In the heart of Medellin, there is a small, old fashioned bar called Salon Malaga. But this is not just like any other bar in Medellin; Salon Malaga is a cultural institution. It is the home to the music of Tango and Bolero. It is like a museum of an amazing collection of Latin America and Spanish music memorabilia and black-and-white photos of singers and dancers of a past era.

Salon Malaga is a journey into the past with different types of victrolas, gramophones, jukeboxes, and radios of the first half of the 20th century, as well displays of old cameras, watches, and typewriters.

But Salon Malaga is really about the music of Tango and Bolero. The owner, Gustavo Arteaga, has over 7,000 vinyl records featuring singers and composers from the early 20^th century.

Music and Dance

We stopped at this bar the second day we were in Medellin after we took a walking tour of central Medellin. We met with others from the tour group and learned that on Saturday nights there are Tango dance performances. The performances are so popular that reservations are recommended.

Six weeks later, we attended Saturday Night Tango. We arrived by 6 pm as required and soon all of the tables were filled.

There was a four-piece band playing Colombian music through-out the night. Singers roamed among the tables as they sang. Most the people in attendance were locals who sang along and chatted with the singers between songs.

Waitresses rushed from table to table taking orders for beer, bottles of whiskey or the popular anise-flavored Colombian liquor called Aquardiente or “Guaro”. Throughout the night they brought ice to the tables as people poured another round of alcohol.

The highlight of the evening was Tango dancing. Two pairs of dancers took turns on the floor. We were very close to them and felt the intensity in the dance. It was a truly memorable experience.

Going to Salon Malaga felt like going to a VFW in Minneapolis where everything was old school, everyone knew the songs and looked forward to singing along. The décor looked like it was from the 1950’s and 60’s. The difference between the VFW and Salon Malaga dancers were much better than any dancers we’ve ever seen at a VFW. The crowd took the dancing very seriously, watched in silence, and cheered and clapped loudly after each dance.

We were told that our time in Colombia wouldn’t be complete without learning to dance. Dancing in Colombia is a big part of life and we were told that Salsa is the easiest dance to learn. We tried to get into the spirit of dance in Medellin and took several dance classes sponsored by our Spanish school. Following are several photos of us, a middle-aged couple with no dance experience trying to get the beat. We plan to try lessons again since dance is a part of life here.

Ok follow along: Uno-Dos-Tres, Cuatro-Cinco-Seis. Uno-Dos-Tres, Cuatro-Cinco-Seis.