Submitted by Summer Tyler on the 2018 fall semester program in Buenos Aires, Argentina…
Tango originated in the working class neighborhoods in Buenos Aires, Argentina and Montevideo, Uruguay in the late 19th century. It has grown to be a very big and important part of the culture in Argentina. When I looked at the class list for the university, I was super excited to see a tango class offered! I was so excited because I took a latin dance class while I studied abroad in Madrid and loved getting to know the culture in another way and I couldn’t wait to learn this new style of dance!
I had my first tango lesson on Tuesday to learn some of the basic steps. Then, on Thursday, we had the opportunity to visit a restaurant where they offered dance lessons of all sorts throughout the day and night. We got to participate in the salsa, tango and milonga classes. Milonga is a style of dance similar to tango, but it is slightly faster and more difficult. We took the beginner classes and had the opportunity to dance with other people from Argentina who were also learning tango at a beginner level. I can’t wait to continue to learn more about this beautiful culture through this beautiful style of dance!