[Tango-L] Level of dancing in Buenos Aires milongas

[Janis Kenyon]

Tom Stermitz wrote:
For example, in Buenos Aires this year I felt there were more good
men than good women. But, in general the level in BA has dropped
dramatically from 10 or 5 years ago, even in the good afternoon
milongas where you do have many excellent dancers.>



>From a woman's point of view, I disagree with your first point.  There are
very few good male dancers in the milongas in BsAs.  I am speaking
specifically about the milongas near downtown where best male dancers  over
60 dance from 6-11pm.  There are only a handful of milongas where you can
find them.  Over the past ten years I have danced with many of them.  It's
one thing to rate them by observation.  Dancing with them in another thing
entirely.

Salon Canning on Sunday evening used to be one of the best places for good
dancing.  It has the best floor in Buenos Aires and attracts a regular
following every week.  I was there last Sunday for two hours.  The place
holds 400.  During most tandas there are as many as 100 couples on the
floor.  It's impossible to dance because the level of the men's dancing has
gone down.  The music was awful as well.  I saw only four men whom I
consider to be excellent dancers.  The others were just going through the
motions.

Yesterday I went to Lo de Celia.  Her place holds around 200, but there were
no more than 12 couples on the floor during any tanda.  We had one great
tanda of music after another for dancing.  I spoke with other women who said
they had a great time as I did.  Dany's music and an open floor for
dancing--what more could you ask for?  I was in heaven dancing with Ismael,
Emilio, Jorge, and Hugo.  When I wasn't dancing, I was enjoying the music
and watching the dancers.  There were no more than 15 men in the milonga,
but more of them were good dancers than I saw Sunday in Canning.  The best
part was we could really dance.  During a tanda with Hugo Belvisi we danced
a complete rotation around the floor in one vals.  That is impossible in
most milongas today.  I hadn't danced with Ismael Heljalil in over two
years.  We danced a tanda of Calo and I closed my eyes, something I never do
when the floor is packed.


I agree with Tom that the level of dancing has declined in BsAs.  It's
depressing to see the level of dancing deteriorating month to month.  There
are so very few milongueros who still dance regularly.  They are in poor
health and dying.  The milongas will be empty without them.