Old pictures of Buenos Aires at the turn of the last century show hundreds of men, mostly Italian immigrants, in deep embraces on the streets, smiling as they tango with one another. It's not that the city was gay-friendly back then. Instead, tango was considered so obscene at the time that women never dared to dance it.
Still, with tango the symbol of modern Argentina, when the 2nd Annual International Gay Tango Festival held its event in Buenos Aires in early December, participants were both turning the dance on its head and going back to its same-sex roots.
The event, cosponsored by the gay male tango ensemble La Marshall and the lesbian group Tango Queer, was held in venues gay and straight throughout the city. Most attendees were locals, but New Yorkers were represented as well.
Axel Dremer, a Buenos Aires native who now lives in New York, found it both exhilarating and challenging to be at the festival, especially the night at Confiteria Ideal, one of the city's most traditional tango venues. Full of marble columns, stained glass, and bronze, along with the aura of tradition that regulates the male and the female gender roles in the dance, the location has been used in movies like the 1998 "Tango," and in the scenes where Madonna and Antonio Banderas tango and argue in the 1996 film "Evita."
"It made me very nervous to dance with another guy, because this is a traditional place," Dremer said. But as the night progressed, he became more comfortable. "I know many people here are not queer, but they are open-minded if they are watching it. But it's such a strong symbol here."
Sid Grant, a New York tango instructor who has been traveling to Buenos Aires since 1999, felt that "nothing replaces both studying and dancing in Buenos Aires. It's like soaking tango into your pores by osmosis." He came with his dance partner Shahin Medghalchi, a straight woman from Santa Fe.
The blending of gay, lesbian, and straight dancers goes to the heart of the increasing popularity of gay tango in Buenos Aires and the way in which it breaks the strict gender rules inherent in the dance. Straight dancers come to gay tango events in order to better understand the male lead and female following roles.
"The dancer is just another instrument in the dance, so you have to use your instrument," Grant noted, adding, "When you are in another person's arms, you have to pay attention regardless of the gender."
Other Americans came from San Francisco, including the straight female dance ensemble Tango Con*Fusion, who were performance guests of the festival. Ensemble member Christy Cote, at Ideal, commented that it was probably "the first time in a hundred years that women have ever danced here together." She said that some of the straight couples at the event appeared uncomfortable at first, but grew to like what they saw. Cote said that one older gentleman, after watching the six women dance together, told her, "You know, I have to tell you that was pretty good."
Not quite an entrenched tradition yet, the event is still finding its place in Buenos Aires. Mariana Docampo Falcon from Tango Queer worried about the smaller numbers of foreigners attending this year, perhaps due to the worldwide economic problems. "Last year, there were more tourists. Many people didn't come" from other countries who had planned to, she said. Still, she was happy with the overall event, and the way it was spread across the city.
Augusto Balizano of La Marshall felt that this year, even with fewer people, "the festival was more complete." If the economy does not improve in time for next year's festival, he said, "I don't have a clue how it will turn out." While the organizers did not have specific numbers on attendance, the observations of this reporter indicate it's likely no more than 300 different people in total were at the various events.
Regardless of the actual numbers, gay tango - along with other forms of increased gay visibility - is part of the changing landscape of gay rights in Buenos Aires, where civil unions have been recognized since 2003, a first for a Latin American city. Though there is no financial help from the city, the event receives recognition as culturally significant and can use a city logo on promotional material.
"Now Buenos Aires is very open," Docampo Falcon said. "The city sponsored us. People are open now. It is not like before."
With gay tango on the rise, it is not hard to imagine that one day those 100-year-old photos of dozens of men dancing on the street will become a reality once more in modern Argentina, but with a completely different meaning.
For more information on the International Queer Tango Festival of Buenos Aires, visit www.festivaltangoqueer.com.ar.
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