[Tango-L] Are there good dancers at that Milonga?

[Shahrukh Merchant]

It's probably a question that most of us ask ourselves either
consciously or subconsciously before heading off to a Milonga we are not
familiar with, since it affects (of course, among various other factors
that I'm not covering here) how good a time we will have at the Milonga.

For various reasons, I was recently thinking about this question, and
came up with three components of what constitutes a "Milonga with good
dancers."

1. Dancers who are good to WATCH: I.e., a "visually good" dancer. If one
were going to a performance, this may be the only criterion, but even in
a milonga context, dancers moving gracefully with subdued energy and
connection can be a pleasure to watch when you're sitting out, or just
the atmosphere it creates when you walk in to such a Milonga. Newcomers
to Tango or non-Tango dancers may be more attracted to flashy dramatic
moves, while the more Tango-aware may be attracted to subtlety,
connection and the energy of the understated, at least in a Milonga.

2. Dancers who are good to DANCE WITH (for *that* person): A Milonga has
"good dancers" for me in this sense if there are dancers I enjoy dancing
with and of course who are available to me (i.e., they will want to
dance with me too). This may have little to do with the other two. I may
enjoy dancing with someone because I like the person or her personality,
or like the way she dances, or have a good dancing connection with her,
or just feel comfortable dancing with her. If I'm a beginner and
somewhat timid, perhaps dancing with the technically best dancer in the
room may be intimidating and take away from my enjoyment, and hence she
may not qualify as a "good dancer" for me in this sense. Dancing
compatible styles would also affect this component.

3. Dancers who are good to dance AMONGST: A Milonga has "good dancers"
if they don't interfere with the dancing of others. I may not dance with
any of them, or want to, but they should have the skills to be
"transparent" to others in the sense of having the navigation and social
skills, as well as generally considerate behaviour.

I suspect that for most people, (2) is fundamental, but unless it is a
very lightly attended milonga, (3) quickly becomes almost as important
for me. (1) is, I suppose, a consolation prize albeit a poor one--if you
aren't getting to dance the way you would like with whom you would like,
at least you could enjoy watching if there are people who are enjoyable 
to watch ...

There may be some correlation between these factors, and different
levels of importance to different people, but I really think these are
three separate dimensions of what constitutes a good dancer (in a
Milonga). And I can't think of a fourth. Does anyone have other criteria
that would not be covered by one of these? Or other thoughts on the subject?

Shahrukh