Tango in Small Cities

In Chengdu, China, teahouses line the streets and alleys, each one brimming with life. These aren’t just places to drink tea—they’re vibrant social hubs where people gather to spend time together: chat, read, play chess, enjoy local opera, and more. This leisurely tradition is deeply woven into the fabric of Chengdu people's daily life.

Similarly, in Buenos Aires, the milonga holds a special place in the hearts of its people. Just as teahouses are to Chengdu, milongas are to Buenos Aires. Scattered throughout the city, these venues are where Porteños meet friends, sip coffee, listen to music, and dance tango. Over time, many become skilled dancers, and tango become an essential part of their daily lives. For countless Porteños, a day without tango feels incomplete.

However, tango dancers in smaller cities aren’t as fortunate. With too few dancers to sustain regular milongas, they face unique challenges. I know this struggle firsthand—I used to drive to nearby cities for milongas. A three-hour milonga often meant five hours on the road. The sleepless nights, fatigue, and mounting costs eventually took their toll, forcing me to adjust to the reality of dancing locally.

Dancing locally may not match the excitement of big-city milongas, but it offers convenience, affordability, and sustainability. While occasional trips to larger cities can be rewarding, tango aficionados in smaller towns must embrace the importance of dancing close to home. In large cities, established tango communities provide structure and support, but in small towns, we have to create that structure ourselves. Building a tango community isn’t easy, but it’s essential. If we continue to rely on long-distance travel, the day will come when exhaustion or life circumstances prevent us from traveling, and we’ll have no choice but to give up tango. Wouldn’t it be better to channel that energy into building our own community, so we can enjoy tango just as those in larger cities do?

Dancers in small towns must adopt a strategic mindset. We can’t wait for others to create opportunities for us—we need to take initiative, plant seeds, and tend them until they grow. Building a tango community takes time, patience, and effort, but the investment is worth it. Don't be afraid of starting small and slow, as long as we stick to the cause, the start-up phase will pass. With time, we will grow stronger. Instead of looking elsewhere to dance, we should focus on improving our local group.

The importance of building a local tango group cannot be overstated. It’s not just where we hone our technique—it’s where we form the bonds that make tango truly special. Tango is a partnership, a shared experience. Without a team, there is no tango. While it’s tempting to seek out more established communities, why not invest in our own? As dancers, we must think not only about the present but also about the future. Let’s prioritize team-building alongside personal enjoyment and aim to contribute as much as we receive. I willingly provide a place for our group to dance as my contribution, but I hope others will also step up—not as a favor to me but as a way to strengthen our community. Don’t come just for the fun. Ask yourself: “What have I done for the group lately?” If everyone plays their part, our local tango community will flourish. And one day, tango will become an indispensable part of our daily lives as well (see Never Forget Why We Started.)