Stories Alive! The Tango Singer Tour
Tango in the New Year
Zemii Tours is honored to present the second in many Stories Alive! Tours. The second tour is based off of the novel The Tango Singer by Tomás Eloy Martínez. Published in 2005, this mysterious novel winds you through the streets of Buenos Aires in pursuit of the elusive and legendary tango singer, Julio Martel.
The Story
Bruno Cadogan has flown from New York to Buenos Aires in search of the elusive and legendary Julio Martel, a tango singer whose voice has never been recorded yet is said to be so beautiful it is almost supernatural. Bruno is increasingly drawn to the mystery of Martel and his strange and evocative performances in a series of apparently arbitrary sites around the city. As Bruno tries to find Martel, he begins to untangle the story of the singer's life, and to believe that Martel's increasingly rare performances map a dark labyrinth of the city's past.
The Author
Tomás Eloy Martínez is a journalist, a professor, and an award-winning and bestselling novelist whose books include Santa Evita and The Perón Novel. Born in Argentina in 1934, he lived in exile in Venezuela during the military dictatorship. He has lived in the United States since 1982 and is currently a professor and director of the Latin American Program at Rutgers University. He was shortlisted for the 2005 International Man Booker Prize.
Why a tour?
The story isn’t about a real life tango singer, but is deemed after the likes of Carlos Gardel, a legendary tango singer who was, like many, an immigrant from childhood who made his way in the world by using the one talent he pursued the most. He even once told his mother, when she caught him singing in their home around 7 years old that he would be famous one day. At the time, he was singing on the streets and in neighbors homes. He did indeed become a legend, and is known across the entire Latin world as the greatest tango singer of all time. You can take a listen here if you are curious.
Buenos Aires is known as the home of the tango. The history behind the dance begins around 1880 in the streets of La Boca, a neighborhood of Buenos Aires frequented by sailors who were bringing their goods to the country from foreign lands. These dances were initially only seen in brothels, but as time went on, the entire nation took to it as a connection to their eternal souls. It is Argentina. You can’t explore Buenos Aires without being constantly reminded at how much the Tango is their lifeline, their blood. In times of strife, they tango into the wee hours of the morning to escape the difficulties of life. It brings people together and creates a community unknown anywhere else.
In order to have tango dancing, you must have tango music. There are many theaters across the city of Buenos Aires that are exclusive to tango performances. Most are for tourists, but if you want to learn about how the locals do it, you need to visit the famous cafes who sell drinks and pastries by day and turn into a milonga or tango dance hall by night. Some simply have performances of tango music in the setting of a classical concert. Astor Piazzola is world famous for his imprint on the tango music world, and there is a theater in Buenos Aires named after him and his notorious contribution to the artform .
One cannot simply just take some tango lessons and deeply understand how important the dance is to the people of Argentina. Those who grew up with it before it was a national tradition used it to demonstrate their complex skills that even the highest classes of the population were unable to perform. It was a status. It is connection. It is passion. It is to be Argentino.
The Tour
The tour covers a lot of tango. We begin your tour with a spa day to recover from your jet lag and to settle into the vibe of the city. This includes a visit to one of the famous confiterias known for their midnight milongas. Your hotel is in the heart of the city, where you can feel the heartbeat of the culture, see the widest street in the world, and explore all of the various tango shows and the glamorous La Libreria Ateneo Grand Splendid, a bookstore in a glorious theater. Amongst your numerous nightly tango shows, repleat with traditional Argentine dishes and wines, you will explore not only the dance, the music, and the excitement, but you will also experience other traditional dances such as the malambo. You will also enjoy dinner at the world famous Don Julio parilla (barbeque) restaurant and explore one of the many famous vineyards for wine tasting, gourmet dishes, and a break from the city. There are tours of the city, that include the San Telmo neighborhood known for its roots in Tango music and dance, along with antiques and unique stores almost as old as the city itself. It’s hard to give you just one example of the diversity of tango shows you will experience, but you can take a peak. We’re also sneaking some tango lessons in there so you can try your hand at this exquisite dance form.
Maybe you’ll find the elusive Julio Martel in your exploration of this glorious city.
