780 Tango Experiences in Montevideo, May 2002
Date: Fri, 4 Oct 2002 21:41:51 -0700
From: teddyni@CHARTER.NET
Subject: Tango Experiences in Montevideo, May 2002
Tango in Montevideo - May 2002
Montevideo is a jewel box of incredible colonial and post-colonial architecture. In some ways it is a miniature Buenos Aires, one tenth the =
size, more laid back, less stylish, less sophisticated. The population is about 1.3 million, About one third of the nation's population lives =
there. There are gorgeous beaches right in the city. If you are downtown, nearly all the major attractions are within walking distance. =
There is good bus service in town and to remote points such as Punta del Este. As in Buenos Aires there is great, inexpensive taxi service. Tango =
opportunities are much fewer than in Buenos Aires, but still, you can probably find a place to dance nearly any night of the week. Just as in =
Argentina, there are many beautiful muheres wherever you go. The hydrofoil service between B/A and Montevideo is extremely pleasurable. =
It costs $52US one-way.
Tango places I know of:
Unknown Club
Domingos
Avenida 18 de Julio (the largest and most important street in Montevideo). upstairs on the west side of the street just south of the =
intersection with Paraguay.
On my first night, I was at the intersection of Paraguay and 18 de Julio. I heard tango music and followed my ears to the club. It was a =
tango session for people 40 and older. There was a group of very interesting older dancers, some with very unusual styles . One older =
lady I danced with was extremely good, she spent part of her time in back with the older tangueros and tangueras and part of the time up in =
the front part of the club where a bunch of young people were doing salsa. I'll bet she was great at that too.
Chique
Paisandu 1639
Alternate Sabados
I went to this place late one afternoon at a time when there was no dancing. Here they have milongas on alternate Saturdays. The host and =
hostess are Jose and Veronica. I learned about Chique from dear Patricia, one of the wonderful tango instructors who teaches at Gandhi =
in B/A. Jose and Veronica are friends of one of Patricia's friends in B/A and it was through Patricia's help that I was able to meet them. =
Jose and Veronica are tango instructors, muy amable, and they in turn were very kind and friendly to me and gave me the names and addresses of =
many other tango locales in Montevideo.
The Milonga de Joventango
San Jose and Yaguaron
Martes - dance club
This a big old barn of a place with wrought iron all over the place supporting the huge roof. Inside, there are three extremely inexpensive =
restaurants, sort of a food fair. In back there is a place where they dance. There was a class going on and I wanted to join, but they told me =
in a very nice way that it was a club and that it wasn't possible for me (or any non-member) to join the class. One of the instructors told me =
that at 11:00PM most of the dancers would be going down to the "Cuba Club" for more dancing after their class was over, so I decided to head =
down there.
"Cuba Club"
"La Bodeguila del Sur"
RESTOPUB
Soriano 840 near to Andes
Martes after 11PM
That night there was a world-class thunder and lightning storm. The "Cuba Club" was an incredible experience. A lovely old building reeking =
old-world charm: high ceilings, wrought-iron railings, tile floors, everything in masterful proportion. Upstairs it is divided into the =
reception area, and the candle-lit bar and the dance hall. But there were only three people there! The DJ, the bar tender and a beautiful =
young tanguera who was the hostess,. They all welcomed me and between my tortured Spanish and their less-than-perfect English, we were all able =
to communicate quite well. Over the decades since the turn of the century the dance floor has been nearly worn-out by the dancing of the =
gauchos and bodegeros. In the dim candle-light, you could almost see them dancing there, they and their ladies going at it, their boots and =
shoes gradually gouging those tremendous grooves in the dance floor. The music was great: old Di Sarli and Firpo interrupted by lightning flashes =
and huge claps of thunder that rattled the building. Yet, probably because of the ferocity of the storm, no one else arrived. The young =
woman turned out to be a marvelous dancer. She and I held our own private practica, and she helped me work out some problems on several of =
the figures I have been trying to learn. We must have danced six or seven times. She was so good, even that groovy floor wasn't much of a =
problem. After midnight others did show up and started dancing too. Ahh, an evening never to be forgotten!
Museum Tangueria "FUN FUN"
Ciudadela 1229
Daily and nightly
This is an historic old pub that has had a modern building built around it. For perhaps more than a century has been a place frequented by =
tangueros and tangueras for dancing and singing, most famously by Carlos Gardel. My friend, Sergio Rodriguez, put me onto the place. We went once =
in the daytime and once at night. It is tiny, but provides a very special connection to the history of tango in Uruguay. The evening we =
were there, there was an old tango guitarist playing and accompanying various tango singers from the past who had dropped in. One of the older =
ladies who sang was outstanding. This place should not be missed.
La Junta
25 de Mayo near to Juan Carlos Gomez
Miercoles y alternate Sabados
This is a first-class dance hall, not extremely large, but it has a superb dance floor that, after the night at the "Cuba Club", was greatly =
appreciated. When I got there a class was in session with a top-rung milanguero-style instructor. I was sorry to have missed it. When the =
dancing started after the class I tried to make eye-contact with one of the ladies. I was ignored so frigidly, I was still shivering five =
minutes later. One of the tangueros there who happened to be watching my mortification, made a very sympathetic and consoling gesture. He knew =
that feeling! A short time later, a nice Montevideo couple befriended me. The man was quite fluent in English, and we all had a very pleasant =
conversation. After a while his wife and I danced. She was like a feather and seemed to know what I was going to do even before I did! A =
great pleasure! They told me that "La Junta" has milongas on the Saturdays that alternate with the Saturdays when "Chique" has its =
milongas. They know Jose and Veronica.
Tabaris
Tristan Narvaja near Yaguaron
Jueves after 10PM
I didn't get to this place, but I have seen other references to it.
Mercado del Puerto
Don't miss this one!
Not a tango place, but a funky, historic old wrought-iron building at the port that oozes history and charm and is chuck full of inviting, =
inexpensive places to eat including an empenadaria that must serve at least 44 varieties.
Sergio Rodriguez Leites
One of my most pleasant experiences in Montevideo, one that lead to many more pleasant experiences, was my chance meeting with Sergio Rodriquez. =
We just happened to fall into conversation at the Mercado del Puerto. He is a tourist guide in Montevideo who speaks English very well and has a =
great knowledge of Montevideo and Uruguay and the history of the country. He is a very nice young man! He showed me some very special =
places in Montevideo that otherwise I would have missed. We spent a lot of time together and have become good friends. For people visiting =
Montevideo, I can strongly recommend Sergio as a guide. He can be reached at:
email:
cell: 99914328 From USA dial 011 598 99914328
From USA dial 011 598 99914328
In Uruguay people have ID's. Sergio is: ID # 1783546-4
Ted Nicholson
