A higher order skill for men

What do I mean by higher order skills relevant to the male role in social tango?

Responding appropriately to the music, using the body to effectively communicate your intention and responding sensitively to your partner, are all essential. But these I consider bread and butter skills. In other words, skills which are absolutely fundamental to dancing tango.

So what is a higher order skill? Tricky figures executed in performances may come to mind, but here I'm thinking about tango only in the social context. I'm thinking of the challenge (and the pleasure) in putting those bread and butter skills into action in a busy milonga.

Early in their tango journey, most men probably feel somewhat anxious (and rightly so) at the prospect navigating a dance-floor, let alone a crowded one! A number of skills and factors come together to produce good floor-craft in a male dancer. Not least of these is self-confidence balanced with respect towards the other couples on the floor. Without both of these, even the most musical and skilled male dancer becomes a hazard to others at a milonga.

Master good floor-craft, gentlemen, so your partner can have complete confidence in your ability to protect her and to respect others. It's worth it. Do this and she will surrender to you in the dance. Now that's tango!

Just take a look at a video-clip of Lujos, one of my favourite milongas, to see what I mean.

PP

Is milonga etiquette passé?

Casting my eyes over the reader statistics of this blog, I was surprised by a stand-out trend over the years. The most read and commented posts had a clear theme in common. In the popularity stakes, these two posts were head and shoulders above the rest.

On reflection, the high readership should have been easily anticipated. Considering the social nature of milongas, it should come as no surprise that a topic such as Partner-poaching is a popular post, and that the most read and commented post is How to choose a dance partner.

Not all the comments were in agreement with the sentiments expressed in the posts. In fact, some hearty online discussion resulted. Nevertheless, these real-life situations (humorous, embarrassing, perplexing) in the milonga certainly resonated with many readers.

Surely the popularity of those posts tells us something. In my opinion that message is that milonga etiquette, respect & courtesy, codes of behaviour - call it what you will - still serve a useful role in 21st century milongas, both here and in Buenos Aires.
PP

Can another body be seen as an extension of your own?

Have you experienced a strong connection with a partner when dancing tango? Ever wondered where that might come from?

Well, there seem to be some scientific explanations for the phenomenon. Thanks Alex Tango Fuego for sharing this fascinating Scientific American article.

Favourite milongas

Great music, a good standard of social dancing, respectful & harmonious dance-floors and friendly organisers. That's what we look for when attending milongas in Buenos Aires.

Thanks to Carlos Neuman of Milongas Buenos Aires, you can get a taster of what to expect.  It will help you decide where you would feel comfortable. He has thoughtfully put together videos of many of the popular milongas for the entire week!

They're all delightfully different in character. Venues vary. Some cater more to solo dancers (cabeceo skills required), whereas others, especially the outer-suburban milongas, are more group-oriented. DJs play a big role in attracting regular dancers. You may see the same faces in more than one of them.

Here are a few of our haunts:

El Beso (Thursday) - watch out for the cabeceo at the start of the video

La Milonga de Buenos Aires (Friday)

La Baldosa (Friday)

Lujos (Sunday)

El Maipu (Monday):

PP

Food for thought

Ever wondered why some people don't seem to look in your direction when a new tanda starts?  There are so many possible reasons, quite apart from lack of confidence with the cabeceo-style of invitation.

Many of these possible reasons would be beyond your control eg. your height, the person's mood, musical preference, etc.  So, no need to take their lack of interest personally.

However, there are some things we can influence. In any social setting, personal hygiene, dress and the way we conduct ourselves will affect how others respond to us, of course.  And in the tango social event which we call a milonga, additional factors come into play, not least of which are your social dancing skills.  (By the way, I don't mean how many volcadas, ganchos and decorations which you can squeeze into one tango!)

• Are you easily able to dance with the music and with your partner? 
• How comfortable and enjoyable is your dancing for your partner? 
• Can you dance on a busy and disciplined dance-floor without collision or kicking someone ... and enjoy it? 

If your answer to any of these questions is in the least bit negative, then possibly you  have found an answer to the very first question.  And these things you can change ... if you want to, that is.

Veronica Toumanova has some food for thought for all of us in her piece called Why tango dancers lose interest in improving their skill.

PP