[Tango-L] BsAs: Young/Old, Milongas/Practicas - Part II

[Brian Dunn]

Continued from Previous Message


But I notice the younger dancers are now starting their own milongas (and
yes, they DO call them milongas - for example, "Milonga10", which directly
follows "Practica8", which is in competition with "Practica(X)" on Tuesday
nights).  At these new milongas that I've attended, they play typically
traditional music, in the place of a "workout mode" practica vibe there is
often a palpable feeling of real emotional connection between partners,
line-of-dance is observed, but the dancers also tend to dance with more
energy than the average dancer at late-night milongas; the level of dance is
correspondingly higher; when space is available, they tend to (more) fully
use the available space while maintaining intimate connection, without
causing conflicts, just as they do in the sometimes-available space in the
classic milongas without disruptions. There is far less tendency to
immediately form a dense outer ronda with a wide-open middle at these
milongas. 

So one useful generalization I'd offer is that younger BsAs dancers, and
those who want to focus on improving their tango level regardless of age,
tend to make full use of available space (typically in BsAs without
disrupting others) at whatever event they attend, whether traditional
Milonga, practica, or "new milonga".  Correspondingly, older, more
traditional BsAs dancers comfortable with their current level, and those
seeking a relaxed social experience without intense focus on the dance, tend
to frequent the classic milongas, where traditionalists cluster in a dense
outer ronda even when there is plenty of space. I also observe that deep
emotional intimacy is possible (insofar as it's visible to onlookers)
regardless of the dancers' "density choice".

Based on this, I suggest that even small communities can successfully host
conflict-free "mixed events"! Dense outer ronda for the traditionalists,
open inner space for the "practica types", right?  Perhaps that distinction,
if taken to heart by attendees at milongas in the USA, is all that's needed
for everybody to get along, even in small communities which can't yet
support differentiated events? That way everybody gets what they need at the
same event, which can help smaller communities still have events that feel
like real parties.  Maybe a little community consensus-building, over coffee
or something, would go a long way to bridging the gulf and resolving this
issue. This should work OK as long as there are enough traditionalists to
form a ronda in the available space - if not, maybe a smaller venue is
needed to adequately test the idea.  

On the other hand, one idea for too-large venues is to just split the floor
- use a folding table or two as a divider, traditional milonga-style ronda
on one side, watch-your-back practica-style freeform on the other side,
everyone hears the same music.  This works very very well in our big Denver
practicas with very few conflicts - the dividers just move back and forth
between the "venues" to create an effectively dense ronda, with people
freely switching sides as needed for their dance-activity-of-the-moment.

I'd be interested in comparing notes with others who have observed the same,
or different, circumstances in Buenos Aires, or who seek to resolve the
kinds of conflicts Ron and Jack refer to at USA tango events of various
sizes.

All the best,
Brian Dunn
Dance of the Heart
www.danceoftheheart.com
“Building a Better World, One Tango at a Time”