Tango for Export

The corner of Defensa and Humberto Primo, at the very heart of the San Telmo Fair, is the capital of tango as a commodity 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. Although the older couple dancing a typical salon-type tango have certainly earned their stripes, they dance on a very tiny platform and do it for the camera. 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 your snaps.

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.

La Milonga del Indio/ The Milonga of Plaza Dorrego

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

To hit a milonga further off the beaten track on a Sunday in San Telmo, head to Tangodromo at the nearby Culture Center of Plaza Defensa. 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. This is a good option for beginners and those with kids in tow.

Tangodrómo
Centro Cultural Plaza Defensa
Defensa 535
San Telmo/Monserrat
Tel: 4342-6610

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

Check out our San Telmo Tango Tours & Shows →

Buenos Aires’ Living Statues

Elaborately costumed human mannequins are ubiquitous around San Telmo when the weekly San Telmo Street Fair takes place. Among the favorites are both of the genteel Carlos Gardels — one works on Humberto Primo and the other works along Defensa.

You also may see the ‘windswept office workers,’ who can also sometimes be seen on Florida Street as well as one of the ‘mirror men.’

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.