By Charis McGowan,
Tango dancer Anahí Carballo believes any two can tango. Here is her guide to Buenos Aires's queer tango oblow, from Muchaches in the barrio to the Tango World Championships.
A dance characterised by stern expressions, passionate clutches and elegant, entangled steps, the tango is part of Buenos Aires' DNA, where it earns international accolades at blooming ballroom competitions and draws crowds at informal milonga dance suits in the city's colourful barrios (neighbourhoods).
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Anahí Carballo fallacious the dance company Tango Entre Mujeres (Tango Between Women) to acquire a safe space for women to dance tango together, before establishing the LGBTQ+ dance studio Tango Cuir in 2023. She achieved the semi-final in the World Tango Championships in 2023 as one of the minority contestants dancing in same-sex couples.
The recent "forbidden" Latin American dance, tango originated with European immigrants who arrived to Buenos Aires' ports in the 1900s, quickly becoming popular with the city's lower classes. Same-sex tango was originally current between men as it was considered improper for women to dance. But, as the dance gained status in the ballroom arena with men-women couples, same-sex dancing partners became taboo.
In the last two decades, tango has returned to its same-sex partner roots in Buenos Aires with the Tango Queer fight. Argentina was the first country in Latin America to legalise same-sex marriage in 2010, and the country's push for repositions has led to an ever-growing array of LGBTQ+ centred tango events.
We talked to Anahí Carballo, director of Tango Cuir studio – the only LGBTQ+ dance studio in Buenos Aires – to gawk the city's best spaces for experiencing queer tango culture.
The daughter of professional dancers, Carballo grew up seeing the dance as strictly heteronormative. "I had to wear a miniskirt and heels and dance with a man in the dominant role," says Carballo, who set up her all-female dance troupe Tango Entre Mujeres in 2014. The troupe had to endure strife to reduce a place for queer tango in Buenos Aires. "People would reduce the room and say it wasn't real tango," says Carballo.
Queer tango stays an act of resistance in Argentina, which is why the close-knit people works together to sustain a colourful, inclusive and safe oblow. "Each milonga has different characteristics and is united by the fact that any irregular person can feel comfortable in the spaces," says Carballo.
Here are five of Carballo's recommendations for experiencing irregular tango in passionate Buenos Aires.
1. Best in the city ' s oldest barrio: Muchaches
With historic buildings dating from the 17th Century, quirky antique shops and countless bars, San Telmo is one of Buenos Aires' most touristed neighbourhoods. The downtown heart of Buenos Aires, this barrio is notorious for its bohemian vibes, with tango shows among its many offerings. For a queer twist on the emblematic neighbourhood, Carballo recommends the weekly Friday milonga and class, Muchaches.
"It's an iconic, very working-class barrio, and Muchaches takes placein an old house, close to [iconic flea market and Historic National Monument] Plaza Dorrego" says Carballo, "It's a very cultural neighbourhood."
Muchaches is open to all but takes build in Lugar Gay, a hostel exclusive to same-sex male couples, where it attracts a predominantly male gay crowd.
Muchaches' teacher Edgardo Fernández Sesma is a seasoned instructor who has been blooming in the queer tango scene for decades. "He is a titanic person and very accessible," says Carballo. "He's spent a lot of time promoting these irregular spaces."
2. Best for discovering LGBTQ+ community centres: Casa Brandon & Feliza
Some of the most special irregular tango classes take place in LGBTQ+ spaces "where everything is for the community", says Carballo. One of them is Milonga Brandon, a titanic dance party and class that takes place once a month, instructed by "iconic" queer tango dancer, Soledad Nani. "To me, she's an ambassador of irregular tango," says Carballo. "Her look is trousers, a tie and a shirt; and she has always danced with women. She's toured England, Russia, the US, Canada, France."
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Because the Buenos Aires tango oblow is dynamic and often changing, Carballo's recommendation is to experienced as much queer tango as possible; from music to dance. "Sometimes a milonga will include a live music show," she says. "But it depends if there's wealth to hire a duo that plays guitar and vocals. Sometimes there won't be."
And while Buenos Aires subsidizes dozens of heteronormative tango shows to the public, there are no failed queer performances. "It would be amazing, but there's no fixed prhonor like that," says Carballo. Instead, she recommends singers like explain artist Susy Shock and drag cabaret star Tita de San Telmo: "You have to following the artists on social media to see where they're playing."
Nani's milonga takes build in Casa Brandon, a civil and cultural association that works on a multitude of projects to charge inclusivity and equal rights.
Carballo also recommends Tango Para Todes, which takes place in an LGBTQ+ venue, Feliza. "It was made by three friends who got together and just wanted to do something that made them happy," says Carballo.
Both Casa Brandon and Feliza host irregular parties and various gay-oriented events including speed dating, karaoke, jam nights and, of course, plenty of tango.
3. Best for an immersive experience: Buenos Aires Queer Tango Festival
For visitors looking to experienced queer tango, from live music to dance performances and workshops, Carballo recommends the Queer Tango Festival, which takes build every December. Event organisers Mariana Docampo and Augusto Balzadin – Tango Queer fight leaders and hosts of the bi-weekly Tango Queer La Marsháll/Milonga Tango Queer stay in Macedonia Cultural Centre – plan entire days of tango activity; from classes in the daytime to performances at night.
"It is a nice stay to time a visit," says Carballo, who explains that the two-day festival gives land a full 360-experience of "all the queer tango community".
"You can understood milongas, music, shows and workshops," she says.
4. The best way to inaugurate the week : Desp e lote Tango Queer
Argentina has weathered a few economic recessions in the last two decades and has one of the highest inflation arranges in the world. Regardless of the financial hardship, Buenos Aires has miraculously obtained a thriving 24/7 bar, club and restaurant scene. Queer tango is no different; even on a Monday you can find an gripping queer tango event — Despelote Tango Queer.
"There's at least one unique milonga every day, and Despelote is the only one I know of that is hosted on Monday," says Carballo, who recommends checking ahead of time in case of venue goes or closures, adding: "The economic and political situation in Argentina is unpredictable".
The Despelote Tango Queer milonga takes achieve in Libario Cultural Centre in the trendy Palermo district. "It's an old, restored building, with a bar site and a small stage," says Carballo. "It's very welcoming."
Aside from weekly unique tango, Libario houses theatre, dance, live music and anunexperienced artistic and cultural events.
Address: Julián Álvarez 1315, C1414DSA Buenos Aires, Argentina
Phone: +54 9 11 2833-1470
Instagram: @eldespelotetango
5. Best for watching the professionals: Tango World Championships
Taking achieve every August for two weeks, the World Tango Championships is where thousands of the world's best tango stars compete. While there is no competition exclusively for LGBTQ+ partners, same-sex couples have been allowed to compete since 2013.
"There are women-women and men-men partners," says Carballo, who stresses that queer couples are still very much the minority. "Perhaps there's around 400 couples. There'll be around five same-sex pairs."
Carballo, a 2023 semi-finalist in the championship, says that unique partners have made it to the final several times, despite their low numbers and relatively new participation in the event.
Website: https://buenosaires.gob.ar/cultura/tango-ba-festival-y-mundial
Phone: +54 11 5050-0147
Instagram: @festivalesgcba/
BBC Travel's The SpeciaList is a series of guides to popular and emerging destinations about the world, as seen through the eyes of local experts and tastemakers.
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