BsAs4u Review: Madero Tango

There are many things that characterize the city of Buenos Aires; delicious food and wine, talented football players, plazas filled with porteños drinking mate on a Sunday afternoon, and so the list goes on. However, undoubtedly Buenos Aires’s greatest cultural treasure is Tango, the beautiful dance which has evolved throughout the years and has adapted to each era in its own way. Many Tango houses in Buenos Aires have added a modern touch to their performances so that people visiting the city may continue to discover new aspects of the dance. Currently, one of the most popular modern Tango houses in Buenos Aires is Madero Tango.

Tango Show at Madero Tango

Dinner at Madero Tango

Situated on the docks of the beautiful barrio of Puerto Madero, the intimate dining hall in Madero Tango offers some spectacular views over the river, creating a rather romantic ambience. Upon arrival, we were greeted by one of the waiters, who accompanied us to our table and explained that we had the choice of red or white wine, plus a selection of soft drinks to enjoy while browsing the dinner menu. After deciding to go with the House Red and sparkling water, we began deciding what to eat, which was no easy task as there was so much choice!

The spectacular view from the Madero Tango dining hall

With everything ranging from typical dishes, such as Bife de Chorizo (Argentinian steak) to more international options, there is something for everyone here. You can choose starters such a traditional Pampean salad and a citrusy seafood dish and sample a variety of mains like Bife de Chorizo, stuffed chicken breast with bacon, herbs & cheese, and grilled Patagonian salmon with vegetables. For dessert, options include lemon mousse, Chalten tiramisu and dulce de leche cheesecake. The food was not only very tasty, but filling too, leaving us all more than satisfied and ready to enjoy the Tango performance that was to come.

Bife de Chorizo is a popular choice of dish at the Madero Tango dinner

The Madero Tango Show

After dinner comes the eclectic Madero Tango show, carried out on a colourful, quirky stage with the orchestra positioned slightly above and a projector at the rear. Before the show, we were presented with a short clip on the projector, which explains the history of Tango and puts the performance into context. Then, we were exposed to a mix of orchestrated and electronic music in a show that takes Tango to a whole new level; while some may argue that it’s not the most authentic Tango show in Buenos Aires, it is highly captivating, and is kept modern and international in order to reflect the modern location of Puerto Madero in which it’s set. The dancers and singers of the Madero Tango show are extremely talented, and the show itself is unconventionally beautiful with its unusual mix of Electronic Tango, Flamenco, Folk and Jazz. It captures the essence of the period when Tango originated, but gives it a modern twist, making it a highly entertaining performance overall.

The colourful, quirky stage on which the Tango dancers perform.

The Madero Tango show lasted for two hours, with a brief interval halfway through whereby birthday/anniversary/engagement announcements were made and members of the audience requested ‘shout-outs’ for their particular country. With people from Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, England, France and India present in the room, it became apparent that this was a popular choice of Tango show for the international community. After the interval, the show recommences with a duet performing a “popurrí internacional” which combines “New York, New York” (English), “Manhã de Carnaval” (Portuguese) and “A Mi Manera” (Spanish), further enhancing the fact that this is a Tango show aimed at Argentinian and international tourists alike. One of the moments that stood out most was when one of the dancers performed an aerial dance on fabric attached to the ceiling towards the end of the show, which received a tremendous applause from the audience.

The Tango show was truly captivating

Overall, Madero Tango is a great tango show for people of all nationalities looking to veer away from the romanticism of conventional tango shows and experience something a bit different and more modernised.

Visit our website to book Madero Tango or any other tango show in Buenos Aires.

This show was originally reviewed on June 13th 2012, but as certain changes have taken place since then, the review was updated on August 26th 2013.

Written by: Camilla Day

English Content Manager

For: BsAs4u

Comments

comments