Learning Tango in Ushuaia

When in Argentina...find a tango class if you can

After I’d been in Ushuaia several weeks, I started looking for more fun things to do in the evenings. I had plenty of reading to do for research for my novel, but I figured I could do that after I returned to the US. I wanted to take advantage of the time I was in Ushuaia to meet more people and see more of the city.

In the coffee shop where I frequently worked remotely, a poster for tango classes caught my eye.

Ever since I first went swing dancing with friends in college, I’ve enjoyed dabbling in social dance. Jaunty, easy-going square dances; the coordinated bounce and sway of swing; the braiding patterns of folk dances; the gliding stiffness of a waltz; the sashay of salsa or back-and-forth of merengue—don’t imagine me being adept, but I have fun trying. There’s something enchanting about a roomful of people moving in rhythm, each with their own steps.

Tango, however, has always been a level beyond me. The looser frame and room for improvisation in the steps—in which gestures of passion are invited—provide fewer guardrails for a beginning dancer like me. I think of it as quintessentially Argentinian, and few things make me feel more stolidly white Protestant American.

As an out-of-town visitor in a roomful of strangers, I knew the stakes would be low for learning. This was probably the best chance I’d ever have. Worst case scenario, it would make a good story.

After all, what better activity to do in Argentina than learn tango?

The poster that first caught my eye in the coffee shop I frequented.