Textu | The old way to do it
Tango and football are the two great powers of Argentina, just as samba and football are the essence of Brazil.
For me, due to the long-term "indisputable" and "annoying" of Chinese football, my original little interest in football has long disappeared, so that when I visit the two world football kingdoms in South America, I do not pay attention to their "national balls" and are indifferent, but I am interested in the respective national treasures of the two countries - tango and samba.
In Rio de Janeiro, the most beautiful city in Brazil--- samba became famous, I saw the passion of samba dance like fire, and its wild and uninhibited; In Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina--- the birthplace of tango, I again experienced the noble elegance of tango and its extravagance.
Two dances that are deeply rooted in folk are unforgettable and impressive.
Together, two world-famous cities have made outstanding contributions to the evolution and development of --- dance, one of the oldest art forms of mankind!
Just like tasting a traditional famous food to go to its "old- and long-established" restaurant, the ideal place to enjoy a tango performance of one of the world's famous dances should be in the beautiful city of Buenos Aires.
The original is simple and hard: Buenos Aires is the place where Carlos Gadel, the father of tango, grew up, became famous and was buried.
This alone is enough to prove the city's relationship with tango, and it also convinces me that the tango performance in Buenos Aires is undoubtedly the most "authentic" performance in South America--- at least I feel psychologically.
On our trip to Argentina, there was originally content to watch the tango show, and it was given away for free, which saved me $150--- if I had paid for it out of my own pocket.
This is a classic theater named after Carlos, which may not be the most luxurious performance venue in Buenos Aires, but it is the most traditional and flavorful tango show theater.
Before the show starts, let's take a look at the famous tango theater from the outside to the inside, which is a "warm-up" before watching the performance!
The neighborhood where the Carlos Theater is located is not only where Carlos Gader, the father of tango, lived, but also the place where his singing career shined. In the vicinity of the theater, there are museums named after Carlos and numerous coffee shops or bars, as well as tango schools, and so on, everything here is closely related to Carlos.
Sculptures such as conductors, accompanists, accordions, and Carlos murals on the walls create a strong tango atmosphere and make people feel that Carlos and his tango songs are everywhere.
The bronze statue of Carlos Gader in front of the theater vividly shows the confident, free and handsome image of the tango king.
Unfortunately, the music superstar who was born in France in 1890 and came to Argentina with his mother at the age of 2 died young, with only 45 short spring and autumn seasons.
It is said that when Carlos died of an air crash on June 24, 1935, many people around the world, from the nobles to the poor, were deeply saddened. A Cuban woman also committed suicide by jumping off a building for him. This shows the great influence of Carlos at that time and the extent to which people liked him.
To this day, Argentines still miss Carlos very much, because it is he who made tango from a humble birth to a noble art hall, and became popular all over the world, becoming a unique comprehensive art.
The foyer of the Carlos Tango Theater is extremely ordinary, almost the same as it was in the 20s. Every wall and pillar here has the breath left by Carlos and must be preserved in its original form, which is the best memorial to the father of tango.
Entering the door makes people shine, maybe this beautiful woman is a "tango queen". Because, for Argentines, tango, like football, has melted into their blood, in my opinion, everyone in this tango country is a tango master, not to mention the big beauty of the tango theater.
For me who likes beautiful women (beautiful women who don't), the opportunity must not be missed, haha!
This Argentine boy is also very handsome, but because of the same sex repulsion, it is not necessary to take a photo with them.
The theater is not large, with two floors, soft lighting, elegant decoration, and rich cultural atmosphere. Sitting here, hazy with a feeling of European high society aristocracy.
The theatre is full of luxury and grandeur
The two bronze statues in the theater illustrate the relationship between Carlos and tango
The rules of the theater are: you can't eat and drink while enjoying tango, but eat first and perform later. Feast your mouth first, then your eyes.
The food is entirely Western, simple and delicate: soup, beef, ice cream, mousse and cookies and, of course, red wine. However, that piece of beef is not small, and it is still half-cooked, which makes me a little "daunted".
I barely ate a third of it, thinking that if there was a bowl of Xi'an"oil noodles", it would be good! It seems that the "potential" of this nobleman cannot be pierced!
Gossip is pulled here, or watch the performance, explain in advance, because I sit far away from the stage, after the performance began and it is inconvenient to walk around at will, so the tango dance picture presented is not ideal, you can only make up to watch.
To the extent that I know about tango, I can only watch a hilarity, and I can see what "doorway" I can see.
However, there are also small gains: knowing that tango first originated from the secret dance between lovers, the original men had to wear short knives when dancing, and later, although they did not wear short knives, the dancers had to have a serious expression, and sometimes turned back suddenly, showing a look of wariness against being discovered. Therefore, the strong eye and physical contact between male and female dance partners is where the soul of tango lies.
That's the way it is! It is no wonder that the dancers are cold and grim, and do not smile, which is a great contrast with the performance of samba dance.
Here are two photos I downloaded from the internet, two pairs of dancers bringing out the essence of tango to the fullest. Thank you photographer.
It was the first time I had seen a musical accompaniment hanging in the center of the stage, and I couldn't tell you the mystery of it. Only "piano, hex accordion and violin" is known as the standard for tango bands.
It's a tango dance performed in the form of a stage play, with the performers smiling, I think, this may be a modified tango show. That's right: tango performances must also be diverse and rich, and they can't always be the two-person world of "two people dancing and four legs entangled".
Passionate and unrestrained with subtle elegance, passion with a slight cold sadness, grace and luxury in the civilian temperament, a perfect combination of European, American and non-cultural, this is the "tango" I feel.
(Finished in February 2018, revised in August 2022)