Madreselva — Buenos Aires

Dancer first,
designer second

Viviana Laguzzi carried Argentine tango to the world’s most prestigious stages. Today, that same passion is poured into every pair of Madreselva shoes.

A life on stage

She started as a classical dancer at the Teatro Colón of Buenos Aires, where she graduated as a professional dancer. Life then took her to the tango stages, at first as a complement, and later as her declared passion.

For more than 18 years she toured the world with her partner Juan Corvalán, as the solo duet of the Tango Pasión company and of Maestro Mariano Mores‘ company. She danced at the Acropolis of Athens, at the Kremlin in Moscow, at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris, at the Arena Theatre of Turkey, and in Chinese cities where tango was being embraced for the first time between strangers.

She was chosen as Argentina’s representative at the Congress of the Americas in Miami, where presidents from around the world gathered.

The origin of Madreselva

When I danced, none of the shoes I could find were enough. Back then, what the market offered was classic and rough — built for the foot that walks, not for the foot that pivots.

The demands of my dance —the fast turns, the shifts of weight, the relevés— asked for a shoe that simply didn’t exist. So I began having them made by a trusted craftsman. I wanted them more flexible, lighter, more stable.

But I also wanted them to be more fashion, more luxury. Not just a shoe: an object worthy of the dancer’s aesthetic, not only her technique.

That is how, without a business plan, the very first Madreselva last was born.

Madreselva — when the feet need poetry

Madreselva is born from a search that is at once simple and difficult: to create a shoe capable of uniting elegance, stability and comfort through hours of dancing.

Every pair is handcrafted in Argentine leather at our atelier “Palacio de los Lirios”, Avenida Rivadavia 2031, Buenos Aires. A design made by someone who knows exactly what happens the moment the music begins and the body has to say everything without a word.

Institutional Recognition

Official Sponsor · Argentine Tango World Championship

Madreselva is the Official Sponsor of the Buenos Aires Tango Festival and World Championship since its inception, and of most of its international and regional sub-venues. A recognition that reaffirms the brand’s commitment to the art of tango and its performers around the world.

From Buenos Aires to the world

The first clients were professional Argentine dancers. Then, by word of mouth, Madreselva began to be recognized abroad: the United States, Germany, Italy, Japan, France and Spain, among other markets where the tango community seeks Argentine excellence.

“People trust me and my company even without knowing Buenos Aires,” Viviana says. “Behind the designer they find a dancer with tremendous experience who advises them on their looks.”

Every enquiry receives a personal answer. One-to-one care, sustained by a small, dedicated team.

What does tango mean?

“I think of my grandfather, with whom I took my first steps. Of my grandmother who spent whole afternoons sewing with me. Of my mother, cheering me on through every tour. Of the standing ovations in the most remote places. Of those bars of La Cumparsita that still today make my skin shiver.”

“It is my life, it is my passion. I used to express it through movement. Today I pour it into my designs — but always from the heart. It’s the only way I know.”

— Viviana Laguzzi

“Palacio de los Lirios” · Avenida Rivadavia 2031 · Buenos Aires, Argentina