05102016Tue
Last updateFri, 06 May 2016 1pm

Tango fans party in Chapala

It takes two to tango, and a crowd of dancers to put on a milonga, the widely popular social gatherings put together by fans of the sultry Argentine genre.  

The front terrace of Chapala’s Villa San Francisco hotel made a perfect setting for lakeside’s first milonga, held on Saturday, April 23.  It was an occasion for dancers from Guadalajara and local tango buffs to mix it up in a relaxed party atmosphere while pairing off for cheek-to-cheek smooth moving across the tile floor. 

The milonga usually conforms to a format of dance sets consisting of three to five songs played in a row (referred to as a tanda), followed by a short musical break (the cortina) to clear the dance floor and facilitate partner changes.

The Chapala event was sponsored by La Vagoneta Tanguera, a Guadalajara group that promotes the genre and organizes milonga gatherings in the city about once a month. This was the first one held at lakeside. 

A special attraction of the night was the magnificent demonstration of salon-style tango performed by dancing stars Miriam Gutierrez and Froyamel Corro. As Mexico’s top ranked tango pair, the young couple made it into the best 40 in semi-finals at last year’s World Tango Championship in Buenos Aires.  They currently reside in Puerto Vallarta where they dedicate their talents to giving tango lessons and performing public shows.  

Six months ago La Vagoneta head honcho Joel de la O started up tango group workshops held in Chapala every Saturday afternoon at the Jazz Dance Studio, Calle 5 de Mayo 260. Private instruction is also offered by appointment. For further information contact local member Carole Stern at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and follow La Vagoneta Tanguera  on Facebook.

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