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Monday 26 October 2009

Códigos de la milonga (milonga etiquette) - Have your say #8!

We thought we had exhausted the possible topics for this quiz, but now there are more! As in other aspects of life, tango continues to present us all with challenges. We're sure you'll recognise these situations.

Scenario 25
A fairly experienced male dancer invites quite an inexperienced lady to dance at a milonga. On the dance-floor he should:
  1. while dancing, lead her through the full range of tango figures he knows, thus giving her a sample of things to come in her tango life.
  2. start with walking and very simple figures, always remaining within a range which is comfortable and enjoyable for her.
  3. explain to her how to execute the movements he is leading as they dance, so she understands what to do.

Scenario 26
It's fairly indisputable that a DJ's role at the milonga is to provide music so that people can dance tango. A milonga convention is that the music is usually presented in brackets of 3 - 5 pieces of tango, vals or milonga (tandas) separated by a short segment of non-tango music (cortina). Should the DJ:
  1. present a range of non-tango, but danceable music to cater for the diverse tastes of the people attending the milonga?
  2. present pieces from his/her extensive library of music which aren't very popular or the most danceable, but are interesting and different?
  3. play only music which really summons dancers to the floor and is accessible for most levels of tango experience?
  4. play a somewhat educative role in his/her tango community by gradually exposing dancers to the common body of great tango music played internationally at milongas?
  5. at a milonga accept without notice, requests to play certain music without a chance to pre-listen?
What do you think?

1 comment:

  1. Scenario #25: 2. Of course!

    Scenario #26: Depending on the milonga and the crowd, 2, 3 & 4 are possible and may be desirable. 1 is also possible in some scenes (though I personally prefer not to dance to non-traditional music, there is no law against it). 5 is a definite no no.

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