Argentina | The “taxi dancers”, transmitters of the first tangos

(Buenos Aires) Buenos Aires without dancing the tango? Unthinkable. But tango without an initiator? Unplayable. Make way for the “taxi-dancers”, private dancers hired by beginners, tourists especially, to avoid missteps, in a captivating and intimidating universe.

“Dancing tango in Buenos Aires can be very intimidating. Many people can’t do it,” admits David Tolosa, 37, who has been a “taxi dancer” for years, arm in arm with novice tangueros. And he is currently at his peak during the Tango World Cup (until August 27).

It’s that the tango, its steps, its balance, its guidance, has its technique, cannot be improvised. Under penalty of trampling or inconveniencing a partner, and finding oneself “planchar” (ironing) – planted all evening on one’s chair, due to refusals, or lack of invitations.

The atmosphere is “a little cruel,” David admits. “The dance floor is a showcase, you expose yourself. Around you, there are famous dancers, sitting at tables, watching to see if it’s fluid, if it’s jostling. You feel observed, there’s pressure to give the best of yourself.”

So the taxi dancers, most of them self-employed or through an agency, “rent” their accompaniment, half private lesson, half discovery of milongas (ball or local dance halls). For a few hours, an evening, for about 50 dollars an hour. Out of reach of so many Argentinians.

The subtle art of “cabeceo”

The “service”, the taste for detail, can go far: to the point of teaching the “cabeceo”, that discreet nod of the head with which one invites to dance – at a distance, from table to table. If one accepts, one will nod one’s head in turn. If one refuses, one will simply have to look away.

“Would you like the dancer to sit at a nearby table to practice the cabeceo with you?” asks the Tango Dancers Premium agency in a form to its clients.

The vast majority are foreigners, “mainly women, many Asian: Japanese, Chinese, but also French, British…”, explains David. “But more and more men are asking,” notes Anna Fiore, director of the TangoTaxidancers agency, a pioneer since 2007.

An evening with a taxi dancer is not worth the guarantee of being invited to dance right away. In milongas, a kind of natural selection often operates, the regulars dominate the dance floor, with a good dancing partner they have spotted. “Milongueros are conservative. If they don’t know you, you don’t dance!”, Anna sums up.

The difficulty does not deter novices. “This is my first milonga, I am under its spell!” enthuses Salvador Bolaños, a 37-year-old Mexican tourist, fascinated by “the melancholy, and at the same time the power of the tango, danced with so much passion.”

At Marabu, a popular milonga in central Buenos Aires, he tries to keep up with his taxi dancer for the evening, Laura Florencia Guardia, while scrutinizing the couples around him.

“In some people, I see steps that I think, ‘OK, I can do that tonight,'” he tells AFP confidently. “But in others, there are movements that denote decades of practice!”

With care, Salvador manages to keep a distance from Laura’s feet. “I’ve never had a customer step on my feet!” she laughs.

Not “Latin lovers”

Speaking of faux pas, beware of misconceptions about taxi dancers: “Enjoy the intimacy of tango, but don’t make mistakes, embarrass yourself, or embarrass our dancers with inappropriate advances. We are NOT a “Latin lovers” agency,” TangoTaxidancers warns on its website. “As a precaution: uncomfortable situations can arise,” Anna justifies.

“We are also not a modeling agency, and we do not assign dancers based on their physical appearance,” adds the agency, which does not publish photos of its 12 dancers. “With our experience, we will find the right dancer for you.”

Most taxi dancers are professional dancers, sometimes having studied other styles – folklore, modern, jazz – and who have spotted in tango “a professional vein, an economic opportunity”, explains one of them, Martin Gabriel Cardoso. But they often combine classes and shows. “It’s impossible to live from being a taxi dancer alone”, assures Anna.

But beyond the financial aspect, the thirst of beginners continues to enchant them, eager to “immerse themselves in the world of tango, the outfits, the orchestras, the whole tradition,” Laura rejoices. “At the very beginning, they are ashamed. And then, they dare.”