The Tango . . . and  the Carlos Gardel Tango Show

Tango is a dance that has influences from European and African culture. The dance originated in lower-class districts of Buenos Aires and Montevideo, the music derived from the fusion of various forms of music from Europe. The word “tango” seems to have first been used in connection with the dance in the 1890s. Initially it was just one of the many dances, but it soon became popular throughout society, as theatres and street barrel organs spread it from the suburbs to the working-class slums, which were packed with hundreds of thousands of European immigrants, primarily Italians, Spanish and French.

On one of our last evenings in Buenos Aires, we went to the Carlos Gardel Tango Show, located in the Abasto neighborhood (shown as “Once” on the map shown earlier), not far from our hotel in Recoleta. We enjoyed a second level VIP balcony table not far from the stage; the well-prepared dinner and never-ending glasses of Argentinian wine was all included as part of the evening’s unique experience.