Most dancers who come to Buenos Aires hope to get to dance with the most amazing dancers in one of the famous milongas. I’m not like that. I couldn’t care less about famous dancers or milongas! I’m looking for the connection, the music, an atmosphere maybe. And all of this I found last night in a little neighbourhood milonga at Los Laureles in Barracas. We joined a little class and then later danced a tanda at the following milonga. My husband only just started learning tango and he was doing great! I was seriously impressed, especially considering that it was the first time he was dancing at a milonga!
And then of course you can’t even imagine the place! It was as if you stepped into a bar from the 1930s – probably because the bar has been around since 1893! And the cool thing was: It was all very relaxed and not pretentious at all, the people very open and friendly and it wasn’t touristy either. The best part came after the dancing though: There was live music with locals from the neighbourhood singing tangos. And how …! There were some really amazing voices there and one guy sounded as if he stepped right off a 1930s record! If there is a spot in heaven for me, it must be like that or they can keep it!
We’ve only been here a little more than a week and I can already answer the question of questions: Did Buenos Aires live up to my expectations after my 8 year wait? The answer is: It surpassed them! It’s way better than I could ever have imagined! I never would have expected that a place like this still exists on this planet!
Well, I didn’t take any pictures at the bar last night because I was dancing and I wouldn’t want to leave Nancy alone in a place with strangers. One day I must come back not to dance but to take pictures! A f/1.4 lens and some black and white film at ISO 1600 should do the trick!
In any case, today I made up for finishing only one roll yesterday and shot 3 rolls at Puerto Madero, 2 with the Leica and 1 with the Rollei. Of the old harbour hardly anything is left, so it was all a bit too modern, glossy and developed. It’s probably the most expensive part of town now, which I can’t understand at all because all the buildings are rather ugly modern blocks. However, the promenade wasn’t a bad space for street photography at all and I had fun taking pictures! I just have to look somewhere else for some proper industrial harbour shots. 20 rolls down, 30 left to play!
Today’s roll was taken in January this year.
All pictures taken with: Leica M6 + Zeiss, ZM C-Biogon 35mm f/2.8.
XP2 stand-developed in Rodinal 1:100.
© Lilly Schwartz 2015
Living dangerously, eh?
© Lilly Schwartz 2015
Only works in black and white I think!
© Lilly Schwartz 2015
Extremely bored dog.
© Lilly Schwartz 2015
As if it wasn’t difficult enough to navigate without bikes on the pavement! From the series: Muppets who are in the way get photographed.
© Lilly Schwartz 2015
Uhm … ok …!