[Tango-L] Report from Buenos Aires #2

[Michael]

This is a continuation of my observations, not universal truths.

What to wear at the milongas?

I´ve been told and read that men wear suits. In fact, very FEW wear
suits or sport jackets. I wore a suit to my first milonga and
overheated. It was like setting an oven to bake and 350 degrees. I
don´t wear a suit nor sport jacket, but a vest. The suit didn´t get me
a lot of tandas so wearing less than a suit can´t hurt.

New term
Suggestion of new term for ´`authentic Argentine Tango´´ (I´m using a
keyboard that isn´t conventionally used in the states and it´s
difficult to find special keys.) Instead of ´¨authentic¨`, I suggest
`¨original.¨ The milonguero style (named by Susana Miller) is what I
call the original style. It´s NOT the style I dance in the States but
I consider what I dance to be authentic.

Line of dance

It´s difficult. Dancers on the perimeter tend to follow the perimeter.
I don´t know what those on the inside lane are following. It´s not a
ronda. Tonight, I found two couples inside the center passing each
other IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS. That´s a sign there isn´t a ronda in the
middle. What could cause this? Too much talking and not enough
dancing. In the states, couples tend to start immediately when the
music starts so that the traffic is moving. Here in BA, some people
have nowhere to go so they move around the obstruction. At times, the
inside looks like a bathtub that´s filled with water. Somebody pulls a
plug causing the tub to drain creating a whirlpool at the drain.
Instead of staying at the outside of the inside lane, I see couples
stay closer and closer to the center. Some couples jump to the outside
lane.  If they would spread out, there would be more room.

Teaching at milongas
During the talking period while a waltz started, an Argentine woman
decided to teach me the rhythm of waltz because she couldn´t do a
molinete. Other women at the Atlanta Tango Festival, New York
milongas, and other BA milongas didn´t seem to have problems
but she wanted to correct me. I knew walking off the floor would
reflect worse on me because I´m not a regular so I just took it though
I did tell her the rhythm is uno-dos-tres.

Time differential
BA is ONE hour ahead of Eastern Daylight Time. US (except for Arizona)
turned clocks forward. For some reason, BA turned its clocks back one
hour. BA use to be 3 hours ahead of US.

I´ll post if I left something out.

Have to go to sleep so I can make the 11AM walking tour that begins at
the Congress building.

Reporting from Buenos Aires

Michael Ditkoff
Washington, DC
-- 
I'd rather be dancing Argentine Tango