Evita and tango

MANILA, Philippines - After more than a day’s trip hopping from one plane to another, with various national carriers flying across land masses and vast oceans – this was before the days of non-stop flights – we finally arrived in the promising warmth of Buenos Aires.

I was part of a Filipino tour group and it was the beginning of an adventure across the beautifully rich and sensuous continent of South America, with its history and tradition, culture and arts, sights and cuisine, and an immersion into the daily lives of the people.

Bienvenidos! barked a hulk of man in the tour van, which immediately stopped the excited chattering of the group, giddy with the thought that we had arrived in the Argentine capital, our first destination. His voice was deep and powerful, and he was an exceptional example of the gauchos of the region. Tall, attractive and ruggedly charming, the women of our group swooned at his presence while the men were silenced by his size and stature. 

When he asked what was on the top of our list, in a resounding chorus we replied that we wanted to see Eva Peron’s final resting place. We found the historical lady fascinating, with her life of drama and opulence, now made immortal by the movie and the stage plays of Evita around the world. The look of bewilderment was apparent on the handsome Latino’s face, but he, accommodating that he was, nonetheless brought us to her memorial. After a brief chat with the driver, we headed to the site, even before checking into our hotel.

Navigating through the city’s Recoletos area, we spied Familia Duarte, Eva’s maiden name, on the dark stone portal of the family mausoleum, with the intricate wrought iron door forming the barrier between their mortal remains and onlookers. On its sides were bronze plaques with the delicately rendered figures, names and memorial statements of Eva and her relatives sculpted in bas relief.

After that rather macabre beginning of our tour, we dove into the life and vibrancy of what the city and its people had to offer.

In the gorgeous simplicity of how they walked along their streets, there was something gloriously tantalizing about the Argentinians. We ourselves were a diverse company of tourists, travelers, vacationers and shoppers who found beauty to suit our tastes everywhere, from the architecture and public grounds, the museums and churches, to the jewelry shops and the boutiques, to the restaurants and cafés.

One of most memorable buildings we visited was Casa Rosada, a pink structure which serves as the executive mansion of the country’s head of state, and whose balcony was duplicated in a movie set where Madonna sang Evita’s Don’t Cry For Me Argentina.

At night, we had a wonderful variety of dinner venues, where we had our picking of prime steak, deeply-flavored wines, various skewered meats – churrascarias – and fragrant herb salsas and Italian-influenced proveleta, the locale’s heady yet delicious version of grilled cheese.

But wherever we went for our evening meals, be it in the hotels, the local restaurantes or the bars that vibrated with the sultry music of Latin America, there was always a common denominator: Tango.

From the sensual fruition of diverse cultural origins, from the intense music of Argentina and Uruguay to the wild rhythms of Africa, tango is now one of the most relevant and beautiful art forms known across the globe, so much so that it has been deemed worthy to become part of the UNESCO Intangible World Heritage Lists.

The dance shows a captivating dominance of any space, from grandiose five-star ballrooms, to café gardens, to the spillover of bar-goers into the streets, the bodies of the pairs glistening with sweat under the moon, the soft light of incandescent bulbs or a roaring fire that reflected the passion and power of each performer.

I am glad to know that I will witness once again tango in its entire provocative splendor in the Philippines, from virtuosos of the craft. This summer, Manila will open its doors to Tangoblitz 2015, a world-class dance extravaganza featuring ten of Argentina’s leading tango masters. This will be the first of its kind in the country.

The primary organizer behind Tangoblitz 2015 is Ogie Mendoza, a perennial lover of tango who, over the last 20 years, has been a dancer and instructor, and was the pioneering non-Argentine tango teacher in Southeast Asia.

He wishes to share his love of tango, an integral part of his life, with the Filipino people. And as a dance advocate, I can see how well his beloved passion can fit into our lives. After all, we too are a spirited people of dance, and an undeniable force of sensual performers.

Catch Tangoblitz 2015 on Saturday, May 2, at the Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino, Cultural Center of the Philippines. Workshops and private coaching by the masters are scheduled on April 27 to May 3. For details, visit www.manilatangofestival.wordpress.com  or www.tangoblitz.com . For tickets, call TicketWorld at 891-9999 or Estudio Amapola at 895-4576.