[Tango-L] Milonga 101: Conversation in a milonga

[Janis Kenyon]

A woman walks out to the edge of the dance floor to meet the man who has
invited her to dance while seated at a table.  They begin dancing without
any conversation.

They dance and then break their embrace at the end of the music.  Brief
conversation about the music that cannot be heard by others is optional.
They continue dancing the three or four dances of the tanda (set) until the
cortina music indicates the end.

The man escorts the woman off the floor to return to her table.  It is the
man who says "gracias" to the woman, not the reverse.  She accepted his
invitation.  He may thank her as they reach the edge of the floor.

If a woman says "gracias" to a man at any point during the tanda, it means
that she no longer wants to dance with him.  He then escorts her off the
floor to her table.  He will never invite her again.

According to milonga codes, a man never approaches a woman's table for any
reason.  The reverse is true as well.  This particular code is disappearing
from many places in Buenos Aires where socializing takes priority over
tango.