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See english translation below
Fue la más famosa de las casas de baile que animaron al Buenos Aires en la época del Centenario. Se la conoció como “Lo de Laura”, deformando el verdadero nombre de su regenta: Laurentina Montserrat. Estuvo en Paraguay 2512, a metros de la avenida Pueyrredón, que entonces se llamaba Centroamérica. Pero no solo se bailaba en sus instalaciones…
Hay dos noticias sobre su dueña, y con toda seguridad ambas fueron inventadas. La primera informa que era mujer exquisita y que tenía abono en el teatro Colón; la segunda, que era mujer de una vulgaridad atroz cuya característica memorable era su asqueroso repertorio de insultos. Lo más probable, quizá, fuera que Laura ocultase su natural tendencia a la grosería bajo un disfraz de refinamiento.
El problema era cuando afloraba su instinto. No en vano decían de ella que era una fiera; Laura la Morocha era también Laura la Fiera, la que cuando un cliente se suicidó en su establecimiento y cayó rompiendo una botella de cerveza, estalló en ira y desató una sarta de palabrotas que hubieran avergonzado al peor compadrito del Bajo, porque le indignaba perder su preciosa cerveza.
Sobre su figura, en cambio, no hay discusión: todo apunta a que en su época de esplendor Laura era una señora entrada en años y en carnes; alta, desbordante, como salida de una pintura de Rubens, aunque en realidad más cercana al prototipo que años después impondría Mae West y, como ella, dotada con una sensualidad chabacana.
Lo de Laura estaba decorado con gobelinos, pesados cortinados de terciopelo, grandes sillones, lámparas con caireles y espejos, en los que se reflejaban jarrones rococó y cuadros de la escuela de Fragonard. Los poetas del tango —que fueron posteriores— lo han difamado: mencionaron un “bailongo”, término que rebajó considerablemente la categoría de aquel sitio; hablaron también de tauras y de disputas.
Para la mitología porteña, lo de Laura quedó confundido con un lupanar. En realidad, no era un prostíbulo en sentido directo; o mejor expresado: lo era, pero se cuidaba mucho de admitirlo. Era una casa particular de baile, y en la ciudad de Buenos Aires el baile y el burdel no coexistían: para eso había otros locales, todos de extramuros; los más próximos, cruzando el Riachuelo.
Sin embargo, todos sabían que esto era puro eufemismo: incluso en pleno Centro había casas particulares de baile, peringundines y reboticas de cafés que no eran sino prostíbulos encubiertos. La clave consistía en no pregonarlos como tales. •
Copyright © El Tangauta 2008
Old dances, I Lo de Laura
It was the most famous house of dance to liven Buenos Aires in the turn of the century. It was known as “lo de Laura”, deforming the true name of its manager: Laurentina Montserrat. It was at Paraguay 2512, just meters away from Avenida Pueyrredón, then called Centroamérica. But there was more than dancing on the premises…
Two things are known about its owner, and surely they were both invented. The first one reports that she was an exquisite woman and that she had season tickets to the Colón Theater; the second one says that she was an atrociously coarse woman whose memorable characteristic was her filthy repertoire of insults. It is more probable, maybe, that Laura hid her natural tendency to be vulgar under a disguise of refinement.
The problem was when her instinct surfaced. Not in vain it was said of her that she was fierce; Laura the Dark One was also Laura the Fierce, the one who when a client committed suicide in her establishment and fell, breaking a bottle of beer, exploded irately and unleashed a string of swearwords that would have made the worst ruffian of the slums blush, because she was furious about losing her precious beer.
About her figure, on the other hand, there is no discussion: there is agreement about the fact that at her time of splendor Laura was an mature plump lady; tall, overflowing, as if she came out of a painting by Rubens, although in reality closer to the prototype that years later was created by Mae West and, like her, gifted with a cheap sensuality.
Lo de Laura was decorated with tapestries, heavy velvet drapes, large chairs, crystal fringed lamps and mirrors that reflected rococo vases and pictures of the school of Fragonard. Later tango poets have defamed it: they mentioned a bailongo (1), term that lowered considerably the category of that place; they spoke also of tauras (2) and of disputes.
In the mythology of Buenos Aires, Lo de Laura remained mistaken for a brothel. In reality, it was not a brothel in a direct sense; or better said: it was one, but it was very careful not to admit it. It was a private house of dance, and in the city of Buenos Aires the dance and the brothel did not coexist: for that there were other venues, all of them outside of the city; the closest one, across the Riachuelo.
Nevertheless, everybody knew that this was pure euphemism: even downtown there were private houses and backrooms of stores were there was dancing, that were nothing but concealed brothels. The key consisted of not announcing them as such. •
Copyright © El Tangauta 2008
(1) Bailongo: (Lunfardo*) pejorative for dance.
(2) Taura: (Lunfardo*) daring.
*Lunfardo: Argentine slang.
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