Hello Tango-L friends! I am writing to you from Buenos Aires to express my enthusiasm for a wonderful woman who, once again, has made my integration into Buenos Aires tango life smooth and so much more enriching than I could have experienced on my own! And I’m writing to tell you how impressed I am with the haven she has created for tango lovers from around the world.
15 years ago I wrote a letter to the Tango-L describing my magical first visit to Buenos Aires and thanking Maria Teresa Lopez for the success of my experience. Maria Teresa, a Porteña psychoanalyst and milonguera, had just opened up her large, empty-nest apartment to welcome tango lovers from abroad. I was one of her first guests. Maria Teresa had so helped me understand the “codigos” (codes) of the milonga and introduced me to so many of her Porteño friends that I “hit the ground running”, dancing almost non-stop from my very first week. That letter in 1998 about my experience at “La Casa de Maria Tango” had such an impact on members of the Tango-L that her phone started ringing off the hook, and she had to buy a fax machine to handle the volume of inquiries. I know that some of you reading this have already stayed at Maria Teresa’s tango guest house, whether in the old apartment in Caballito where I stayed twice, or in the historic 1890’s house [video tour: http://youtu.be/FNnYais2i14] she carefully and lovingly restored 10 years ago in Balvanera. I know this because when I recently looked through two of Maria Teresa’s numerous tango house photo albums, I recognized many of my North American and European tango friends and colleagues happily hugging Maria Teresa! They too had gotten their starts in Buenos Aires with her warm and loving guidance. Some came back year after year to stay at her tango house. Now on my 2-month return visit to Buenos Aires after a hiatus of many years, though I chose to live in a private apartment, I still reached out to Maria Teresa to help me organize programs for my students. But instead of just serving as my consultant, as I had requested, Maria Teresa “embraced” me into her life, not as a cherished client, but as a close friend. I am a welcome member in her circle of Porteña friends at milongas, where there’s always a place for me at their table. Often her delightful tango house guests join us. Like 15 years ago, I experienced the same magical effect of sitting at Maria Teresa’s table: I bypassed the usual initiation period in BA milongas, and felt immediately like I belonged. Even at my first milonga here last month, seated at Maria Teresa’s table, I danced often and with very good milongueros. Across the room from us was a table with 5 women who had been guests at her tango house several years earlier, and they waved to her. Maria Teresa told me they were all good dancers, but she observed that this evening they did not dance at all. She regretted that they had not reconnected with her again, because had they done so, they too would have been dancing all evening. Maria Teresa’s greatest joy, next to dancing tango and her 9-year-old granddaughter Alicia, is making visitors from abroad feel comfortable in the authentic Porteño tango world and in BA. She does this naturally, effortlessly and with genuine love. She will take you to milongas that are right for your level. If you’re an accomplished dancer, she’ll simply invite you to sit at her table or nearby (men - where the men and women are divided) and introduce you to her milonguero and milonguera friends. Some of them will naturally dance with you, opening the door for other connections on the dance floor. We meet several times a week for dinner or for coffee dates in her favorite places. I’m having an “insider experience” because of my connection to Maria Teresa. Her tango house guests also enjoy the privilege of Maria Teresa’s enchanting company and her extensive knowledge of the city. In addition, they receive the help of her professional and support staff to fulfill their needs and requests in the City of Tango - from referrals to trusted doctors and dentists, to buying tango shoes or a leather jacket, to organizing independent excursions, to having privately designed and escorted tours to places that tourists rarely discover, and so much more. Maria Teresa’s son Federico and her sister Marta are present every day at the house to help guests with day-to-day living needs and getting things done in the city. She even has an excellent tango teacher on staff who gives modestly-priced lessons in the tango house dance room. Of course, tango house guests also enjoy the camaraderie of their international housemates - for meals at home, for milongas and classes, for practicing in the tango room, for jaunts around the city or out-of-town excursions. So if you come to Buenos Aires alone, you can have as much autonomy as you desire, but you never have to feel alone. If you are looking for an authentic experience of Buenos Aires life, including privileged entrée to the tango world, in carefully restored lodgings full of history and character, I recommend the Tango House of Maria Teresa Lopez, with Maria Teresa herself as your expert, loving, and fun guide to milonga life and to living well in Buenos Aires. [Click here for a video tour of Maria Teresa's tango house: http://youtu.be/FNnYais2i14.] If you prefer more pristine accommodations and the modern amenities of a hotel, Maria Teresa can recommend a great hotel in this lively, culturally rich neighborhood close to many milongas, and you can still request her personalized guidance to life in the milongas and in Buenos Aires. You can contact Maria Teresa directly at mariata...@hotmail.com. Let me know if you decide to go. I’d love to hear about your experiences in Buenos Aires in Maria Teresa’s tango world! Abrazos to all, Helaine P.S. I have no affiliation with Maria Teresa or with her tango guest house. - - "9 Surprising Tango Tips for Men", free at http://permissionseduction.com Visit Helaine's blog at http://helainetreitmantango.com _______________________________________________ Tango-L mailing list Tango-L@mit.edu http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/tango-l