That’s what Buenos Aires is often called. There was a time when French was taught in schools. French architecture with impressive domes is prominent in the city. Many of the cabarets during the 1930s used French names. Porteños enjoy croissants with café for breakfast, only they call them media lunas. The influence of Parisian life is evident in many ways in Buenos Aires.
The same is true for Paris where tango was popular in the 1920s. Paris has its tango clubs Le Temps Du Tango and Le Bistro Latin for many years. The tango has left it’s mark on Parisian life.
The last time I visited Paris was 1989. I searched for a place to go dancing in the afternoon and found La Balajo, established in 1936. It’s where Edith Piaf won the hearts of Parisian music lovers. The club had a variety of music played by a deejay including tango. It was just like an afternoon milonga in Buenos Aires. There were more women than men so some danced alone or with another woman. La Balajo still has tango dances in the afternoon.
This magnificent structure, located at Tte. Gral. Juan D. Peron 2543 in the wholesale shopping district of El Once, was built in 1878. I went to dance there on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons in 1999 where Ruben Harymbat, Enrique Rosich, and Enrique Ferreira started Milonga de los Consagrados. Felix Picherna was the deejay in those days. I recall dancing there with so many wonderful dancers. The milonga lasted only a few months because of problems with management. The building was eventually closed for renovation in October 2000 and was returned to its original splendor. It was the last place where Juan D’Arienzo performed in the 1970s. Today it is known as Sabor a Tango, where a nightly dinner tango show is presented in the Palazzo Rossini (named after the Italian composer). Salon Italia Unita and Salon Agusteo (Sarmiento 1374) were two milongas during the 1950s for 35-50 year-old dancers according to milonguero Miguel Angel Balbi.
