The times they are a changin'

Buenos Aires milonga venues continue to undergo involuntary change and attendance patterns fluctuate. So we’ve been talking more about the factors which can make a milonga succeed or fail. Maipu 444, formerly home of Cachirulo, El Maipu, Lujos (on Sunday) and Sentimental y Coqueta, was sold off and closed over a year ago. It is now the stuff of legends. People who experienced those heady days sigh with regret at the loss. Just over a week ago, the intimate El Beso was closed down due to the absence of an emergency exit. Certainly understandable, but that competitive, hot-house atmosphere will not easily be replicated elsewhere.

These organisers all succeeded in finding alternative locations, relocating mainly to larger venues in Alsina, as well as the bizarre choice last year of Villa Malcolm for Cachirulo (Saturday). However, the timing of these changes has been unfortunate. Milonga entradas have not been quarantined from local inflation (Subte fares rose from 1.1 to 2.5 pesos overnight, taxi flagfalls that not long ago were 3.4 are now 8.7 pesos, quality ladies’ tango shoes from 400 to 650 pesos in the last year). Paying 25 – 35 pesos just to enter a milonga is making locals, in particular, think twice about how many milongas they can afford to attend.  It seems that the combination of price increases and venue changes may be taking their toll, at least for some milongas. On the other hand, others are thriving. The question is why.

By the way, this one continues to be one of our favourite milongas:

The Gift

The woman had been dancing for only a short while, but had the ability to give herself to the tango & her partner. Later, she told a friend: “It felt like I was being taken on a tour of a village that he knew well, pointing out the important and interesting places to me, the places that he loved. It was like receiving a gift.”

The man obviously knew the music well, knew its changing dynamic, its different emotional highpoints. The woman was prepared to listen to his body and move with his energy. He felt privileged by the trust that had been given.

No figures and sequences, no choreography or show, just two people, the music, and entrega.

Bob

Vegetarian tango!

Do you want to avoid being treated like an item on the supermarket shelf? What's vegetarian tango?

I always look forward to the insightful chats with milongueros which Mónica Paz posts on her blog.  This time we are treated to Oscar "Cacho" Dante reflecting on tango. He's a gem with an amusing turn of  phrase, like those quoted above.

For the record, I love my greens. But when it comes to vego tango, I think I'll pass!
PP

The importance of detail

After our tango class, R (one of our students) was at home relaxing; watching snowboarding competitions on TV. A remark from one of the expert commentators resonated with him so much, he felt the urge to share it with us today. 

"What's really important is to do the small things really well".

One of the great voices of tango

Enrique Inocencio Troncone would have celebrated his 99th birthday on Saturday 10 March.  Never heard of him? When Ricardo Tanturi  needed "a different voice" to replace the distinctive and most successful Alberto Castillo, he knew about Enrique's abilities. But before joining Tanturi's orquesta  Los Indios, Enrique needed to find himself a suitable stage name. Thus emerged the romantic and intense combination Tanturi and Campos.   For anyone interested, Todotango provides an interesting insight into how and why the stage name was chosen.

Enrique Campos' voice became another significant instrument in Los Indios, one of the great and very popular dance orquestas. Occasionally, I've heard a few dancers complain that they don't like dancing to sung tangos. Some say this is because they can't understand  the lyrics.  But you don't have to understand a word of Castellano to get the feelings throughout La abandoné y no sabía, Una emoción, Oigo tu voz and Recién, to name but a few. Thanks to Derrick Del Pilar you can simultaneously listen to these great tangos, read the original lyrics & the English translations. And as for dancing the emotions of Tanturi con Campos, Javier Rodriguez and the late Andrea Missé's performance of Oigo tu voz in Sydney last year gives me goose-bumps.

PP