This is the description of the Evita Vive show.

Cordoba is one of the biggest centers of Argentina tango outside of Buenos Aires, with many milongas for ambitious dancers to explore.  Still, there are only a few tango shows to choose from and El Arrabal is one of the best.  El Arrabal is both a restaurant for lunch and dinner and a theater for tango.  If you come for dinner and the show, you will have an entire menu from which to choose, making it more flexible than most tango shows.  With salads and steaks, pastas and seafood, the carnivore and the vegetarian can eat well and then perhaps enjoy one of the many delicious desserts.  The show itself is a rather small production, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday only, with a few couples and a small orchestra.  It begins at 10:30, so you have plenty of time to enjoy your meal and a glass of wine beforehand.  In addition to professional dancing, the show takes the time to welcome its visitors from across the world, including them in the act.  Afterwards, everyone is invited to dance in the milonga, so drink up and try a few steps out yourself!

With its white stucco interior, El Rincón del Tango in Bariloche might make you feel like you are at a Mexican hacienda rather than a tango hall, but don’t let the décor fool you.  Tango dancing has happened here nearly every day since 2001.  Unlike many tango venues, El Rincón does not have a single, fixed tango show.  Instead, they have a series of visiting artists—dancers, singers, musicians—who travel around the country and around the world.  This can work for or against you since there may not be a performance the week you are in town.  However, if you are in Bariloche while a show is there, you are in luck—the traveling shows are fresh and energized.  Even without a show, the classes and the milonga can make for a memorable night after a day spent exploring the great outdoors.  Classes are held every day, as is the milonga which begins at 6.  If you go to a show or the milonga, don’t count on food service.  Instead, grab a meal before or after, depending on how Argentine you feel like being.  Then dance the night away!

When you think of Bariloche, you probably think of snow, skiing, hiking, or chocolate—not tango.  However, there are options in Bariloche for the tango lover who wants to play outside during the day and inside at night.  At Juan Tango, they pride themselves on a show that combines tango, folklore, humor, and fine dining.  The dinner highlights Patagonian food and wines and is served in an elegant dining area below the stage.  The show starts earlier than many in Buenos Aires, beginning at 9 on the dot—at least so they claim—and ending an hour and a half later.  Their tango dancers have performed across Latin America, including in Brazil, Chile, Mexico, and even Spain.  After tango, there are folkloric dancers, some modern music, and a final toast with champagne.  The show is much cheaper than any similar show you would find in Buenos Aires, so this may be the time to splurge and get the VIP treatment.  During January and February, high summer season, there are three performances a week; the rest of the year there are only two, so call or visit the website to get specific dates and times.

The city of Mendoza, nested at the base of the Andes, is known for its wine and its beautiful, clean thoroughfares.  At the Almacén de Tango, the best wines of Argentina’s wine country are combined with high quality tango and music.  Before the show you can elect to have dinner.  The menu is fairly fixed, offering two choices for a starter, two for the entrée (neither of which is steak, surprisingly), and several dessert options.  The highlight of the meal is, of course, the excellent selection of wines on offer, which you can order with or without the dinner. Described as an “audio-visual spectacle,” the show has both live dancers and singers and two big projection screens.  During the show, images of the Mendoza country side and its rolling vineyards set the mood for dances about the plight of the immigrant worker.  True to the roots of tango, the show is both sensual and rich with the history of the working class. The show runs most nights of the week and you can check availability and make reservations online.  Because the show is in Mendoza and not Buenos Aires, the show is significantly cheaper than BA’s big budget productions.

Politicians and artists once haunted the corners of this old café, nowadays occupied by hungry diners and tourists looking for a slice of classic Buenos Aires.  Founded in 1890, this café was frequented by the most famous figures in Argentine tango—Carlos Gardel, José Razzano, Florencio Parravicini—and today it has an excellent tango show in  honor of their memory.  Don’t be put off by the Café label; this tango show boasts a large, recently renovated stage.  Dinner is served at long, buffett style tables and the menu highlights what is best about Argentine cuisine and includes an excellent selection of Argentine wines.  If you don’t feel like Argentine food, the neighborhood of Congreso if known for its excellent Japanese food—the ambassador of Japan comes here to dine!  The show lasts an hour and a half and has a live orchestra of six musicians (all women), singers, and ten first-class tango dancers.

Most of the waiters at La Confitería Ideal have been serving there for over 30 years, so you can count on excellent service and authenticity at this café and tango haven. With tango classes every day, a milonga, and tango shows, this café has whatever tango experience you are looking for…unless, of course, your are looking for a big, Broadway-style production. Tango here is as authentic and rooted as the ancient building, but it is adapted to meet the needs of diverse tourists. The tango teachers speak Spanish, English, German, French, Portuguese, and perhaps a few others, so if it is only language that is holding you back, go for it! If class goes well, take off those training wheels and go to the almost daily milongas where you will meet some great Argentine dancers. There are two different tango shows; on Friday it is “Milonguísimo” and on Saturday it is “Café Tango.” Both shows have the option of dinner beforehand. They are quality shows with quality dancers, but they do lack the big stage, fancy lights, and general sparkle found at some other shows. If you are searching for an authentic tango experience, and want to meet Argentines along the way, this is the show and milonga to see.