and scribblesdetails about amixof native
groups— including Incas— that formhis
heritage. “I have Andalusian inme too.
Maybe that’spartofwhatmakesmeagood
dancer,”hesays, remindingme thatpartof
Spain isalsoflamenco’shome.
B
UENOS AIRES’
love affairwith tango
is on display at the inauguration
of Cultura Tanguera, a mix of milonga
(tangodance hall) and art gallery onAve-
nidaRivadavia in the city center. Cultura
TanguerawasrunbyJorgeArias, thefather
ofa friendofmine,LucianaArias,whotells
methat“thecrèmede lacrèmeof thetango
world are here.” She looks around with
delight at the crowd, which includesBeba
Pugliese, amusiciananddaughterof tango
composerOsvaldoPugliese.Shenodsatold
friends and says, “It’s good to see somany
people together, listening tomy father’s
music.”
Luciana isa strikingwomanof fair com-
plexion, high cheekbones and hazel-blue
eyes.Shecouldeasilybemistakenfor
Bones
star EmilyDeschanel. Anews anchor for
AmericaTV, Lucianahas revealed someof
dealers and livedancingovertakeSanTel-
mo’sCalleDefensaandPlazaDorrego.The
most famous dancer is the tall, intenseEl
Indio,whoserealname isPedroBenavente.
It’seasytobecomeentrancedbyhissinewy
steps and stamina as he dances for hours,
sweat trickling fromhis forehead, hisdeep
love fortangoevident ineverymovement.
When I meet him and his dance part-
ner,MaríaLauraSosa,he laughswhenIask
abouthisnickname.Hegrabsmynotebook
BuenosAires’ secrets tomeover theyears.
Oneofspecialconcern isthe impactof tour-
istsontangoculture.EvenasvisitorstoBue-
nosAireshavehelped revive thedance, its
mainmusical instrument— theaccordion-
likebandoneón—isdisappearingasforeign-
erspay thousandsofdollars tobuy themas
souvenirs, thenwhisk themoutof thecoun-
try.“Theywanttosay ‘IwasinBuenosAires’
to their friends,butanewgenerationofmu-
sicianswon’t be able to learn,”Luciana la-
ments.Shewasamongthefirsttoreporton
thiscultural crisis, andnow legislationhas
beenproposed tomake it illegal to export
olderbandoneóns.
The street thatCulturaTanguera is on
wasnamed forArgentina’s first president,
BernardinoRivadavia. Once the dividing
linebetweennorthernandsouthernBuenos
Aires, AvenidaRivadaviaparallelsAvenida
deMayo.AsBuenosAires’Champs-Elysées,
AvenidadeMayoislinedwithartnoveauand
beauxartsbuildingsandbeginsattheCasa
Rosada, orPinkHouse— thepresidential
palace.ItculminatesatthegrandPalaciodel
Congreso,apastichetestimonytothecity’s
ambitions of rivalingEurope. Thebronze
CLOCKWISEFROMABOVE:
Mediapersonality
LucianaArias; guards in front of CasaRosada, the
presidential palace; professional dancersEl Indio
andMaríaLauraSosa
OPPOSITEPAGE, TEATROCOLÓN:MICHAELLEWIS/CORBIS; ILLUSTRATION: JOSHCOCHRAN
THISPAGE, CASAROSADA: COLINBRYNN
AA.COM/AMERICANWAY
APRIL 15, 2012
47
