Tango People

Please... *STOP* the name-dropping in Facebook...

It doesn't look good.

Everyone can read through it.

Everybody can also tell that the Big Tango God you are trying to appear to be close to is not really close to you.

It just looks sad.

Do me a favor:

Occupy yourselves better-just go dancing.

A Tango War of Insecurities: The lighting at the Milongas

Over the last few months I have witnessed a number Tango wars (both 0pen and hidden) derived from insecurities. The lighting at Milongas in the US probably being the silliest of them...

It may be too  strong to call it a "War" but I will, anyway. The endless discussion on the right level of "lighting" at Milongas. More often than not I hear the opinion of those who claim that a dim environment in the Milonga makes them feel cozier, more intimate. There are also so those who are braver in admitting that they don't like the cold bright light shining on them while they dance, because it makes them feel exposed. I realize that this is a feeling probably shared by many, though not everyone is frank enough to admit it out loud.

And then there are those who hate the darkness that some Milongas have started to reach as a result. You cannot see easily potential dance partners; even worse: for those who care about the Codigos of the Tango in Buenos Aires, the darkness is tantamount to the impossibility to Cabeceo. Of course, someone with a cynical spirit could just claim that Cabeceo only happens in BAs and that, ultimately, the need for it only arises from another insecurity--that of the men to be rejected publicly, so, who cares? Those so afraid to ask and be denied a dance should just: (a) get over it; and/or (b) just get to dance better and increase their popularity to the point that nobody will never ever deny them a dance, right?

So, what insecurities to please? Who should win this one? I will start by confessing that, actually, I have been bothered by both extremes (too much light, and too much darkness), but if forced to chose, I'd rather have the light. Some Milongas (including at Festivals) just get so dark that one may have real trouble recognizing people and facial expressions at a distance, particularly when they are crowded. I love the idea of Cabeceo in principle, but I don't hold my hopes very high outside Argentina--except, perhaps, in places that make a point out of respecting tradition, such as the Milongas of the Denver's Milonguero Tango Festival.

The point here is that, regardless of what I think, the score seems something like 90-10 in favor of the light dimmers, at least in the US Festival Circuit/Milongas. In my experience, most places in Europe where I've danced were also "dimmers", though with certain exceptions (at some Milongas in Germany and the Netherlands, for instance). In contrast--and not surprisingly--most Milongas in BAs tend to be reasonably well-lit with some exceptions (La Viruta, and to a lesser extent, El Beso come to mind; as well as a few other small nuevo-Milongas). 

And I'm not sure I agree with it. The argument against "exposure" and in favor of the cozy darkness seems a little overplayed--after all, if we go dancing, it is fair to expect that some others will watch us dance, no? It's part of the deal. At the same time, creating so much of a darkness environment that the opportunities for Cabeceo disappear completely is just not fair. Yes, we are not in Argentina; yes, we come from another cultural background; but yes--there is a point to respect the Codigos and promote them, to the extent possible. Making it impossible for people to follow them may seem a negligible loss to some... but it is not. It is a pity that those Festival and Milonga organizers who say to love, cherish and hope to promote the Tango culture, tend to forget to create the conditions for it to become alive.

Tango in the Air

A moment to cherish...

Haven't seen this friend for a while. He is a colleague, and a fellow Tanguero.

Bump into him in the corridor. He's telling me about his news, bursting of happiness, he and his wife about to have a baby.

The elevator finally arrives and we step in. We have to go up 12 floors. He looks at me and says devilishly: Tango in the elevator?

We dance. Not more than a couple of giros, before we get to our floor. Luckily nobody has stopped us in our way up. I feel I'm flying.

The elevator door opens, and we look at each other like two little kids who've been a little mischievous.

He goes to his office and I walk to mine, in another corridor of the building, smiling...

*Your* Time to Vote: Your Favorite Milongas, Festivals, Dancers, Teachers, Music, DJs and more...! ;)

There is so much to do related to Argentine Tango these days, in every corner of the World!! With this in mind, this Tanguera is humbly asking her cyber-readers (and fellow Tango-addicts) to nominate one "winner" under each of the categories proposed below. Please comment to this post with your votes!

Instructions:  

*I will be collecting the nominees proposed by everyone who sends me a comment in the following weeks, and will announce the winner (as well as the first and second runner ups) by April 1st, 8pm EST (US time). 

*Your answer will *NOT* be published immediately (just to add a little element of surprise to the whole thing), but I will give an update of the preliminary results in mid-March. Also, all comments received to dat will be published both when the interim and final results are announced. Comments may be anonymous, but it would be great if you could add the country where you live and dance Tango.

Please!! Let others who may be interested know so that we can get a good number of answers all across the globe, which may make our results more interesting :)

And... here go the Questions:

1. What is the best (non-Festival) Milonga you have ever attended (outside Argentina)?

2. What is the best Milonga you have ever attended (in Argentina)?

3. What is the best Tango Festival you have ever attended in the US/Canada?

4. What is the best Tango Festival you have ever attended in Europe?

5. What is the best Tango Festival you have ever attended in Argentina?

6. What is your favorite traditional (not playing anymore) Tango Orchestra?

7. What is your favorite current (still playing) Tango Orchestra?

8. What is your favorite Argentinean couple of dancers (Milonguero/Salon)?

9. What is your favorite non-Argentinean couple of dancers (Milonguero/Salon)?

10. What is your favorite Argentinean couple of dancers (Nuevo)?

11. What is your favorite non-Argentinean couple of dancers (Nuevo)?

12. What is your favorite Tango?

13. What is your favorite Vals?

14. What is your favorite Milonga?

15. Who is your favorite Tango singer?

16. What is your favorite Tango movie?

17. Who is your favorite Argentinean Tango teacher?

18. Who is your favorite non-Argentinean Tango teacher?

Tango Hugs...

A long time ago, my dear and fellow blogger Tina reflected very wisely about the importance of the quality of the embrace. The more I continue to dance, the more I realize that I cannot dance without being hugged...

My best dances are, by far, the ones with leaders who allow me to feel hugged, cared for. At the extreme, this may be even more important than the music, and has nothing to do with the style, as long as the hug feels completely giving, intimate and personal. There is nothing more disappointing that going into the embrace and sensing that the person next to me doesn't really want to hug me the way I need to be hugged... My enthusiasm for the dance and my inspiration fly away immediately...

Tango Snobs (II): The Polite Tangueros and the DJs

Upon further investigation, this Tanguera has concluded that the Tangueros may actually be somewhat more thoughtful than other dancing communities....

While leaving a Milonga last week, I approached the DJ to thank him for the music. He smiled profusely, explaining to me that while he's a relatively new Tango DJ, he's been in the business of DJing for other latin dances for decades. Literally, he told me:

"You know the strange thing? In all those years, not a single person thanked me for DJing for the night. Since I started DJing Tango, on the other hand, I've had a lot of people approaching me and saying Thank You. People seem so much more polite and appreciative of all the time I take to put in my tandas together; that's a lot of work."

I know. And I have to add, I'm so glad to hear about this. Surely we Tangueros(as)  can be picky about the music we like, but we also certainly appreciate the efforts the DJs make to give us all those blissful dances. It's even nicer to find out that we actually express our gratitude. :) 

Interesting Australian Blog...

Proving Tango is truly World's Heritage :)

Angelina's Tango Blog

Tango to UNESCO, in search of World Heritage Status

Finally! It looks like our Argentinean and Uruguayan friends stopped fighting for the honor to be the craddle of Tango, and have instead teamed up to submit a petition to UNESCO to grant Tango the (very deserved, as we know) status of 

World Heritage...!!!