[Tango-L] Swine Flu, Recession & BsAs Milonga attendance

[Ron Weigel]

There was some discussion on this list about amonth ago about the impact of swine influenza on attendance at Buenos Aires milongas. Susana and I have just returned from 3 weeks in Buenos Aires and this is what we have learned in our observations and discussions with people at milongas.

In most of July attendance at most Buenos Aires milongas had taken a hard hit. We went to the once popular matinee milongas at Plaza Bohemia (Tuesday, Sunday) and El Beso (Thursday) and although there were a sufficient number a dancers on the floor to feel like you were dancing in a community of dancers rather than alone (about 15-20 couples on these small floors), these milongas had been packed to the rafters last year and in 2007 during July and August. Also, these matinee milongas that fill the approx. 6 PM - 12 AM time slot were thinning out noticeably around 10 PM. El Arranque on Tuesday (ending at 10 PM) also thinned out early (around 8 PM). However even in late July Gricel on Monday and Leonesa on Friday and Saturday were as packed as they have been in recent years. Fortunately around August 1, when school vacations ended, attendance improved substantially and was near normal for this time of year at the milongas we attended (El Beso, Plaza
 Bohemia, Gricel, Leonesa, Lo de Celia).  Some of the porten~os we met at the milongas said they had stayed away during July because of the fear of swine flu.

A significant part of these reduction in attendance was due to a reduced number of foreigners at these traditional porten~o milongas. Last year during the same time period there were typically at least 20-25 foreigners at these milongas. This year attendance by foreigners was half or less. We encountered few foreigners in our dance invitations. It is not exactly clear why foreigners have stayed away. Worldwide economic recession has hurt travel in general. Several people we know who rent apartments in Buenos Aires have reported a higher vacancy rate this year and some have reported cancellations. Shops in the downtown area dependent on the tourist trade have reported suffering. We have never seen so many empty taxis on the streets. It is likely that the fear of swine flu has caused some, perhaps a significant part of the reduction in tourist travel to Buenos Aires. 

There were several benefits resulting from reduced tourist attendance at milongas. It became obvious that compared to previous years, there was a lot less kicking on the dance floor. With few exceptions, porten~as don't lift their feet off the floor when they dance. Thus, we believe we saw porten~o tango de salon about as pure as it gets. Also, the porten~os who attended despite a swine flu scare were the diehards. The quality of dancing was high. We danced very few disappointing tandas. 

Attendance at Buenos Aires milongas will continue to be affected by worldwide recession, both by reduced tourism and reduced cash availability by Argentines. Argentina has been hard hit by the recession. The rise in attendance at milongas in August reflects to some degree a reduced fear of swine flu (more fear than reality anyway), not an improved economy. Argentina will recover from recession later than the countries sending tango tourists to Buenos Aires.

Ron