[Tango-L] More on the practica scene in Buenos Aires

[Meredith Klein]

When I first got to Buenos Aires just over two years ago, there were just a few
practicas, and most were attended by 50-100 people or fewer.  The
devastating fire in the nightclub "Cromagnon," which happened on Dec.
30, 2004, killing over 200 club-goers, had a huge effect on the
practica scene.  Due to a city-wide closing of clubs and milongas
during most of January 2005 while officials designed and implemented
new regulations for such venues, the practicas were essentially the
only places that you could dance tango in the city of Buenos Aires.
My husband, Andres Amarilla, for instance, was in the habit of going
to Salon Canning, Porteño y Bailarin, and La Nacional, in the time
before Cromagnon.  During the milonga closures, he started going to
Villa Malcolm, Practica X, and other practica venues and has barely
been seen at La Nacional since (much to the chagrin of some of his
friends).

During the milonga closures one friend, Gaby Glagovsky, found that his
practica in "el galpon" (a huge, firetrap warehouse at the back of a
building in Palermo) had all of a sudden become the place to be.
Throughout that summer month dozens of us sweated it out in the
airless space with practically no light and a floor made of cardboard
(at least that's what it looked and felt like).  Realizing that there
was an increasing interest in alternative social dance spaces (i.e.
practicas) in Buenos Aires, Gaby moved his practica to Villa Malcolm
when the milonga/club ban was lifted and now has the most successful
practica in Buenos Aires.  His Friday night "tangocool" practica at
Villa Malcolm regularly draws a crowd of 400+ people.  In other words,
it's as big as any of the mid-sized milongas in Buenos Aires.

There are at least 10 major practicas in Buenos Aires now aimed at the
younger and/or "nuevo" dancers.  The most popular practica venues include:
Practica X, Villa Malcolm, Spell Cafe, and El Garage.  In addition,
there are alternative milongas with a similar "onda" (feeling), and
drawing a similar crowd, including La Viruta, La Catedral and La
Marshall.  At one point, someone on the list commented that most of
the practica-goers are foreigners, but that is not the case.  Young
Argentine dancers (many of whom travel to Europe, Asia and the US to
give workshops) are at the heart of the practica scene.  (If they were
not there, no one would go.)  On any given night, the mix at a
practica is probably 2/3 Argentines to 1/3 foreigners.  At any of the
big milongas in Buenos Aires now (i.e. Salon Canning, Niño Bien,
Porteño y Bailarin, etc.), the proportion is similar if not more
weighted toward foreigners.

As the practica scene grows, a concordant growth is happening in the
level of dancing at the practicas.  In my opinion (and I realize it's
not one held by some on the list), the average level of dancing in the
practicas was always higher than the average level of dancing in the
milongas.  At this time, however, the improvement of the young dancers
is happening at a lightening-fast rate.  Right now, it seems
like every time I go out, I see a couple that I did not know before
dancing at an incredibly high level in terms of musicality, connection
with each other, technique, creativity, and innovation.

I believe that the practicas are at the heart of this change.  Whereas
in the past, a lot of the experimentation and innovation in tango was
happening in rehearsal studios or in closed practicas to which only
certain people were invited, now a lot of it is happening out in the
view of the whole community.  More than ever, dancers are watching
each other, copying each other and goading each other on to new
innovations and higher levels of achievement in the dance.  It's not at all
uncommon to see a group of people in a corner of the dance floor
sharing steps, asking and answering questions about technique, and
working together to find solutions to shared problems.

Many of the practicas now have one or two performances per night just
like the milongas.  The practicas are providing a venue for
experimental performances, which are less frequently seen in the
traditional milongas.  In the last few months, I've seen breakdance,
contemporary dance, hip hop, and humor performances in the practicas,
as well as many performances featuring a fusion of tango with each of
those dance forms.  Some of it, I like; some of it, I don't.  But
that's not what matters.  What matters is that the experimentation and
innovation is creating an ever-heightening sense of excitement and
energy among the practica-goers.

And while we spend our time on this list arguing about what tango
really is and whether alternative music and "nuevo" dancing are the
downfall of the "true Argentine tango," what I find wonderful is that
the two worlds are coexisting quite happily in Buenos Aires.  Most of
the dancers who attend the practicas also attend traditional milongas
like Salon Canning, La Valdosa, and La Calesita (in the summer).
Hardly anyone chooses to only go to the practicas, and certainly no
one takes a position of "I only go to the practicas; I am not a
milonga-goer."  That would be totally ridiculous.

I have heard that one prominent tango teacher explained the necessity
for there being a practica scene in the following way.  She pointed out that
life in the milongas is kind of weird in that you have to wait until 1
am to go out, and when you get to the milonga, everyone is acting
differently than they do during the day because it's the middle of the
night. She said that in the milonga, everyone acts as though they're
in a "mise-en-scene."  For people who want to dance tango and still
have a "normal" life (i.e. get up at 9 am, take yoga or dance classes,
go to work or to the gym), it's just not
possible to go out until 6 am every morning.  The practicas generally
take place between 9 pm and 2 am and so, in addition to the tango
professionals and tourists, you meet lawyers, musicians, yoga
teachers, psychologists, and other people who have to get up in the
morning.

(While you could argue that all of these people could take advantage
of Buenos Aires' many afternoon milongas instead of going to the
practicas, the reality is that, with the exception of the tourists,
there is no one under 50--perhaps more like 60 or 65--at the afternoon
milongas.  It's scary to think what might happen if the practica crowd
decided to invade Club Español one quiet Thursday afternoon.  I fear
that a few heart attacks might occur.)

Names, dates, times and addresses of practicas and "alternative"
milongas in Buenos Aires are available at:
http://andresamarilla.com/theguidepracticas.htm