How would you like your piropo?

Adios ángel con alas en los pies. (Farewell angel, with winged feet). Ladies, how might you feel if after dancing together, a tanguero whispered this to you? Or, De qué estrella te caíste? (Which star did you fall from?) Would you feel outrage for being objectified by a man? Or pleasure at the chivalrous attention?

A year or so ago, when the award-winning Argentine feature film El secreto de sus ojos (The secret in their eyes) was released here, an ex-patriot porteño expressed delight with several piropos (flirtatious compliments), peppered through the early part of the movie. I think that he felt a twinge of nostalgia for his home-town and the local practice of a man expressing appreciation for a woman, traditionally done in clever, poetic form. This has been described as the habit of delivering a verbal flower to the ladies that pass by … (Sergio). A crude wolf-whistle hardly has the same effect!

Call me old-fashioned, but IMHO the piropo belongs perfectly in traditional tango culture, where the woman is respected and treasured. Men are macho, but not in the sense often used by gringos. Totango’s article about male & female roles, and tango gender equality provides a revealing insight into this side of tango.

Some say that the piropo is dying out, losing its poetry and becoming more mundane. Certainly Qué ojos! (What eyes!) is less likely to enchant, than Dame de tus ojos la alegría y de tu boca dame la vida (From your eyes give me joy and from your lips give me life) Luis Alberto. Perhaps Argentine men are becoming a little too busy and too stressed nowadays to come up with witty metaphors.

On the other hand, for Valentine’s Day this year, the organisers of La Milonguita ran a competition for the best piropo. The many clever entries show that this tradition is alive and well after all, at least in Argentina!

PP

What makes a good milonga?

There are many elements that contribute to you saying as you travel home, “that was a good milonga”. Four stand out in my opinion:

Welcoming organisers
They make you feel that you belong and therefore influence the mood of the dancers. Visitors are especially made to feel welcome; shown to where they can sit, and maybe introduced to local dancers.

The codes
This concerns the milonga behaviour that the organisers promote, and the respect which the dancers, in return, have for the codes of the particular milonga. The codes will influence the dancers’ floor-craft and can enhance the harmony, trust, relaxation, sense of community, and cooperation during the milonga.

The venue
Ideally, it is visually appealing, has good ambience and suitable floor. The furniture can be arranged around the dance space to bring the dancers and the ‘watchers’ close…. as well as providing good visual contact for the cabeceo. The venue needs to ‘retain’ the energy of the dancers, rather than allowing it to dissipate. It needs a good sound system which is loud enough to ‘carry’ the dancers, without being harsh on the ears - the music needs to envelope the dancers.

The music
Even if the other elements don’t quite measure up, you simply can’t get past this one. If the music doesn’t work, then it’s unrealistic to think it can be a good milonga. The music is crucial in determining and charting the mood of dancers from the beginning of the milonga to its end. It needs to be the result of knowledgeable and extensive preparation – there are no short-cuts. Near enough is not good enough, and is in fact a long way from ‘satisfactory’, let alone ‘exhilarating’, when it comes to the music.

You can read more on this topic on Tango Australia in Music maketh the milonga

…. and to see all of this coming together, take a look at the recent opening of Cachirulo at Villa Malcolm, where you’ll see organizers Héctor & Norma, DJ Carlos Rey, the codes printed in several languages, great floor-craft and a beautiful venue.

Bob.

Códigos de la milonga #9 - La pista

Scenario 26
Imagine the scene at a milonga. The music has started, couples have begun to dance. You’ve just made eye contact with your next partner, with whom you haven’t danced for a while. Choose the most suitable behavior:

1. The man rushes across the dance-floor to embrace his partner, narrowly missing a couple already dancing.
2. You’re both on the dance-floor. Before taking up the embrace, you greet your partner and ask how they are, what they’ve been up to, etc.
3. You meet your partner and make your way straight onto the dance-floor. The other dancers will accommodate you both.
4. You meet your partner, find a safe gap in the lane of dancers, perhaps making eye contact with the couple approaching and then you merge quickly into the flow.

The correct answer isn’t rocket-science, particularly for most of us who have driver’s licences. (Option 4, in case you were unsure) Yet, it’s surprising how often people forget to consider their fellow dancers. Jan, of Tango Chamuyo provides some useful insights in La pista sagrada (the sacred dancefloor).
And while I’m on the topic of respect for other dancers, in Tango & Chaos in BsAs, Rick McGarrey shares excellent practical advice (replete with graphics) on the challenging skill of navigation. If you are a pusher, a dawdler, or simply see yourself as a free spirit on the pista, this is essential reading!
PP

Esta noche de luna

What affects the way you dance a tango at any one time? Probably, there are countless influences, some may be conscious (your dance partner, the physical environment, the preceding music, the energy of the milonga, etc.). I suspect that there are yet more influences lurking in the subconscious.

What of the tango music itself? Different parts may speak to you. At times, you may find the singer is demanding your attention, whereas previously you were responding to the piano. A knowledge of the lyrics, or at least the theme, of the tango will also play its part and enrich your response. Each time you dance to that same piece it will be a different experience . Isn’t that one of the joys of tango?

I was delighted to find the beautiful translation of one of my favourite romantic tangos Esta noche de luna on Derrick del Pilar’s website. Read, listen and be transported!

Now how might you dance to this gorgeous music? The following clips show very different interpretations of the very same tango played by Carlos Di Sarli’s orchestra with the superb voice of Roberto Rufino . These dancers are all performing for an audience, some may have choreographed their dance and include very impressive manoeuvres, others are improvising and dancing in an understated manner, suited for the salon, with a focus on dancing to the feeling. What I found especially interesting was their musicality, their choices of how to respond and what to respond to in the music.

PP

Tango lives of milongueros

For anyone interested in the traditions of tango, the interviews with milongueros on Mónica Paz and Chan Park's blog PractiMilonguero are gold. The recently recorded videos (sub-titled in English) not only convey the unveiled passion each milonguero has for tango, but also shows us glimpses of their personal history. Chan and Mónica are to be congratulated for this valuable initiative which captures some of the story of tango.

Definitely unmissable viewing! The final treat at the end of each clip: we get to see each milonguero dancing.

Here's the latest, quite moving, video of Ricardo "Tito" Franquelo. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

PP