A dance hall in Buenos Aires guarantees tango sessions with professional partners

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BUENOS AIRES (AP) — At a dance hall in the heart of Buenos Aires, 14 men in elegant dark suits sat at separate tables while across the room, 14 women in dresses and high heels waited to be asked for a dance.

As the first notes of a popular tango began to hum, the male dancers signaled to the women and crossed the dance floor in search of partners. Moments later, the couples' legs traced the gracious movements of tango at an event that ensures every woman gets to dance.

The women book their sessions in advance with an organizer via WhatsApp, securing a dance and avoiding the interminable wait they’ve endured at other “milongas,” or dancing gatherings, where women outnumber men.

Among the dancers on a recent Wednesday was Antje Rickel, a 69-year-old French woman in a semi-transparent red blouse and with her hair coquettishly styled up. Her dancing partner was a young man about 5 inches shorter than her. But the difference in age and height was irrelevant to the couple, who felt in perfect communion as they glided across the dance floor to the rhythm of a tango.

“He has great control,” said Rickel of her young dancing companion, Jared Ramos, a professional tango dancer with the Che Che Tango Premium “milonga,” where people can book guaranteed two‑hour dances with professional partners known as “Taxi Dancers.”

Held on Wednesdays and Fridays, the program offers dance aficionados like Rickel the opportunity to practice tango steps, going from one dancer’s arm to another’s. A two-hour session goes for 55,000 pesos (about $37) for foreigners and about $30 for Argentine nationals and residents.

The dance events are organized by dancers Alejandro Justiniano and Sara Parnigoni, who present it on social media as “a tango space where you can be sure you’ll dance like you’ve always dreamed.”

Justiniano said that the male dancers are carefully chosen, with most being professional dancers or tango teachers who perform at different events. “We’ve looked for dancers with a lot of experience,” he said.

He came up with the idea after observing the “long faces” of many women who would spend evenings at dance events watching from the sidelines. Justiniano created what he calls a “mini milonga,” something a little more intimate so that “for two hours they can reach their full potential in their dancing.”

Ramos, a professional tango dancer, said women face several challenges at other “milongas.”

“There are 10 women for every man,” he said, which means many women are left out. Adding to the problem, he noted, is the fact that “not all of them dance well.”

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