Linas´s Tango guesthouse Buenos Aires

In Colombia there is a tradition of dancing salsa, mostly in Cali "the city of salsa". The dance there has a very different style than the salsa in Cuba, Puerto Rico or New York.

Colombian salsa is unique, has its own stamp and a gift: it is thought for the dancer and gives more importance from the waist down. Danced in the same place, respecting the separation of the couple, both seek to make the 8 beats times of the salsa, so to speak, as quickly as possible. Thus the folk dance.

Cali-people also play a lot with the instruments. They try to follow with their feet the rhythm of the bell, la Paila or the piano.

This style is recognized by its very rapid movements of legs and hip. These rapid leg movements are the reason why it is so difficult to learn this style. The quick foot movements are also used frequently to individual actions(solos), then the teachers of Cali salsa can hardly find a partner as good as them. This type of salsa is not very much danced in Europe.

In the world championships of Salsa- Exhibition there are mostly Colombian couples, but more importantly, the salsa for Cali-people is an injection of joy manifested through rhythmic movements and only expressed ... ¡Bailando!

If you're a beginner, starting to learn Argentine tango, you don't need any special shoes to dance tango. Proper tango dance shoes would be overkill at this stage. Right now, all you need is to be able to turn easily on the ball of your foot. There's a lot of pivoting in tango, especially for followers, and if your shoes stick to the floor you'll hurt your knees.

So the best thing, if you've got them, is shoes which have a leather sole, or a suede sole (called cromo in Argentina). Failing that, a hard plastic sole may do to begin with. In the long run women usually prefer heels, but to begin with just wear whatever kind of heel you're comfortable in.

When you've been dancing a little while and are sure you want to keep dancing tango, dance shoes are a worthwhile investment. Ordinary shoes just aren't built to take the punishment that tango shoes take.

You can get tango shoes in every material you can think of. Some are harder wearing than others, some are softer than others.

• Leather (cuero)
   It's hard-wearing and will last a long time, but it also softens well and stretches so that it molds itself to the shape of your foot.
• Suede (gamuza)
  Suede is the stretchiest of all tango shoe materials. For this reason, suede is a lot of people's favorite, because it becomes so comfy. It doesn't last as long as leather, and needs a little more looking after.
• Fabric (terciopelo is velvet)
  You can get tango shoes in plain silks and satins, velvets, or all kinds of patterned fabrics. They're more easily damaged or dirtied than leather shoes, of course, but they are very pretty.

There are lots of tango shoe stores in Buenos Aires. Finding the wright shor may be difficunt considering you have that many options. Plus you can always be said that your shoes are going to be ready for a certain day and they are actually done a week later. Don't believe in shoe makers deadlines. 

Thinking of all this common problems that argentinian know and can help preventing, BA:Dt (Buenos Aires Design Tour) has designed a specail Tango Tour for all those tango lovers who want to find a great Tango Shoe: comfortable, functional and .. gorgeous!

La práctica lenta y concentrada del Tai chi nos sirve para escuchar (sentir) mejor nuestro cuerpo y nuestra mente, y para descubrir cuándo estamos relajados o tensos para, de esta manera producir un cambio que nos permita una mejor conexión con el entorno.

Al relacionar el Tai chi con la práctica del Tango encontramos que esta mejor conexión con el entorno nos permite sentir al compañero de baile y conectarnos con la música, armonizando con el resto de la Milonga.

El Taoismo, filosofia sobre la que se funda el el Arte Marcial Tai  chi chuan, dice que debemos dejar fluir las energías y no bloquearlas peleando con el oponente, sino aprovechar la fueza de este para dominarlo sin violencia. De la misma manera en el Baile del Tango la conexión de la energía de la pareja debe fluir y no convertirse en un dominio de la fuerza de uno sobre la del otro.

"El Tango y el Tai chi conectan el cuerpo con nuestra vida interior mientras activan la sensibilidad para escuchar, seguir y dirigir"

Our tango teacher Walter Gonzalez is from the new generation of teachers from the Susana Miller school and "Gurí" comes from the Cacho Dante school.
Susana Miller with Cacho Dante took care to study and figure out a way to teach the tango that was danced on the dance floor (Milongas) for decades.
The tango is a feeling that is danced. That's why it is not choreographed, though it can have sequences, like all feelings. You can dance love, rage, happiness, pleasure, every mood. The tango is not a dance to demonstrate ability but rather an interpretation of feeling. It is not just moving your feet and posturing. The tango is Argentine, but it belongs to all those who understand its feelings and its codes.

Guys, to dance tango, you must listen to the heart of the woman.          Cacho Dante, November 1998. Milonguero de Buenos Aires.

We hope you enjoy this video of Walter, dancing with our guest and friend, Bettie.