Strangers in arms, united by their love of tango

The Argentine Tango Festival gives dance lovers a chance to practise their steps, writes ROSEMARY MACCABE

INSIDE THE Garda Club on Harrington Street in Dublin on Saturday night, you could be forgiven for thinking you were at a birthday party. Perhaps that gentleman over there is turning 50; or this woman here, it’s her 30th, surely. People greet one another like old friends or family reunited.

This is no birthday, although it is a party; this is a milonga and the culmination of the Dublin Argentine Tango Festival, now in its ninth year.

The festival includes workshops and afternoon performances, and this Saturday night is a chance for tango lovers, students and teachers alike, to practise their skills. As Ingrid Blake, who is here with a group she met through the dance, says, “it’s nice to use what you learn”.

Things don’t take off in earnest until 10pm, when Quinteta Tango Extremo, a tango orchestra from the Netherlands, take to the stage. Theirs is a contemporary type of Latin music; beneath the familiar tango rhythm are echoes of familiar tunes – is that Don’t Cry for Me, Argentina?

The first couple to dance wear jeans, and she is wearing trainers. Despite their casual appearance, the dance is bewitching. As they are joined by others, the dance floor begins to take on a theatrical appearance.

The colours of tango are, it seems, black and red, but this is not a rule; one woman wears a pink patterned dress with a long leg slit. Another is dressed in snakeskin – a blouse with matching leggings – while another is wearing a 1920s-style gold sequined sheath.

Everyone appears to know one another. Some people are relative strangers, but united by their love of tango: Carlo Pariset, for example, has travelled from Gloucestershire, and Henry Mathias from Edinburgh, but the two met previously at tango events, and greet one another like old friends.

Similarly, on the dance floor, people swap partners regularly and, in a throwback to the dance halls of yore, men and women can be heard asking one another to dance. The dancing couples, in turn, are relatively mismatched – young and old, short and tall; tango seems the most democratic of activities.

“It’s one of those things you can do at any age,” says Mary Browne, one of the first on the dance floor. “It’s so much fun and there are no limitations.”

See tangofever.net, tangoireland.com, dublintango.com

Meet the dancers . . .

Ingrid Blake, works in finance

What brings you here?

I used to dance salsa and swing. Then I tried tango and fell in love with it.

Who are you here with?

There are five or six of us here, people I’ve met through tango. It’s a really sociable group.

What do you like about tango?

It’s just about your body, and my job is so much about my head . . . it’s nice to switch off.

Alison Ní hAnracháin, works in management

What brings you here?

I’m passionate about tango – I’ve been doing it for three years now.

What do you like about tango?

I took it up for zen meditation – dance trance. I’m into yoga and meditation. I did karate for a long time, and still do yoga. Dance seemed the next natural progression.

Did you go to any of the other events in the festival?

I went to all of the workshops! You end up getting totally addicted, consuming as much as you can.

Who are you here with?

Lots of friends. It’s a great community – everyone knows one another.

There are several people here I’ve never met before, but they’ll be friends by the end of the night.

Catherine McDonnell, nurse

What brings you here?

A friend of mine, who loves tango, invited me along. I’ve done salsa before, but I didn’t keep the

classes up, so I’m kind of trying to get myself re-interested in tango!

What do you think of the night so far?

It’s fabulous, there’s a great atmosphere. It’s very sociable. People are so friendly, which is amazing, really.

Mike Carter, economist

Did you go to any of the other events in the festival?

I did a few workshops in the afternoon – I thought they were brilliant. There were really good teachers.

What is it that you like about tango?

I used to do ballroom, latin, salsa and jive . . . tango is the dance of the moment. It’s very popular and very accessible.

You could dance every night of the week in Dublin. I live in Bangor and there’s not so much tango there, that’s why I come down to Dublin.

What do you think of the evening so far?

It’s fantastic. Great venue, great music.

Carlo Pariset, engineer

What do you like about tango?

It’s fun. I like the music, I like the social aspect, and I like the fact that you can dance tango wherever you go. You meet people, you get to know them.

Do you go to many tango festivals?

I try to travel to festivals as much as I can – I’m living in Gloucestershire at the moment, so I came over for the festival.

What do you think of this evening?

I’ve just arrived, but it all seems good. But I have to dance, then I’ll know.

Henry Mathias,social worker

What is it about tango that you like?

I like the music, mostly, and it’s quite a challenging dance, but if you get it . . . occasionally I do a

good dance, and feel very good.

How long have you been dancing tango?

Off and on for about five years.

Did you go to any of the other events in the festival?

I went to a tango cafe in the Stag’s Head pub. It was a really nice venue.

What do you think of this evening?

It’s good – it was a bit slow to start but it’s getting going now.