Territorial tendencies

Have you ever been dancing, blissfully transported by the music and your partner, only to be rudely shaken by another couple colliding with you? They appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, moving out of the line of dance. Adding insult to injury, they made no sign of apology and danced on oblivious.

Humans are, by nature, territorial animals. They can exhibit aggression when someone tries to muscle onto their patch. Milongueros in Buenos Aires protect their partner and their space in the ronda.

Of course, they are not immune to feelings of annoyance when subjected to an intrusion. In the early days of tango, knife fights reportedly took place, perhaps over a woman or due to lack of respect on the dance-floor. Nowadays, the milonga tends to be a more civilised environment - on the surface, at least.

Codes of etiquette in traditional Buenos Aires milongas evolved to prevent violent encounters, and to curb other anti-social behaviours associated with the primitive part of our brains.

When even a minor collision happens on the dance-floor, the male dancers immediately signal an apology to each other.  This happens even if the dancer was not responsible for the collision. It keeps the peace.  It shows respect.

I suspect that those who don't do this in BsAs are considered no better than barbarians.

So, how do you deal with such mishaps on the dance-floor?

PP

Two for the price of one

Prominent tango orchestra directors of the Golden Age made use of several singers in their repertoires.  Who can forget Carlos Di Sarli with Roberto Rufino, Jorge Duran or Alberto Podesta? Juan D'Arienzo's best known singers Alberto Echague, Hector Maure and Armando Laborde also brought different qualities to the orchestra, and strongly influenced the end-product. The same could be said about most other great Golden Age orchestras. But seldom did the singers actually share the same stage.

As orchestra director, Alfredo De Angelis cleverly chose to combine the complementary qualities of his singers, more often than most. Carlos Dante teamed up with De Angelis in 1944 and in the same year was joined by Julio Martel. Recording 17 numbers together, they became the best known De Angelis duo.What a treat it would have been to see them live!




Want to hear more?  Here's a great tanda of tangos to feast upon.

And to finish - a dessert. One of my all-time favourite De Angelis / Dante & Martel valses: Pobre flor, playfully performed by the vals specialists, Julio Balmaceda and Corina de la Rosa.

PP

That Buenos Aires embrace #2

Ask a seasoned social tango dancer what they look for in a dance partner, and it should come as no surprise that a good embrace will normally feature in their response.

Recently, a very experienced tanguero friend remarked - with a palpable degree of nostalgia - how different the tango embrace of porteñas is, as compared to most Europeans, North Americans, etc. (I was relieved when he conceded that there were notable exceptions!) He felt that their embrace “helped create an atmosphere for a brief 3 minute love affair”.  They surrender - body & soul - to their partner for the duration of the tango.

This embrace can take various forms: left arm over his right shoulder reaching to his left shoulder; left arm around his right upper arm reaching around his back; etc.  It’s not a one-size-fits-all embrace. It has to feel comfortable for both dancers, and not compromise axis nor freedom of movement. Heights & body shapes will affect the embrace, but it should feel like a complete embrace. A word of caution: the lady’s left elbow jutting out like a sharp weapon is a definite no, no – especially on a crowded floor. 

Jantango went to the trouble of compiling quite a comprehensive series of photos of ladies’ embraces & commentary: How do you hug your dance partner? part 1, part 2 and part 3. Can you see yourself there?

And how do these embraces work? Here’s a selection of embraces in action at Lujos, one of our favourite Buenos Aires milongas

Just a final thought: I find that a memorable embrace is not only physical. It feels like your partner is 100% in tune with you. In this age of multiple distractions, isn’t that something to be treasured?

Gentlemen, what type of embrace you prefer?

PP

Milonga Para los Niños wrap-up

 
It was a great milonga with such a positive vibe and lots of good dancing, and to top it off, we raised $2,300!

And that's not all.  Lucy and Frank's Gitano Milonga preceded by a Gypsy Bread-Making Workshop in May raised $1,000.

The Para los Niños foundation which supports  the two foster homes (Civil Los Horneros and Hogar Siand) will shortly be transferring those much-needed funds to BsAs. $3,300 will make such a difference in the building plans of the foster homes.

Here's a Youtube video of Hogar Siand and some photos we took of both homes during a visit in May.

We're so proud to be part of such a supportive tango community. Well done, Adelaide!

Lust in the milonga

In between the songs in a tanda, Pat’s partner said, ‘Your husband must need glasses, letting you go out dancing on your own’, which simply brought a bemused smile to Pat’s face.  Of course, it was simply a piropo, which women can expect to hear often from local men in the milongas of Buenos Aires.

But this isn’t the lust I’m talking about, nor the more pointed invitation for ‘un cafecito’ after the milonga, that foreign women may receive.  

I watch the women dance, and focus on one, as I notice her pivots, the contact her feet have with the floor, her embrace, the way she responds with elegance to her partner’s leads, the occasional under-stated decorations that enhance rather than interfere with the connection, the one-ness she creates with her partner.  My desire kicks in: “I must dance with her!”  So begins the chase.  If she has seen me dance, then hopefully I’ve measured up.  But now, the cabeceo is all I have left to convince her to take a chance.

Then there’s the lust that hits immediately, when the tanda begins with Fumando espero (Di Sarli/Pomar), La abandone y no sabia (Tanturi/Campus), or Lo pasao paso (Di Sarli/Rufino), and to these I feel that I must dance – they are tangazos!  Now there’s a desperate search to see whether one of my regular partners, who I know will dance this well, is available.  And again, I must put my trust in the cabeceo at a distance, hoping that she feels the same.

The tanda finishes, and the lust is sated.  I can return to my seat, and for a while, savour the 12 minutes that my partner and the music have given me.  The feelings of delight and satisfaction will last all night.
Bob