Diaries from BsAs #5 - Fermín (a real tango movie)

As newcomers to tango many years ago, we were fascinated by Sally Potter's The Tango Lesson and Carlos Saura's Tango. There have been other movies with tango as a theme.  But in my view, the recently released Fermín is a true tango film.

If you are able to see it, don't expect frequent dance sequences, although there are some. Rather, it's about tango and the culture of tango as a way of life. We saw how the common themes of tango lyrics form the central themes throughout 85 year old Fermín's life.  This sensitively and intelligently acted story left the audience of the Gaumont Cinema (Buenos Aires) applauding at the end, as well as some tearful eyes.

Let's hope it is released in many other countries including Australia. Try not to miss it.
PP

Diaries from BsAs #4 - How to say "No"

From her:

While explaining the cabeceo to a non-tango dancing porteña, I realised that while a lot has been written about the cabeceo (especially strategies on how to initiate and accept invitations), not much has been said about what to do when you DON'T want to dance.

The current music may not inspire you to dance.  You may not have had a chance to see the available partners dance yet, and don't want to take a chance of an unpleasant experience.  Maybe you've just danced a particularly satisfying tanda and simply wish to bask in the glow for a while.  Or, perhaps you wish to avoid a certain person with whom you feel uncomfortable.  These are a few of the reasons why I might not want to engage in the cabeceo at any one time.

I found myself explaining a few different approaches to"No" to this fascinated local woman.  The strategies for NOT engaging in the cabeceo invitation in a traditional milonga are ideally subtle and highly effective, but occasionally one has to resort to more direct methods:

Invisibility:  At traditional BsAs milongas, the men I have no desire to dance with are effectively invisible to me.  I hardly direct my gaze at them, because to do so would suggest to them that I were interested in dancing with them sometime.  Consequently, they generally won't look in my direction seeking to dance.

Focus elsewhere:  If I simply don't want to dance at all for a while, I find the best strategy is simply to watch the activity on the dance-floor.  That takes the pressure off trying to avoid any inviting gazes.

Gaze away:  The tricky part, I find, is when I want to dance and am therefore looking towards a potential partner, but a different man (sitting close to my intended target) tries to gain my attention by looking at me intently.  People are seated very close to one-another in these busy milongas, so meeting the gaze of the right person can be problematic at times.  To avoid confusion, I ensure that I don't hold his gaze and  I look away.  The "wrong" man should immediately see that I'm not interested in dancing with him.  He would normally get the message at this point.  (Most of the people here understand that there's no pleasure in dancing with someone who doesn't really want to dance with you. They also respect the woman's role in choosing a dance partner.)  Shortly after, I may try looking again at my intended target, if he's not already dancing, of course.

Direct refusal:  As a foreigner, I occasionally have been approached by a local man asking me to dance.  In my opinion this is a very bad sign, as it means that the man is unable to secure a dance using the preferred cabeceo  method, hence is probably an inadequate dancer.  Yet, his intention is to pressure a woman into dancing with him.  It shows a lack of respect for the woman, as his behaviour assumes that she will accept.  He completely deserves the refusal he gets, albeit with a smile.  He won't try that on me again. 
Luckily, the direct approach to invitations doesn't happen too often in traditional milongas, but it's best to be prepared!

I refuse to be the victim depicted by In Search of Tango  and would love to know about other helpful strategies.
PP


From him:

 ....... and the same strategies apply equally to male dancers in search for partners, and in avoiding others. 

However, should a man, with all his gentlemanly history forever on the surface, refuse a direct request from a woman?  Well, at a most traditional milonga in Buenos Aires the other night, my worst case (milonga) nightmare happened - a local woman, complete stranger, tapped me on the shoulder and roughly asked, "quieres bailar?" 

All my thinking regarding the issues above came to mind, but I was particularly conscious that, in this milonga, the codes of behaviour were totally respected.  The lady should have known better, and anyone watching would have been judging the situation, and assessing my response.  I felt that to say "No, gracias" was the only appropriate response, but to soften it, I said "No entiendo".  She repeated her question, this time in English.  To that I said, "yo tengo que bailar con mi pareja y mis amigas".  She accepted that, went away to talk with some friends, and that was that ...... except I was left knowing that I had refused a woman's request to dance with me.  Not a good feeling, but under the circumstances, the right thing to do.
Bob

Diaries from BsAs #3 - Breaking into a milonga

From her:

Newcomers to tango often ask how long it will take them to be able to dance effectively. The only honest answer has to be that "it depends" ...... on many factors.

The same applies to how long it takes to break into a milonga to which you are new.  Recently we returned to a milonga which we hadn't attended for several years.  We sat separately, as usual.  Despite being a newcomer, I was surprisingly given a good seat.  I was close to the dance-floor and in open view of the male dancers.

Watching the dancers, I quickly realised that I hardly knew any of the men. I was an unknown quantity to them, as they were to me.

Fortunately, one of my favourite local partners happened to be there and we enjoyed a lovely tanda early.  At least, it was obvious to the men observing that I could dance well, and a number of them started looking my way for the next tanda.  But, I didn't know how they danced.

So, I followed my tried and true policy of not accepting invitations until I'd seen that they could dance well.  Trouble was, there were quite a number of capable male dancers swirling around.  For some time it was hard to identify and target the ones I wanted to dance with.

In the meantime, I thoroughly enjoyed listening to the excellent music chosen by DJ Dany Borelli.  Watching the dancers was also captivating - like staring into the flames of a fire.

Yes, I did have a few more lovely dances.  Next time, I expect there will be a few more.

As a newcomer to a milonga, patience is definitely essential, particularly if you are choosy.  After all, the local men have a circle of friends with whom they enjoy dancing.  It would be unreasonable for a newcomer to expect to immediately gain their attention.

So, how soon will you dance in any particular milonga? It depends on many things, but here are just a few:

• does your level of dancing match the general standard of the milonga?
• do you already know potential partners there?
• how selective are you?
• where are you positioned in the milonga?
• how effective are your cabeceo techniques?
• how do you present yourself? 
• how regularly do you attend that particular milonga?
• how patient are you and how much persistence do you have?
• ........

PP

Diaries from BsAs #2 - Thank goodness for friends

From him:

It appeared that G only danced with the local milongueros, but somehow I managed to dance with her twice last year … and she was good!

I hadn’t seen her in my first week here, then she appeared on Monday, and I hoped that we’d dance again.  As much as I tried, she wouldn’t return my cabeceo, so I greeted her as I went past; still no result.

Eventually her friend S nodded; I’d never danced with S, but I’d seen her over the years and knew she danced very well.  I made sure I gave the tanda everything, and during one of the chats, S remarked that she thought I had looked ‘lost’ earlier, but I said that I had been trying repeatedly to catch G’s eye.  I also decided to slip in that I suspected that G had forgotten me, then watched their table during the Cortina.  Yes, they immediately talked …….. and with the start of the next tanda, G looked my way and nodded!  Thank goodness for friends!  

The tanda was great, and later, to finish the evening on a good note, S & I danced again.

Bob

Diaries from BsAs #1 - The price of honesty

From her:

During recent visits to Buenos Aires, I’d noticed him appearing at milongas, tall and usually clad in a suit. He’d dance with a few ladies, then disappear again into the night. His style of dancing impressed me and it looked like his partners enjoyed the experience, but I’d never been able to catch his eye.

Then on our first night back in BsAs, he looked my way and we danced a tanda of tango (Calo, if memory serves me correctly). Later, we also enjoyed a tanda of milonga together. After three hours that night, I decided to leave the milonga. Jet-lag had been playing havoc with my body-clock. I needed some dinner, which I mentioned when he asked why I was leaving so early. I should have seen it coming, but I’ll blame the jet-lag.

He, of course, asked me to join him for dinner.
What I said: I breezily declined the offer, saying I was dining with my partner.
What I should have said: “Thankyou, but I’m very tired after the long journey.  I enjoyed our dances. Hope to see you again at another milonga."

Well, I saw him again at several milongas thereafter.  Did he even glance my way? Of course not! I suppose I’d injured his pride with the direct refusal.

Moral of the story: Keep ‘em guessing gals!
PP

Update (1 May):  Looks like I've been forgiven, as he's invited me to dance at a couple of milongas since my initial faux pas.  But things appear to have changed.  He seems to be exhibiting some interesting bits of territorial behaviour since establishing the identity of my partner .... but not winning!