris and not be able to admire the “Eiffel Tower”, it was like being in Rome and be forbidden to visit the Pope and the Vatican, it was a kind of emptiness, it was a kind of frustration, a frustration for me and for many, many others: I remember a tourist-student (a young guy from Poland ) talking to Pablo Nievas at the closed door of “Confiteria La Ideal” (one of the Tango’s treasures and landmarks) claming that he was saving money for a full year to make this trip possible and to be able to dance tango there, I remember an American guy and some other Tangueros renting studios and organizing “private milongas” by invitation, and I also remember a great number of milongueros who were driving for miles to the suburbs or to other cities to be able to dance Tango somewhere, but what I most remember out of all this incredible tragedy was a comment, a single comment published by “El Tangauta Magazine” a B.A. tango publication stating, in a report about the status of all milongas of Buenos Aires, the following: -“Club Sunderland milonga” announces that they will be have a class of folklore at 4 o’clock in the morning and they will be closing at 6 o’clock in the morning… everything is going back to normal”
Ah that beautiful gift of starting over again, until next time, Orlando Budini

Howlin and Taccetti                                      
 will be in Austin in April

Margaret and I are very excited about bringing Tomas Howlin and Florencia Taccetti to Austin. They are at the top of their profession and are respected as teachers of many of today's professional dancers. They both started dancing in the early days of Argentine Tango's revival and so, have a similar experience and philosophy about the dance. We have taken from Florencia both in Austin and in Minneapolis for a number of years, and count her as one of our most influential teachers. She is very dedicated, and cares sincerely about improving the quality of her student's dancing. We met Tomas in Minneapolis last summer and fell in love with his teaching style.
He mixes humor with hard work and teaches concepts rather than steps. The combination of these two teaching styles produces a student that has not only become a better dancer, but has had fun getting there!
Florencia  Taccetti & Tomas Howlin
Florencia and Tomas met in Buenos Aires in 1995. Together they assisted in Graciela Gonzalezâs classes and studied extensively with Gustavo Naveira.
Subsequent years of research, practice, and groundwork resulted in a shared devotion to the old milongueros, and deep mutual respect for each other. Their shared tango background made them friends. Their affinity in approach and understanding made them great dance partners.
This dynamic duo will be teaching and performing together for the first time in Austin. Everyone will benefit from the deep, rich understanding and knowledge shared by the combination of Florencia and Tomas

Tomas Howlin
Born and brought up in Buenos Aires, Tomas shares over 10 years of performing and teaching Argentine tango. He has had the privilege of studying with many of the greatest teachers of all time. His knowledge and pedagogy are unique and exceptional. Tomas believes in a natural, relaxed, comfortable, thoughtful, and skillful tango; one that is unique to each person. He is one of the few teachers traveling worldwide who has taught regularly in the most well know academies of tango in Buenos Aires. He works for the Secretary of Culture of Buenos Aires and is recognized as a Master Teacher by the University of Buenos Aires.

Florencia Taccetti
Florencia brings to the tango community a wealth of experience. She is a tango performer, social dancer dance teacher, and has done extensive work as a contemporary dance performer of Argentine tango. This makes her teaching clear and consistent. Florencia started tango in 1985 while she was a part of the contemporary Dance Ballet at the San Martin City Theater in Buenos Aires. She danced in the movie "Tango Bar". She has performed with Pablo Veron (Star of the film "The Tango Lesson"), Gustavo Naveira ("The Tango Lesson") and the legendary Pepito Avellaneda. She began teaching tango in Europe in 1988 and has taught continuously in Buenos Aires. Since 1996, her teaching tours have included many cities in the US.
To Contact Margaret or Vance or for information about the workshop, go to http://members.aol.com/margvance/tango.html

By Marcos Caruso

The straight, outstretched leg marks the end of the tango. Applause for the dancers. This female body that seems broken in the arms of her partner is an object that is fixed in the eyes of the crowd, and each part of this physical structure is examined by dozens of tourists that witness one of the street spectacles that are offered around the city.
Left behind are the prepared choreography, the steps practiced repeatedly. It doesn’t matter what tango they dance. The music is a seasoning on this street demonstration of the dance; the visitors gladly make an offering to the artists. This is what happens on every block, in every neighborhood where the street shows take place. Passing the hat permits hundreds of unknown artists to survive. All across the city, this spontaneous rave takes place.
Pedestrian walks and plazas are the scene of pairs and trios of dancers, and perhaps these attract the most attention from the city’s visitors; in the halls of the subways singers and musicians seek shelter; also in front of businesses that close their doors at nightfall: these then become artificial amphitheatres which resonate of guitars and bandoneons. Few musicians or singers become established in open spaces among crowds of people. The sound of their instruments or voices is lost among the street sounds and the rush of the passersby. But the artists respond to the call of the loyal and they persevere with that unfulfilled dream that here, in this very place, they will find success.
One sees them always. With their worn costumes, their lost look focused on their art, and the hat, or instrument case with a few coins and bills strategically placed.
The tango performance: the man imitating the villain of all time, the woman with her provocative clothes and fishnet stockings. Far from the authentic milonga, they know that in each step, in each turn lies more than the possibility of applause and cheers.
This is the great showcase of their art, an alternative to giving a class, even the possibility of a contract. But the pressing need, in all cases, is money for daily life, that which requires singing the story of other times day after day, times when there were famous orchestras and dance troupes: from a glorious past to passing a hat in the hope of recognition from a passerby.
Visit Let'sTanGO! for more information about porteños’ culture, including tours, sites of interest, restaurants, museums, milongas and tango shows in Buenos Aires. Enjoy it ! click 

Having been a dancer for over 15 years and designing dancewear for 10 years she can certainly draw on a wealth of knowledge what is appealing on a woman's body as well as what draws the eyes to her on the Tango dance floor.

Have Designs by Viviana Laguzzi create your next Tango costume with all the passion of Mimi Pinzon.

Contact Viviana Laguzzi de Sciurano viviguzzi@yahoo.com.ar