Love from the first note ...

To start with I have to use the ending from the fairy tales "and they lived happily ever after ...." as this is the association I have with tango. This is a never-ending passionate relationship with ups and downs but one thing is sure: once involved you can always rely on tango, tango never lies to you, tango never cheats on you, tango calms you when you are upset, tango shares your sorrow, tango doubles your joy ....

The beginning of my love story dates back to the year 2001. At that time nobody talked about tango in Estonia nor there were any materials about the dance. I do not even know whether YouTube existed at that time. But even if it was already created I would not have known to look for videos of tango ... My friend, a dance teacher, had a dance studio in Tallinn at that time where he taught salsa, tap dance etc. It so happened that one day I attended the last but one class in his studio and when I had had my shower and tried to leave, the last class was almost ending. Luckily the studio was built in a way that entering or leaving the dressing room you had to go through the training room. So I stood there my hair wet and mouth open and my eyes like plates and ... listened to the music. The music! Incredible! I had never heard anything like this. Heck with the dancers :) They were beginners and looked very awkward. When the class was finally over and me not paralyzed and longer, I started to bomb my friend with all kind of questions: what is this dance, what is this music, can I have the cd to listen to at home, can I come to the class to try. And I went to the class next week. But the joy of and from the dance did not come as in a month out of 4 students there were only 2. Women!!! So my friend stopped the classes.

But I still fell in love! With the music! It was love from the first note :P I started slowly but firmly search for information about the orchestras, singers, about the tango history, I started to collect the music. And in my wildest dreams started to think about the trip to Buenos Aires.

My wildest dream came true in February 2008. The moment I stepped out of the airport with my suitcase I knew that this is it, this is my place. I did not speak a word of Spanish. Of course I knew how to say una cerveza, por favor but that was almost all my vocabulary. But it felt just perfect. And I fell in love again, this time with the dance. I finally started to understand what tango is about. It has nothing to do about the steps and has everything to do with the feelings. The whole life could be described through tango and tango could be described through life. Whatever the situation! Fantastic! Great!

Since that visit I have understood that it is a never-ending relationship. Every once in a while tango surprises me, makes me fall in love again and again and again. First milonga, first real tango shoes, first "muy bien" from the teacher, first appreciations from the partner, old friends, new friends, teachers who started to call me by my name on my third visit, shining eyes, open hearts, kind people, partners into the embrace of who you just melt ....

I am writing this note almost leaving again. And I am sad. A very big part of me is always staying in Buenos Aires. Back in Tallinn, Estonia, I miss that part a lot. But tango is always with me and surprises me until the day I die.

I wonder if they have milongas in heaven? If not, I will definitely organise one .....

Maret (Marita) from Estonia