[Tango-L] "Hitting the ground running" in Buenos Aires

[Helaine Treitman]

Hello Tango-L friends!

I am writing to you from Buenos Aires to express my enthusiasm for a
wonderful woman who, once again, has made my integration into Buenos
Aires tango life smooth and so much more enriching than I could have
experienced on my own!  And I’m writing to tell you how impressed I am
with the haven she has created for tango lovers from around the world.

15 years ago I wrote a letter to the Tango-L describing my magical
first visit to Buenos Aires and thanking Maria Teresa Lopez for the
success of my experience.  Maria Teresa, a Porteña psychoanalyst and
milonguera, had just opened up her large, empty-nest apartment to
welcome tango lovers from abroad.  I was one of her first guests.
Maria Teresa had so helped me understand the “codigos” (codes) of the
milonga and introduced me to so many of her Porteño friends that I
“hit the ground running”, dancing almost non-stop from my very first
week.

That letter in 1998 about my experience at “La Casa de Maria Tango”
had such an impact on members of the Tango-L that her phone started
ringing off the hook, and she had to buy a fax machine to handle the
volume of inquiries.

I know that some of you reading this have already stayed at Maria
Teresa’s tango guest house, whether in the old apartment in Caballito
where I stayed twice, or in the historic 1890’s house [video tour:
http://youtu.be/FNnYais2i14] she carefully and lovingly restored 10
years ago in Balvanera. I know this because when I recently looked
through two of Maria Teresa’s numerous tango house photo albums, I
recognized many of my North American and European tango friends and
colleagues happily hugging Maria Teresa!  They too had gotten their
starts in Buenos Aires with her warm and loving guidance.  Some came
back year after year to stay at her tango house.

Now on my 2-month return visit to Buenos Aires after a hiatus of many
years, though I chose to live in a private apartment, I still reached
out to Maria Teresa to help me organize programs for my students.  But
instead of just serving as my consultant, as I had requested, Maria
Teresa “embraced” me into her life, not as a cherished client, but as
a close friend.  I am a welcome member in her circle of Porteña
friends at milongas, where there’s always a place for me at their
table. Often her delightful tango house guests join us.

Like 15 years ago, I experienced the same magical effect of sitting at
Maria Teresa’s table:  I bypassed the usual initiation period in BA
milongas, and felt immediately like I belonged.  Even at my first
milonga here last month, seated at Maria Teresa’s table, I danced
often and with very good milongueros.  Across the room from us was a
table with 5 women who had been guests at her tango house several
years earlier, and they waved to her.  Maria Teresa told me they were
all good dancers, but she observed that this evening they did not
dance at all.  She regretted that they had not reconnected with her
again, because had they done so, they too would have been dancing all
evening.

Maria Teresa’s greatest joy, next to dancing tango and her 9-year-old
granddaughter Alicia, is making visitors from abroad feel comfortable
in the authentic Porteño tango world and in BA.  She does this
naturally, effortlessly and with genuine love.  She will take you to
milongas that are right for your level.  If you’re an accomplished
dancer, she’ll simply invite you to sit at her table or nearby (men -
where the men and women are divided) and introduce you to her
milonguero and milonguera friends.  Some of them will naturally dance
with you, opening the door for other connections on the dance floor.

We meet several times a week for dinner or for coffee dates in her
favorite places.  I’m having an “insider experience” because of my
connection to Maria Teresa. Her tango house guests also enjoy the
privilege of Maria Teresa’s enchanting company and her extensive
knowledge of the city. In addition, they receive the help of her
professional and support staff to fulfill their needs and requests in
the City of Tango - from referrals to trusted doctors and dentists, to
buying tango shoes or a leather jacket, to organizing independent
excursions, to having privately designed and escorted tours to places
that tourists rarely discover, and so much more. Maria Teresa’s son
Federico and her sister Marta are present every day at the house to
help guests with day-to-day living needs and getting things done in
the city.  She even has an excellent tango teacher on staff who gives
modestly-priced lessons in the tango house dance room.

Of course, tango house guests also enjoy the camaraderie of their
international housemates - for meals at home, for milongas and
classes, for practicing in the tango room, for jaunts around the city
or out-of-town excursions. So if you come to Buenos Aires alone, you
can have as much autonomy as you desire, but you never have to feel
alone.


If you are looking for an authentic experience of Buenos Aires life,
including privileged entrée to the tango world, in carefully restored
lodgings full of history and character, I recommend the Tango House of
Maria Teresa Lopez, with Maria Teresa herself as your expert, loving,
and fun guide to milonga life and to living well in Buenos Aires.

[Click here for a video tour of Maria Teresa's tango house:
http://youtu.be/FNnYais2i14.]

If you prefer more pristine accommodations and the modern amenities of
a hotel, Maria Teresa can recommend a great hotel in this lively,
culturally rich neighborhood close to many milongas, and you can still
request her personalized guidance to life in the milongas and in
Buenos Aires.

You can contact Maria Teresa directly at mariatango at hotmail.com.

Let me know if you decide to go.  I’d love to hear about your
experiences in Buenos Aires in Maria Teresa’s tango world!

Abrazos to all,
Helaine
P.S.  I have no affiliation with Maria Teresa or with her tango guest
house.
- -
"9 Surprising Tango Tips for Men", free at http://permissionseduction.com
Visit Helaine's blog at http://helainetreitmantango.com