The lights dim as violin strains fill the room. The red curtains part and the dancers in their beaded dresses and spiffy suits take the stage. Audience members seated at round café tables illuminated by votive candles sip champagne or Malbec. For the next hour-and-a-half, the dancers—among the most talented in Buenos Aires—twirl and sashay to the songs of Carlos Gardel, Astor Piazzolla, and other great composers of the 1920s and ‘30s, performed by the Rojo Tango Quintet. Choreographed by Sandra Bootz and Gabriel Ortega, the tangueros dance to love ballads, dip, and lift each other in the air in acrobatic feats, always conveying the romance for which tango is known.
In this nightly show, you’re transported to 1920s Buenos Aires, when artists and writers gathered at the famed Café Tortoni to listen to tango, sip coffee, and discuss the issues of the day. Originating in the 1880s in the immigrant communities around Rio de la Plata, tango has become synonymous with Argentina, and Buenos Aires in particular. Unlike other ballroom dances that faded in popularity over time, tango continues to flourish, not only in tourist areas like La Boca and San Telmo, where dancers perform on the streets and plazas for tips, but in dance halls and milongas where porteños take lessons. Yet nowhere else has the art form been elevated to such great heights.
Be transported to 1920s Buenos Aires during the nightly Rojo Tango show.
With its alluring blend of romance and theatricality, the Rojo Tango perfectly encapsulates the flair for drama that forms Faena’s DNA and extends to every nook and cranny of the hotel. As soon as you cross the threshold and walk the red carpet lined with horsehair benches in the long hallway leading to in Bistro Sur and El Cabaret, you’ll feel like a movie star. Every room alludes to the love affair between Belle Époque Paris and Buenos Aires, when the silo housing the hotel in Puerto Madero was originally built. From the whimsical Bistro Sur, with its unicorn heads adorning the walls and bouquets of red roses on the tables, to the Library Lounge draped in red velvet with tufted sofas and antique books, the glamorous design by legendary French designer Philippe Starck imparts a certain joie de vivre.
It’s no wonder A-list performers like Beyoncé and Rihanna feel right at home here. They’re just a couple of the high-profile singers who’ve made the luxurious Faena Suite their pied-à-terre in Buenos Aires. Between the dramatic design, luxurious amenities, and attentive service, the hotel makes every guest feel like a VIP.
While you're there, be sure to take advantage of all the property has to offer, savoring the breakfast spread at El Mercado, taking a dip in the pool, indulging in a treatment at the spa, dinner at Bistro Sur, and, of course, a tango performance at El Cabaret.