One of my favorite things about Buenos Aires is all the live music and dance. The Tango of course is EVERYWHERE and you can find somewhere to watch a free show almost every night. It is a beautiful dance especially when accompanied by a live band. Buenos Aires was of course the home of Tango vocalist Carlos Gardel, one of the most influential people in the history of the Tango. Café Tortoni is the one of the oldest and most historic bars in Buenos Aires. It was founded in 1858 and has been visited by hundreds of world leaders and celebrities over the years. In fact, when you first walk in there is a quote and a signed photo of Hilary Clinton! Café Tortoni is the perfect place to see a tango show and hear live music. Take a look:
My favorite show I have seen so far is La Bomba de Tiempo. It is a band of 17 musicians playing different percussion instruments. The amazing thing about it is that the entire two-hour long show is all improvised through a series of over 100 CRAZY hand and body signals from a conductor. Some local friends of mine have been going to the show almost twice a month for years and they still say it is something completely different every time. The music is a mix of many different types of beats: Central American, African, the Brazilian samba, and of course Argentina folk music. It is one of the coolest concerts I have ever been too! Check it out:
The most popular music played at night clubs is Reggaeton! It is a type of dance music that began in the Caribbean and is a mix of hip-hop, electronic, salsa, and Jamaican style music. The lyrics are of course always in Spanish and it always has the perfect beat to dance too.
As for what is played on the radio, Argentines love classic rock! AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, and Pink Floyd are almost constantly on the radio. Of course a lot of artists from the US are popular to, especially ‘dub-step’ artists like Skrillex and Dead Mouse. My new favorite song since coming to Buenos Aires is called “Ai Se Eu Te Pego” by Michel Teló from Brazil! Here’s a video with the lyrics (in Portuguese) if you want to listen to it!:
I’m heading to one of the SEVEN NATURAL WONDERS OF THE WORLD this weekend: Iguazú Falls (the longest wonder fall in the world) on the border of Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay….yes I will be standing in three different countries at once….I am beyond excited! Can’t wait to blog about it when I return!
Sara Smoter
Classmates Connecting Cultures
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Spring 2012
It’s the Seniors last day of school. Thanks for the blogs. It was all very interesting. Nice to know about Argentina.