The love of dance in Buenos Aires is off the hook. Given how popular tango is, I wasn't surprised. Milongas (dance halls/nightclubs) are numerous - there isn't a neighborhood without one. Or a dozen. Indeed, there was a milonga next door to my hotel, and at least three more within six blocks. What did surprise me, and this is just my naiveté, is that the milongas aren't just for tango. Sure, tango is integral to the mix, but when our group visited a Palermo milonga, the night's moving and shaking began with good old line dancing to tunes straight out of Nashville. Other styles followed - two-step, Lindy Hop, etc. The common denominator was that it was all basically ballroom dancing. There were lessons followed by periods of open dancing, and the dance floor was divided into sections (advanced dancers over here, beginners over there). Everyone was having fun, and everyone was dancing. You don't go to a milonga to be a wallflower, that's for sure.
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