Buenos Aires is an extremely dynamic and lively city where you can keep yourself entertained 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. For anyone who loves to dance, Buenos Aires is a great place to be. This city really knows how to throw a party and often dance classes are followed by a party where you can debut your new dance skills all night.
Before Argentina’s great waves of immigration from Europe in the late 1800s, the population in Buenos Aires consisted of 1 indigenous person for every 3 European settlers. This ratio made Buenos Aires a city with a mixed population with contrasting identities. The European settlers, and later, immigrants from mostly Spain and Italy repressed and rejected a Latin American identity and fought to reconstruct their home identities outside of Europe. It is thought that for this reason, traditionally Latin American rhythms are less popular in Buenos Aires.
With that being said, there is no lack of opportunities to dance in Buenos Aires. Argentines, expats, and visitors alike love to dance and get together in bars, clubs, and other public spaces for an undetermined amount of time (meaning all night) to enjoy the ample variety of genres and eclectic dancers in the city! In this post we will outline the varieties of genres popular in Buenos Aires and recommend a few places to go dancing!
TANGO
Tango is usually the first thing that comes to mind when one thinks of Buenos Aires, along with wine and beef. The history of tango is quite fascinating and more complex than most realize. Although tango had gone underground in recent history, the dance is more alive and accessible than ever, so much so that you can find a milonga (tango gathering) every night of the week. Milongas often last until the wee hours of the morning… like 6 a.m. Yes, you read that correctly. Whether you are a beginner, a tanguero, or somewhere in between, there is a milonga for you somewhere in Buenos Aires. Some of the most popular (and most advertised) places to take a class is La Viruta and La Catedral, both great places for beginners to take a class and later practice during the milonga that follows. In addition, Mente Argentina offers a tango program at one of the most renowned dancing schools in the world.
You can see a tango show at inumerable locations all over the city. Since tango has become a major tourist attracting, there are many street performers around main tourist attractions, particularly El Caminito in La Boca. Alternatively, you can go to see a tango show at El Viejo Almacén, one of the most famous spots in the city.
ROCK
Rock is an extremely important part of modern Argentine culture. With artists such as Spinetta, Charly Garcia and bands such as Soda Stereo and Sumo, Argentina started a movement of rock music, referred to as “Rock Nacional,” that dominates the Latin American rock scene.
Subsequently, dancing rock is also very popular in Buenos Aires. For classes, La Viruta is probably your best bet. Although it is common to see couples dancing at any rock concert, there are party scenes all over town that are just for rock and roll dancing. In addition, on Sunday afternoons, along the boardwalk of Costanera Sur you can find various groups dancing to rock and cumbia as a way of enjoying some fresh air. To get involved with the Rock and Roll dance community, check out their facebook page.
SWING
Believe it or not, the Buenos Aires swing scene is booming and is the largest in South America. With several parties that occur regularly and new and exciting events popping up all the time, it is a great swing city. Going to a swing party is like stepping into another era, with a live jazz band playing, suspenders, victory curls… the whole shabang. With a group of amazingly talented and dedicated teachers, you can find a swing class any day of the week.
See here for more information regarding the Buenos Aires Swing Scene.
CUMBIA
Cumbia is very popular in Argentina, most likely due to the large number of immigrants from countries like Perú and Bolivia. A genre of Argentine cumbia is known as cumbia villera, that was born in the areas of low socio-economic status surrounding the city and has since become popularized all over South America. Cumbia villera is often mixed with reggaetón, to give you an idea. If you go to a club where they are playing cumbia villera or reggaetón you won’t see much, if any, partner dancing but you will see a whole lot of booty shaking. This type of dancing is quite easily found as it is one of the most popular genres of music in boliches.
If you want dance traditional cumbia, you will have to look hard. To get started with classes you can check out this dance school that focuses on latin rhythms.
SALSA
Although salsa originates from Central and South American influences in New York, the dance has made its way all the way down to Argentina. Although the dance is not as popular as it is in other Latin American countries such as Cuba and Colombia, there is a general tendency towards dancing salsa. Two of the most popular places to go to dance salsa in the city are Azúcar (any day of the week in Palermo), and at El Toque Cimarrón (on Thursday’s in San Telmo).
Click here to see a full schedule of where to go to dance salsa any day of the week.
FOLKLORE DANCING
If you are feeling adventurous, try out some traditional Argentine folklore dances, of which there are several such as chacarera and chamamé. Many of the dances involve the women dressed in long, flowing dresses that they lift up slightly with a curtsy while a man moves around her spinning a cloth. It is quite lovely, really, and surprisingly present here in Buenos Aires. It is not uncommon to pass by bars late at night and see they have broken out into a chamamé dance party (obviously this doesn’t happen in all neighborhoods).
A good place to find classes are at peñas, or Argentine folklore parties. See here for the best peñas in the city.
If you would like to get started with a class, see here for a school dedicated solely to folklore dances. And, of course, if you would like to take a tango class, you can do so with Mente Argentina!
Happy Dancing!
Heather Houde
Updated by: Rachel Orga