[Tango-L] How to spot the tourists in Buenos Aires milongas

[Janis Kenyon]

They arrive wearing a backpack.
They change their shoes at the table.
They wear black t-shirts and cargo pants.
They arrive after a class wearing the same clothes and no deodorant.
They are shy about making direct eye contact in order to dance.
They walk across the floor to meet their partner.
They accept verbal invitations at their table.
They ask men to dance.
They don't observe dancers before they dance.
They begin dancing as soon as the music starts.
They expect or try to dance every tanda.
They dance consecutive tandas with the same man.
They add embellishments to excess.
They prefer quantity over quality of partners.
They will suffer through a tanda just to be dancing.
They dance with their eyes closed.
They don't carry a handkerchief to use between dances.
They share the table with their partner and wonder why locals won't look at
them.
They attract the worst dancers.
They hire a taxi dancer without knowing if he can dance.
They know they are beginners and believe the milonga is for practicing.
They are hustled for classes by men who can't dance.
They arrive early and leave within a short time if they haven't danced.
They are the only ones doing the 8-step basic.
They don't feel the music or know the orchestras.
They believe they have the right to videotape and photograph dancers in the
milongas.
They think that every man in the milongas is a milonguero.
They don't learn or follow the rules of the milonga.
They attend CITA and go to the milongas to show off their new moves.



Janis Kenyon
Buenos Aires