Mundial de Tango 2009

Maddy, ¿que acaba de pasar?--What just happened? I mean, really?? Someone wanted me to realize another chance of a lifetime Monday night. As if this week hasn't been amazing enough.

So this was Aug. 31, the last day of the huge World Tango Festival here. That also means the final competition of the world's best tango dancers. I've had a really overly opportunistic attitude here (necessary, i think)--so i thought i would follow the lucky feeling again, call up my spontaneous fun Maddy, and see what kind of tickets we could scalp outside Luna Park. I was racing down to the plaza after a class that lasted about 3 hours longer than expected, and the radio taxi dropped me off half an hour before showtime. As i was flowing across the street with the herd of tango-going Argentines, an old, tiny lady stepped right in front of me.

"¿Tenés entrada?" --Do you have an entrance?
"No, lo siento, no tengo una boleta." --No, i'm sorry, i don't have a ticket.
(i thought this little old lady was here to be as presumptuous as i was)
"Sí, ¿no tenés entrada?" --Right, you don't have an entrance?
"No, no tengo." --No, i don't.
"Acá. Tómala. Mi amiga no puede venir." --Here. Take it. My friend can't come.
"¿En serio? ¿Sos una angel? ¿Cuanto querés?" --Seriously? Are you an angel? How much do you want?"
"Nada. Gratis." --Nothing. It's free.

Literally an angel had just picked me out of the crowd to shove a ticket in my hand. It felt really unfair, hadn't even started looking. So we walked arm-in-arm across the street while i was trying to figure out the best way to tell her my friend was also here and i couldn't go in without her... I spit it out fast, and keeping right in step with Argentine lack of political-correctness, she asked me how could i be so stupid and why wouldn't i just go in and leave my friend to do her own thing? I tried to explain that i was going to see if Maddy wanted the ticket and i'd send her in. After reasoning for five minutes and realizing the seats weren't even together, i told her to go in (10 minutes til showtime.) We parted lovingly and i promised either Maddy or i would use the ticket.

Maddy came a few minutes later and we cluelessly started looking for a second ticket. The first guy we asked (go figure) told us just how to ask politely yet directly if people had one to spare. We walked to our entrance (5 minutes til showtime), and i decided there was no time to sift through the throngs of people that probably were waiting to find one themselves. Sooo...we went straight to the doorman.

"Hola:) Tengo una boleta, pero falta una para me amiga..." --Hello:) I have one ticket, but i'm short one for my friend here.

He stared us down like "...and what the heck do you expect me to do about that, girls?" I admittedly played the clueless/helpless card a little bit and kept saying "We're one short, we're one short. What should we do?" We had a short stare-down and he rolled his eyes and called his manager over, a very well-dressed man in a tuxedo and bow tie. He probably took one look at Maddy and then opened the side gate for us. "They're with me." We followed him into the auditorium and sat in the front row of the tango world finals. We shared the space and view with some even pushier reporters' heads but i guess we deserved at least that much.

The energy was absolutely seductive and i didn't even care i couldn't see half the time. Being 40 feet away was great enough. My favorite part by far was when the Japanese won 3rd place and the girl shook and smiled like it was 1st. I felt her passion the most. The night was complete with ridiculous music and showgirls and very Latinamerican singers, if you know what i mean, and at least 25 couples who were all unbelievable dancers--the best in world actually, jajaja. I told my host mom when i came home and, surprise surprise, she was not phased. Apparently that kind of insane stuff happens all the time in Argentina (as i have also come to realize in the last three weeks). But amazing for her or not, we felt like the luckiest girls in B.A.