[Tango-L] Milongas

[Crrtango@aol.com]

Greetings,

It is possible to make money from milongas but as Gulden says you probably 
need 40 - 50 people. He is mistaken however about not even big cities having 
that many people, at least in New York, because many milongas here have that 
many. Some here have up to 100 or more people and have even gone to 200 or more on 
special occasions. It depends on the critical mass of dancers in your 
community. We had too many milongas for that mass for several years but now the 
community is quite large. In other words, don't create too many too soon or get too 
competitive. That will only dilute all of them. I ran Danel and Maria's 
milonga often when I was working with them. It was not unusual to see 80 people on 
a bad night and 100 or more on a good one. It is still about basic business 
principles. Cost versus profit. But it is not just about business.
One big problem is the level of dancing. Too many people start milongas who 
are mediocre dancers and so the classes they teach just reflect that and they 
tend to attract other mediocre dancers and the good ones shy away. 
Another problem is the music. Too many people get too creative with the music 
choices and don't follow the structure of tandas or play too many 
"alternative" tangos. I don't return to milongas if I hear ten tangos in a row without 
waltzes or milongas or too much non-tango music. It really kills the mood if the 
tangos just go and on without a break to waltz or do milongas. 
Yes, it is a labor of love often but it can be profitable. But one should not 
do it just thinking about the money but also about the dancing. If there are 
good dancers, that will attract others. Many milongas here start with some 
gimmick or some cool new restaurant, which usually is not doing much business on 
one night so they offer their space for dancing. With exceptions, they often 
don't make it. 
A lilttle decoration doesn't hurt, and a little food and beverage provided 
with the cover but don't get carried away with the expensive natural or organic 
goodies. Get simple cheap stuff. People are there to dance, not feast. You 
don't need musicians but you do need a good DJ or at least a CD structured into 
tandas. 
Don't get too casual about dress. Why go out to dance if you are wearing the 
same jeans you had on  during the day and for god's sake men (because you are 
the main culprits), take a little pride in your personal hygiene. Leave the 
sweaty t-shirts home, put on a coat once in a while. People think tango is a 
very cool thing to know but dress like they are raking the yard. 
In other words don't do it as an entrepreneur, but as an aficionado of the 
dance.
cheers,
Charles


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