The tango was born in Buenos Aires - not in Spain, as some mistakenly believe. In fact, things don’t get more Argentine. If you ask me, the tango is the key to understanding this country, its people and their culture. I remember the first time I came down here. I didn’t know a thing about the place. I was flying down from New York on vacation to visit some cousins who lived here at the time. And I remember racking my brains on the plane, looking for any association I could with this far-off place – in those pre-devaluation days, it wasn’t the destination city is has since become. It wasn’t off the beaten track, it was completely off the map! As I was saying, I was trying to recall what I knew about Argentina and all I could come up with after a lot of head-scratching was…the tango. And not because I had ever witnessed it, but because I had some vague recollection of hearing these two words pronounced in the same breath: Argentine & Tango.

That was almost 10 years ago. Since then, Argentina’s economy has undergone some radical changes (as a result of the economic collapse in December 2001), turning the country into a bargain for tourists, putting it on the map once and for all. But one thing has not changed. The tango was, still is, and will always be the beat to which the heart of Buenos Aires ticks. For this exotic, sensual dance is an intrinsic part of the culture, expressing the soul of this city and its inhabitants, known as Porteños (Buenos Aires is a port). Nothing captures its nostalgia for another era (the turn of the century which is when most of the Spanish and Italian immigrants that populate this city landed here) and another continent (Europe), like the tango. Nothing conveys the Argentines’ spirit, their charm, their love of seduction, their passion, like the tango – and nothing is going to make you want to watch, learn, and dance more. Here’s where to go.

1)    You want to watch:

There are dozens of tango shows on offer throughout the city at what are known as casas de tango. This is where you will see a staged version of the tango. Snobs might deprecatingly refer to this as tango for export, but don’t worry about them: you’re going to enjoy this spectacular, acrobatic version of the dance, whatever they say. You’ll be amazed by the combination of passion with precision on display here. With all the sparring of legs, you’ll wonder how more shins, groins and other body parts remain unscathed. As some friends whispered to me the other night during such a performance, “It must take a lot of trust.” Indeed.

You have two choices when you go to see one of these cena shows: you can have dinner, as the name implies, which is served before the start of the show. In this case, you are asked to arrive between 8:30 pm –9:00 pm. Or could can arrive in time for the show itself, at 10:00 -10:30pm, and just have a drink. Either way, you will be seated at a table, in café concert fashion.

As I mentioned, there are lots of shows to choose from. Here are a few of my favorites.

Café Tortoni is quite simply an institution. Even if you’re not particularly interested in the tango, it’s worth stopping here on a stroll down Avenida de Mayo for a cortadito (espresso coffee “cut” with milk), or a licuado (a fruit smoothie), a tostado (a grilled ham and cheese sandwich), a lomito (a filet of beef sandwich) or a flan completo: caramel flan topped with dulce de leche (caramelized milk) with a dollop of double cream. Enjoy a drink or a bite to eat while taking in the turn of the century atmosphere of this café. If you are interested in the tango, wander towards the back, behind the pool tables, and you will notice two mini theaters, where you can catch a tango show or a concert every night of the week. You might be lucky enough to catch the Cosos de al Lao, a tango quintet that often performs with a dance couple on Friday nights. Times and programs vary, so check ahead. Avenida de Mayo 929. Reservations: 4342 4328.

El Viejo Almacen is another institution. It’s probably the casa de tango that has been around the longest, and is located in the old, picturesque barrio of San Telmo. Picture cobblestone streets and quaint old houses that in many cases have been left to deteriorate but which are slowly receiving facelifts one by one. This is where you’ll come to hunt for antiques on a Sunday morning at the flea-market on the central square. “The Old Grocery” as it would be called in English, is housed in two small buildings. After dinner is served in one, you cross the street to its annex to watch the show. It’s a warm, intimate atmosphere and has a nice, authentic feel to it. The stage is just big enough for three couples. It’s less glitzy than the other shows on offer, but by the same token it feels more “real”. Avenida Independencia 300 - 4307 7388. Price: $200 pesos for dinner/show; $140 pesos for the show only.

Esquina Carlos Gardel, named after the legendary tango singer, born next door. The neighborhood is called Abasto, and this was the Covent Garden of Buenos Aires. The old market building opposite has been converted into a shopping mall. I like this production, because although it features a large cast of dancers, along with a big orchestra of musicians and singers, it manages nonetheless to strike a nice balance between “real” tango as it is danced in the salons or milongas, with the more spectacular, staged version that is bound to wow any audience. The space replicates a theater, with its decor reminiscent of the sophisticated elegance of the twenties. You have a choice between seating on the ground level, and a VIP balcony section upstairs. Pasaje Carlos Gardel 3200 – 4867-6363. Price: Ground level, $210 pesos for dinner/show; $140 for the show only. VIP balcony, $420 pesos for dinner/show, $280 pesos.

RojoTango at the Faena Hotel + Universe certainly lives up to its name. It is very red, very hot, and arguably the sexiest show on the block. The hotel is located in Puerto Madero, the fastest growing part of the city. It is housed in what used to be a warehouse close to the docks along the river. The hotel, which opened its doors a year ago or so, was designed by Philippe Starck, and it bears his wonderfully stylish trademark of excess. The Cabaret is relatively intimate, seating not more than 85. An original touch is that the audience is sandwiched between the stage in front and the 5-piece orchestra behind – ensuring a surround-sight-and-sound experience. A tip: try to get one of the red-leather booths if you can. I was really impressed by the quality of the performances of all four couples – and I’m hard to please. The show blends traditional tango with a contemporary twist. For example, one of the numbers contains some nudity. Not terribly tango but sexy none the less! Faena Hotel, Martha Salotti 445, Dique 2, Madero Este, Puerto Madero. Reservations: 5787 1536. www.rojotango.com

Please note that prices are in US dollars: US$150 per head for dinner/show, and $100 for the show only. For discounted rates contact Alejoy Travel Consultants: www.alejoy.com or contact alexis@alejoy.com or joyce@alejoy.com. They can also help you with other travel arrangements and needs in Argentina.

Of course, you don’t have to pay to see the tango. And in some ways, it is anathema. Here are three street corners on which you might catch a piece of the action for FREE – although considerable pressure will be put on you to donate something. I should know: I’ve passed a hat or two around in my time…

Calle Florida: It’s pretty certain that if you go by Galerias Pacifico, opposite the C& A (half a block from Cordoba avenue), you’ll hear the sound of a tango blaring from a loud-speaker, while a large crowd of onlookers stands in a circle staring at something. That something used to be me.

Beside the Recoleta cemetery where Evita is buried, on the pedestrian street outside the Village Recoleta cinema complex is another popular spot for street performers to show off their wears.

Plaza Dorrego/Calle Defensa in San Telmo on a Sunday: El Indio is probably the best known street performer in Buenos Aires. He certainly looks the part with his gorgeous native American features and his glistening mane, which he sometimes does up in a pony-tail. It is definitely worth taking a break from the flee-market for a few minutes to admire this man’s moves.

2)    You want to learn:

There are a gazillion places to take group tango lessons in Buenos Aires. Here are a couple of options but check for more complete listings online at www.abctango.com.ar and www.todotango.com.ar. Generally speaking, group classes cost around $10 pesos per person. Most tango teachers have a very limited grasp of the English language. However, you will soon realize that this is a moot point. Tango is a universal language so don’t sweat it.

Confiteria Ideal is one of those institutions, and really worth checking out even if you don’t want to take a tango lesson. The tea room is housed in a turn of the century building absolutely oozing with charm in spite of being in a severe state of disrepair. Let’s hope somebody repairs it before it comes crashing down. This is a great place to go for a lesson if you are a complete beginner. Classes are offered by different teachers on different afternoons of the week, starting at noon on Mondays and Wednesdays, at 5:30 pm Thursdays. Check listings for changes in schedule or call ahead and ask. Classes are followed by a milonga (a social dance) so stay and practice what you learned. Suipacha 384 (close to Corrientes avenue), tel: 4433-1310.

Generally speaking, you can go to any of the milongas listed below and take a lesson before the social dance starts. Usually the lessons start at 9:00 pm or sometimes a little earlier for beginners – check listings on the above mentioned websites, or call ahead. A good way to kill two birds with one stone is to go to a lesson and then stay on at the milonga to practice what you learned or simply to watch.

3)    You want to dance:

So you’ve taken your first lesson. Now you’re ready to practice the steps you learned in class. Or perhaps you don’t feel confident enough yet to dance on a packed dance floor but you’d like to get a peak at the way the tango is REALLY danced – at a club vs. a casa de tango. Personally, I think a great night out for visitors to Buenos Aires is to do BOTH. Start with a show and then move on to a milonga afterwards, since the clubs don’t get going until after midnight, with the peak hour being 2:00 am, meaning you can easily do both in one night.

Given that clubs operate on a circuit, options vary according to the day of the week:

Mondays and Fridays at Parakultural in Salon Canning: This is one of my favorite clubs. The dance floor feels small for such a large room but I just love the feeling of gliding across its buttery soft surface: I feel like Ginger Rogers every time! It’s also a great place to people watch: older milongueros (guys and gals who literally live at the milonga), professional dancers (chances are that the dancers you saw performing at the show earlier are now here, a testimony to the fact that they cannot get enough of this addictive dance), foreign dancers from the States, Japan and Europe who have flocked to the Mecca of tango. Some have come for a couple of weeks, others have taken a sabbatical from their jobs to become tango-bums for a couple of months or more. Watch out: you might be tempted to follow their example. Scalabrini Ortiz 1331. Tel:48326753.

Tuesday: Porteño y Bailarin is a cozier venue, appealing to a more traditional and formal crowd. Riobamba 345.Tel. 15 4044-5908 / 15 5153-8626.

Wednesday: La Nacional is well-attended. The room in the turn-of-the-century building is airy with lighting that is typical of the more traditional milongas: functional rather than atmospheric, designed to make it easier for men to signal to women across a crowded floor that they would like to dance with them, using the good ol’fashioned cabezeo or nod of the head. Adolfo Alcina 1465. Tel. 15-5661-2645.

Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays: La Viruta/La Estrella. This is a less traditional option for your Wednesday night, attracting advanced dancers, aspiring professionals and a younger crowd. On the weekends, the ambiance is more festive: this is the most popular venue and it gets absolutely packed. In between Tangos, you can dance Salsa, Rock n’ Roll and the Chacarera, Argentine’s favorite folk dance. Located in the basement of the Armenian Cultural Center, the architecture is reminiscent of that country’s communist past. But who cares about the décor? This is the place to see and be seen - the tango has never been so alive and kicking! Armenia 1366. Tel: 4774-6357.

Thursday: Niño Bien is similar to La Nacional in terms of the décor, housed in another turn-of-the-century building, this one belonging to La Region Leonesa. Although it is attended by a mix of young and old, professionals and amateurs alike, this milonga is on the formal side. Also, locals complain that it is over-run by tourists and that it gets so packed that it’s almost impossible to dance without injury. That having been said, it’s not a bad place to people watch, the bright light making it easy to do so. Humberto Primo 1462. Tel: 4496-3053 / 4413-1562.

Saturday: Club Gricel. This is one of the more traditional clubs. You won’t see as many young people here. And if you do, they’ll have made an effort to dress appropriately, in order not to offend the sensibilities of the older milongueros. The room is nice, with a big red velvet brocade curtain lending it a theatrical feel. The wooden floor is marvelous to dance on. La Rioja 1180. Tel. 4957-7157.

Summer Saturdays: La Calecita, which means “merry-go-round” in Spanish, is an enchanting open-air venue thanks in part to the Chinese lanterns that light it. Adding to the charm is the smell of choripan (hotdog) wafting through the air. Club I.M.O.S, in Nunes. Av. Comodoro de Rivadavia, parallel to Libertador 8000.

Sunday 7:00-11:00 pm: La Glorieta is also open-air, and probably my favorite place in Buenos Aires. It’s located in a turn of the century bandstand on top of a little mound in a park called “The Cliffs of Belgrano”, that was carved out by the Rio de la Plata a very long time ago. I can’t think of a better way to spend a Sunday afternoon than to bathe in the balmy evening light of the sun setting on the surrounding jacaranda trees, the native tree of Argentina. Barrancas de Belgrano park opposite Belgrano train station and bus terminal. Free, though contributions are encouraged.

Most milongas charge between $3.50 and $10 pesos at the door. Some, not all, include a beverage in the entrance fee (such as Niño Bien). Feel free to have a drink at the bar and watch, without any obligation to dance. Often, there is a break in the dancing at the peak hour (between 1:30 a.m. and 2:30 a.m.) when a couple is asked to give an exhibition. It is a treat when this happens, because you get to see the real thing close up danced by the best.

For more information on the tango scene in Buenos Aires, go to www.kissandtango.com. KISS & TANGO is currently available in hardback from bookstores across the USA and on amazon.com, and is coming out in paperback in July 2006. It is available in Buenos Aires at ZIVAL’S bookstore on the corner of Callao and Corrientes avenues and at CUSPIDE LIBROS at the Recoleta, Calle Florida and Galerias Pacifico locations.

Read more about the History of the Tango and watch a video of a tango performance.