Forget the folk songs; in Poland, locals dance the tango

[JustJohn or JJ]

Forget the folk songs; in Poland, locals dance the tango

Author Monika Prylinska Date July 21, 2017


The annual Krakus Aires Festival celebrates Krakow’s favourite dance | Photo by Meg Skoczylas

On any given night in Krakow, there’s a milonga happening somewhere.

The sultry tango may have its roots in Argentina and Uruguay, but at some point the dance worked its way from South America across the Atlantic, and landed in the most unlikeliest of places: Communist Poland. And while most tourists who visit are convinced the country’s national dance is the polka or the krakowiak, and that locals have been dancing these moves since their childhoods, I’m here to tell you that’s simply not the case.

Polka is actually a folk dance from the Czech Republic and only some children here in Poland know how to perform it properly. Krakowiak, on the other hand, is a Polish dance — but to be honest, nowadays it is much better known by Polish immigrants in the United States than by actual citizens of Krakow. Of course, you can easily book to see a Polish folk show at a fancy restaurant in the city centre, from the reception desk of any Krakow hotel. But it’s not a dance that locals typically practice.

So, what do we dance? Well, everything from salsa to afrodance, and flamenco to classical saloon dances like the waltz or cha-cha. But without a doubt, it’s the tango that is the number one hero. You’ll see locals dancing in parks, on street corners or in courtyards, and there are a plenty of tango schools and events. There are milongas (tango parties) organised daily both in clubs and in private homes. Krakow even has its own tango hotel — it’s small and centrally located, beautifully decorated, and perfect for travellers who like good coffee, stunning surroundings and constant tango music in their room.

There’s no official answer as to why tango is so wildly popular in Poland, but I do believe it has something to do with the fight for freedom during the country’s Communist era. While the dance was popular even at the beginning of 20th century, its growth coincided with post WWII Poland. At a time when everything was grey and forbidden, the tango, often referred to by Poles as ‘the sad song of the soul’ or ‘a sexy protest,’ was a way to show opposition to the cruel, strict policies of the communists. After all, could there be anything more offensive to the regime than romantically minded, colourfully dressed couples dancing happily in clandestine basements all over city?

Tango even runs deep within my own personal life, as it’s how I met my husband. Many years ago, we were both visiting a mutual Argentinian friend, who was living in Lisbon at the time. And during our first conversation, we realised there was a common topic between us. It was, of course, tango. Stefano used to dance it in Italy, I in Poland, and in Lisbon we had our first dance together, atop one of those panoramic points of the city during a summer sunset. No big surprise it was enough to fall in love, right?


Monika, her husband and the tango | Photo by Krzysztof Racon





If you can’t come during the festival, you’ll still have no trouble finding a place to dance. There are several different schools of tango in Krakow — one of which is TangoVirri at 20 Rajska Street, run by our friend Michal Gabrys. Our whole Krakow Urban Adventures team loves to meet there and chat while we wait for the afternoon dance classes and milongas to begin. An alternate option that I also really like Tangonuevo at 13 Westerplatte street.

There’s a tango event happening somewhere in the city every night of the week, so if you’re visiting Krakow, we suggest you forget the polka performances and instead experience a night of tango. Note that all the places listed below are for people who already know at least the basic steps.

Monday:
Milonga Loca, 51a Miodowa Street
Milonga time: 9pm – 1am
Entrance fee: PLN 5 (EUR 1,5)

Tuesday:
Practice in Tangonuevo, 13/3 Westerplatte Street
Practice time: 8pm – 11pm
Entrance fee: PLN 10 (EUR 2,5)

Wednesday:
Piwnica pod Baranami , 27 Rynek Główny (Main Market Square)
Practice and milonga time: 8pm – 11pm
Free entrance

Thursday:
Milonga El Abrazo, 1 Plac Świętego Ducha
Milonga time: 9pm – midnight
Entrance fee: PLN 5 (EUR 1,5)

Friday:
Milonga Infierno in Tangonuevo, 13/3 Westerplatte Street
Milonga time: 10pm – whenever!
Entrance fee: PLN 10 (EUR 2,5)

Saturday:
Milonga Paradise in TangoVirri, 20 Rajska Street
Practice time: 6:30pm – 8pm
Milonga time 8pm – 11pm
Entrance fee: PLN 5 (EUR 1,5); homemade cake and tea/coffee included!

and (every two weeks)

Milonga in Por Fiesta Club , 17 Warszawska Street
Milonga time: 9:30pm – 1am
Entrance fee: PLN 5 (EUR 1,5)

Sunday:
Panta Rei in Kontakt, 4 Szpitalna Street
Milonga time: 9pm – 1pm
Entrance fee: PLN 5 (EUR 1,5)

and

Milonga Luna in Cabaret Club, 5 Krakowska Street
Milonga time: 8pm – 11pm
Entrance fee: PLN 10 (EUR 2,5)

If you want to experience your own tango adventure (maybe with a bit of romance!) in Krakow, we can help you out. There are numerous accessible tango schools — if you want to participate in a lesson, send an email to [e-mail]. We can help you to organise a private lesson or tell you where to go for a group lesson taught in English. It’s a great and totally unforgettable way to meet locals. Not sure yet if you’re ready to tackle the tango? We’ll leave you with these old tango lyrics sung in Polish to get your feet in the mood.
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[karl]

J.J.

It is good the Polish people as depected, are branching out in to other avenues of music and the pleasure of dancing. With this, the Tango is a dance that mistakes go unnoticed as being a variation of extended pleasure.

The dance is as well known withen the confines of the known world, as being simply Argentine, but not neccessarly so, for as well across the Rio de Plate in Uruguay as well. It is though, of different variations as displayed by the Polish dancers, not that they are at fault, and how can you fault those dancing to such wonderful music of the soul.

Tango with all its detractors and those that live for the pleasure of the movements. For Tango is the sensual, all encompassing movements to the inspiring music that reaches in to the inner dark reaches of unfulfilled passion.

The following url is of Tango dancing displayed at a street advent in Buenos Aires. As a bit of nonsense, this is where I learnt Spanish whilst working for my uncle Otto's business on the docks as a young man fresh out of high school.





Karl

[Jaga]

Poles love dancing in general. I was very surprised that in Texas there were far less places to dance than in Poland.

Below is a dance scene from famous romantic song by Piotr Szczepanik from 60s. This is a modern dance but the performers are spectacular.... the girl is a daughter of a famous Polish mathematician, Mazur, the boy is a gay.... who unfortunately died in Germany.