My Husband and I Signed Up for Tango Lessons in Barcelona. It Was the Highlight of Our Trip.

Arriving to the Barcelona tango lessons

Photo: Airbnb

In the Gothic quarter, we arrived at the apartment building with a manual door elevator that took us to the rooftop. The apartment was easier to find than we expected, as the hosts provided us with pictures of the entrance, door, and walkway beforehand. They welcomed us, and offered us a choice of white wine sangria or beer before leading us onto the patio to listen to a brief history of Tango. Ana Paula, one of our co-hosts, explained to the group of 14—a mix of local Barcelonians and travelers—that tango originated with Spanish and European settlers who made their way to Argentina, describing the dance as “’sad walking.” Tango, she said, is a way to express loneliness, but together. “No hip movements. It is a feeling of an embrace.”

Our other co-host, Jorge, took charge of our dance instructions and set the rules: “No phones, no cameras, no videos, no questions.” He wanted us to be fully present in the moment. We then gathered in his living room–a rectangular space with minimal furniture, a computer for music, and wooden floors– as an energetic Jorge walked us through the steps slowly, apologizing to his neighbors through the floors for the sound of 14 of us clomping above. Jorge would give a set of instructions, and then use a participant for demonstration. He only used the men as helpers. He would hold out a hand, say a woman’s name, and ask, “Can I borrow your partner for a moment?” He would show the steps to the men, then take the female dance partner role to practice with them, using a falsetto voice and batting his eyes, earning all of our delight.

Sometimes only the men would practice their steps while the women, drinks in hand, watched and giggled as their partners learned the new sequence. And vice versa, as the women practiced with each other before partnering up to try it out on the “dance” floor. As we practiced and danced, Jorge clucked his tongue if a move wasn’t completed right, then showed us all how to do it correctly while making a small rolling R bird sound and hands flourishing dramatically. His energy was infectious as we all laughed and studied the steps. We danced for an hour to learn the entire routine, slowly stepping to the song played on the computer. After several practice rounds, we were allowed to grab our phones, and in groups of three or four pairs, we danced while someone else filmed the final sequence as our class memento.

A night filled with tipples, tricks, and tango

Our group became fast friends. Photo: Josh Wilking

Some of us even became decent tango dancers. Photo courtesy Kelsey Wilking

After everyone completed their final performance, the now-newbie tango dancers filled their glasses and headed to the patio to enjoy the city’s nighttime skyline. As we chatted and took pictures, we learned more about each other, laughing and reminiscing about how much fun learning tango had been. It’s easy to get lost in rushing to see all the sights in a city, trying to check every box on your ‘vacation to-do’ list. But connecting with people through a shared purpose was such an effortless way to meet new people and see a completely different side of the city — one I hadn’t expected.

We said our goodbyes to each other and our thanks to Jorge, then shuffled out onto the streets of Barcelona in search of paella and wine. My husband, Josh, isn’t the biggest fan of dancing — rhythm isn’t exactly our strong suit. But tango? It’s something anyone can do. It’s simple, it’s fun, and we didn’t even break a sweat. Our friends loved it, with one even saying it was his favorite thing we did in Barcelona. Despite all the beauty and architectural wonders the city had to offer, his highlight was spending time in a local’s apartment, learning a new dance. The class starts at $27 per person.

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