Learn to tango

Tango is believed to have its roots in the poor areas of Montevideo, the capital and largest city of Uruguay. In the Old City, about 150 years ago, the streets teemed with immigrant workers from Europe, freed slaves and fortune seekers who frequented neighbourhood brothels and bars. It is here where the tango emerged, a combination of African rhythms, Italian opera and a touch of polka thrown in. As history tells it, the most famous Latin tune was written in 1916 by someone by the name of Gerardo Matos Rodriguez. In Uruguay, they heard it for the first time in 1917 in a café at the foot of Palacio Salvo in Montevideo. The song, titled La Cumparasita, is now the most famous tango hymn and indeed was designated as Uruguay’s national ‘tango hymn’. Today the Old City remains a mecca for tango lovers, and visitors who are learning can join lessons early in the evening before hitting the dance floor.