Hearing the word Tango, it can remind us of a sensual, erotic dance involving passionate moves and macho Latinos. Believe it or not, this is a huge misconception. In reality, Tango is very far from over-sexualised intimacy. This social dance, which first appeared in the late 19th century, was practised by working-class folk in Buenos Aires and Montevideo.
At the beginning, those from the upper echelons in Argentina and later in Europe rejected the dance. For instance, the southern Hungarian town of Pécs banned Tango after the ball season in 1922, describing it as: “Immoral and socially unacceptable, as it promotes erotica and not entertainment”.
Fortunately, Pécs is finally back on the Tango map as the city eased the restriction in September 2021 – after 99 years.
Meanwhile, in modern times, Budapest has embraced a buzzing Tango scene. Judit Somos, co-founder of Tango Místico, discovered the dance in the Hungarian capital and has never looked back since:
A dream come true
“I have always dreamt of being a dancer and when I met Tango in my teenage years, it was love at first sight. I realised right away that this was the thing I’d been looking for…”
Soon afterwards, she flew to Argentina to become a professional dancer. “Tango has shaped my personality and it ingrained in my life to the extent that I couldn’t imagine myself without it any more.” admits Judit.
In Argentina, she crossed paths with Lucas Molina Gazcón, who shared the same passion for Tango. Lucas comes from a family of artists and has danced Tango since the age of 12.
After a couple of tandas, Lucas and Judit decided to do what they love and started to dance Tango together in 2014. As Lucas defines his relationship with Argentina’s national dance:
Tango is a lifestyle
“Tango is not just a dance. It’s my culture and my identity.”
They founded Tango Místico in Budapest, where they teach absolute beginner, beginner, intermediate and advanced classes. For further info see their schedule here.
Tango is an appealing genre as you don’t need any special qualifications to get dancing. Everyone with an interest can start it right now, no matter their age or background.
“All you need for Tango is two legs and your arms,” assures Judit. If you want to delve deeper, you can learn the stage version as well, which is different from standard Argentine Tango.
At classes, you can prepare to be a confident dancer for milongas, which translates as Tango dancing nights. There are plenty of these in Budapest. You can literally find a milonga every night at a different location.
But if not Tango nights, there are also various schools to teach you the first steps of this Argentine ritual. See our list of courses below.
As Lucas puts it: “It’s a real pleasure to teach in Hungary. People can and are excited to dance here…”
So don’t be misled by the weird Tango portrayed in American movies. Go and see yourself and you'll be able to distinguish between real and Hollywood-made Tango…
Further information
Argentine Tango schools in Budapest:
Tango Místico - Lucas y Judit
Hello Tango – for students and young people
Tango Libre
Tango Studio
Tango Factory
