Buenos Aires Tango Show | Luxury Argentina

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+44 207 384 2332 Plan Your Trip

+44 207 384 2332 Plan your trip

Tango shows have long been a staple of tourism in Buenos Aires. Big, bold, spectacular, risque, we’ve seen many variations come and go over the years. But is there a new, better way? Our Head of Product, Jonathan, went to find out.

Back in the early 2000s, when Argentine tourism really started to boom, it was only natural that Tango would be a central part of the experience. It is, after all, a way of life for so many Argentines and the talent on show puts watching Strictly on a Saturday night to shame.

Take a walk through La Boca or San Telmo, and you are bound to see many street performers showing off their flicks and tricks, but for an immersive experience, the shows have always been the obvious option.

Tango in Buenos Aires

As their popularity grew, so did the number of options, from the big productions by Carlos Gardel to the raunchy Tango Rojo. Each show grew longer and longer, with dinner served alongside fruity malbecs and astringent sauvignon blancs. All trying to outdo the other with more dancers, more food and more paying guests.

But not everyone has seen it that way, and there’s a new option that I think changes the scene dramatically. You’ll have to bear with me as I describe it, as photography isn’t allowed, so I have next to no images to help.

This new concept isn’t tango seen from “Row Y, seat 63”, or even from one of 50 private dining tables. It isn’t a show that has been repeated a thousand times, it’s not even predictable, it is very real and utterly brilliant, yet incredibly simple.

Bored with the big shows, Alex Pels wanted something “raw, real and intimate” as an alternative to the polished and commercial options. From this desire, the very simple concept of Secreto Tango Society was born.

Tango in Buenos Aires

Simplicity has been the key to this. The venue is a simple room in Palermo with a bar, piano and a seat for the accordion player. Around the edge, there are 15 small tables for up to 30 guests, leaving the floor clear for dancers. There’s no stage, no food, just good wine, fabulous music, and wonderful dancing right there in front of you. And, it’s just one hour instead of the three-hour-long dinner shows, which allows you to eat at a great restaurant afterwards.

No photography is allowed either, not to keep anything secret, but to preserve the intimate feeling, and it really works. For the penultimate number, you are allowed to snap a few shots, and suddenly the entire atmosphere changes as everyone’s phones come out and the magic is almost broken.

What really makes this experience tick are, of course, the dancers and musicians, and it appears that they wanted something like this too. The shows are rehearsed, but feel completely organic, danced to the mood of the music played by two people, seemingly having the best night of their lives.

The dancers themselves invite their friends along to join in, the night I was there saw an impromptu dance from a former Tango world champion. That really was improvised on the spot, showcasing her phenomenal talent.

Secreto Buenos Aires Tango

When it all comes to an end, the hour has flown past, yet you feel like you’ve seen enough to know the characters involved as if they were old friends. Just to add to that feeling, the dancers and musicians all stay to say hello to everyone or have a drink at the bar before you head off to one of many excellent local restaurants.

All this proves that the Tango Show has not been killed by commercialisation, it is very much alive and flicking!