Tango on the Edge

Places our members have danced.

A great sound system and wonderful floor that has been polished by lots of dancing feet, the Tuesday night practica features skills of all levels, though on the night we attended the music was challenging and the people are rather distant.

Montreal - Studio Tango (John)

Ottawa - Siempre Tango (Mac)

Near the Byward Market, upstairs in an older but well kept building. A small room that can get hot in the summer, decent floor and audio system, well-selected music with a Nuevo influence. Ottawa has a small but enthusiastic tango community that draws on the larger tango communities in Montreal and Toronto.

Las Vegas - Zapatos Rojos

Brisbane - Rio Rhythmics ( Elizabeth & Mac )

Friday nights are for Tango Fuego Café at a great venue on Boundary Street. Rio has several regular DJs who cater to the high standards of the Queensland tango community. Fine music and a great floor, stay late and stroll to a nearby café for a glass of wine afterwards.

Paris - Bistrot Latin ( Sheilah & John )

We walk through the night streets, into the cinema ‘le Latina’ then up the narrow stairs to a dark Parisian ‘bistrot’. Tiny, two-seater tables ring the small room, packed with dancers and onlookers. There is no sitting or standing room. We squeeze in between the bar and someone’s table, almost on top of them trying to keep out of the way. The place is ‘to the gills’ with diminutive little French ladies, tall slim gentlemen, and a few odd characters. Some of the ladies are very chic and all of them, beautiful dancers that seemed to melt into their partners. We didn’t dare dance that night, but we did come back a few nights later at 8:00pm for a lesson. A group of about twenty stood in a circle around ‘Carmen’ , our teacher, as she explained some figures in French. We were more than a little lost, but she did her best to help us. Nobody really spoke English. We enjoyed it probably more for the cultural experience than for what we learned.

Paris - Bolajo ( Sheilah & John )

Paris’s ‘Old Mill’ beyond a doubt. The place, is brim full of very colourful characters. Not a Tango club, but a dance club with a difference. We went to the Sunday afternoon Tea Dance from 2:00 to 7:30 and it had to be one of the highlights of our trip. The club has quite a history, dating from 1936, with a décor so cheesey, it’s wonderful. Done up to reflect the city of Paris, this large dance hall comes complete with faux ‘red light’ district (panties and a bra decorate the wall). A 70’s style DJ in a black satin shirt stands on stage and spins discs, occasionally singing karaoke along with the music much to the delight of the crowd. The clientele range from grandmothers to handle-bar mustached, Toulouse Lautrec types. They dance with passion.

Australia - Byron Bay ( Mac )

The tango community in southeast Queensland and northeast New South Wales is active, friendly, and skilled. A regular milonga in Byron Bay NSW is supplemented by the Byron Bay Tango Festival in September, in the depths of what they call ‘winter’. Imagine a warm fall day in Canada for comparison. Great teachers and enthusiastic dancers, who tango ‘til they’re sore.

Nova Scotia - Halifax - Coconut Grove ( Elizabeth & Mac )

An intimate venue on the top floor of a restaurant/bar building and a little hard to find, but worth the search. Michael is the host and usual DJ, the music is great and the floor reasonable. We support Michael and Margaret and the Halifax tango community because they are nearby, and are facing the same developing-community challenges that we face.

Vancouver - Milonga del Arrabal ( Lorne )

Vancouver - Milonga de los Amigos ( Lorne )

Victoria - Tango Vita ( Lorne )

Victoria - Cafe Casablanca ( Lorne )

Edmonton - Tango Norte práctica ( Lorne )

Kelowna - Dance Dimensions ( Lorne )

Local Links

Music Collection

Misc Links

Tango Afficionado

Club Milonga, in Toronto (our inspiration)

Tango Nova, Halifax