best of | Wander Argentina

San Telmo ‘Tango for Instagram’

Plaza Dorrego, at the corner of Defensa and Humberto Primo, at the very heart of the San Telmo Fair, is the capital of tango as a commodity in Buenos Aires on Sundays.

There is often a tango performance here, but once you push past the crowds to see what’s going on, you may wonder what all the fuss is about. An older couple who dance tango here dance a typical salon-type tango and have certainly earned their stripes. They dance on a very tiny platform and display subtle moves that the young flashy dancer haven’t yet finessed.

If you really aren’t interested in tango but are obliged to get a picture to show your tango-crazed aunt, head to this intersection to get a quick snap.

All around San Telmo on Sundays you may stumble across ‘tango posses’ staging spontaneous milongas (dance gatherings) in any given public space. Often there is a group of dancers on the corner of Defensa Street and San Juan Avenue.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by WanderArgentina (@wanderargentina) on Feb 25, 2018 at 12:54pm PST

Every other day of the week besides Sunday during the day, there is usually a live performance in Plaza Dorrego by anyone of a number of professional duos who perform for tips.

The Milonga of Plaza Dorrego (La Milonga del Indio)

The best place to catch some tango dancers who can really get across the floor on Sundays in San Telmo is directly in Plaza Dorrego. After the antique vendors have closed up shop, the ‘Milonga of the Indian’ takes place in the plaza. Founded by Pedro Banavente, known around town as ‘El Indio,’ this outdoor dance in the plaza has existed for over 20 years.

Usually there is a performance followed by an open dance where you can join in, if so inclined. Tango is the main feature here and sometimes there is a bit of Chacarera, a northern Argentine folk dance that is fun to give a whirl.

Due to a conflict with surrounding businesses and neighbors, the Plaza Dorrego milonga has been shut down a few times in the last years, but the dancers have succeeded in getting at least moral backing from the city government. The outdoor dance was coined as one of the ‘City’s Best 20 Milongas’ by the city’s Culture Secretary. Organizers are now fighting to receive ‘cultural interest’ status that will further protect it from being shut down.

La Milonga del Indio

Plaza Dorrego
Humberto Primo and Defensa Streets
San Telmo

• Time: 6 p.m.-9 p.m.
• Cost: free

Tangodromo

Tangodromo is a milonga that used to be an option on Sundays in San Telmo, but is now in another traditional tango neighborhood, Boedo. Nevertheless, this is considered one of the most important milongas in the city and it is definitely authentic — you won’t bump into many tourists here. For more than a decade the same teachers, Julia y Emiliano have lead classes in this milonga. This is a good option for beginners and those with kids in tow. It is easy to get there from San Telmo, just hop on the E line of the subway to Boedo stop or take bus 126.

Tangodrómo
San Juan 3255 (2.43 mi)
Boedo 1233

011 4931-9667

• Time: Sundays at 7 p.m.-9 p.m.
• Cost: free

→ Check out our San Telmo Tango Tours & Shows

Clowns, Crazies and Personalities

Mimes, clowns, scantily-clad drag queens and people who want to be tipped for just being who they are — they come out of the woodwork in San Telmo on Sundays. Especially prevalent are the ‘tango personalities’ who regularly make the rounds and sometimes sign autographs — whether you want one of not.

‘Tango Dancer’ Maleva takes tango back to its early 19th-century roots, with her fishnet stockings and heavy make-up. She doesn’t really dance tango as much as she prances around in her own little tango fantasy. She hasn’t been around lately so she might have taken her show indoors.

Halfway down the block from the plaza on Defensa Street is the woman everyone calls the ‘crazy drum lady,’ and she doesn’t seem to care one bit.

It’s difficult not to feel endeared to an elderly woman who supplements her pension playing a makeshift drum set and cracking jokes on the street. It doesn’t matter if you’re the queen of England though– if you want a picture you better give her U.S.-grade cash money beforehand or else you’ll receive an obscene gesture. She’s old, cranky and living on a fixed income. She can do whatever the hell she wants!

Puppet Shows

Puppetry is an art that is taken to its highest level in Buenos Aires. Delighted crowds always stop to cackle at the antics of ‘The Drunken Puppet,’ who stumbles around a miniature street corner made out of a suitcase — and looks curiously like his puppeteer.