[Tango-L] My first trip to Buenos Aires

[Steve Littler]

  I recently returned from my first Tango holiday to Buenos Aires for 
two weeks. Having less than 3 years experience, I considered the 
adventure a great success.

I danced 100 tandas with 85 different women in 12 days. I had several 
Tango friends show me around B.A mostly to the trendy downtown evening 
milongas that typically start at 11:00 p.m. and run to 4:00 a.m. Get 
home to bed about 6:00 or 7:00 a.m. Sleep til noon or 1:00 p.m. Then go 
out for sightseeing/shopping in the afternoon. Dinner with friends, then 
out again to the milongas. Sometimes 2 or 3 milongas in an evening.

I only danced a couple times with my friends. Mostly I danced with 
strangers and all by cabeceo invitation.

I'm a friendly person and I found most of the people of B.A. to be very 
friendly and the dancers in the milongas to be friendly.

Sometimes, the pista was quite crowded and I only had barely a square 
meter or less to dance on. That's not really a problem for me, but some 
others were not such good navigators and sometimes did ganchos or big 
patterns or backsteps against the line of dance or crossed lanes or 
passed and cut in, which I have been trained not to do and is supposedly 
not allowed in B.A. crowded milongas. Yet some were violating the code. 
But I protected my partners and allowed no injuries.

I speak only a little Spanish, but I managed pretty well. Often my 
partners spoke some or a little English or were even fluent. But since 
we were mainly dancing it usually didn't matter much, as long as I lead 
well and she enjoyed the dance. Almost always they would say "Muy Bien!"

In addition to some bad dancing that I observed, I also observed some 
very fine dancing. Some of the old milongueros danced VERY sweetly, with 
great style, musicality, passion and intense feeling. Having seen that 
intensity with my own eyes inspired me to amp up my own dancing to a new 
level and I feel like I brought that feeling back home with me.

On the first night, a really nice porteña dancer I danced with told my 
friend in Spanish, that I danced elegantly and on the music. That was 
nice to hear and I heard it several more times. Of course, my confidence 
as a dancer is greatly increased now.

I managed to take 3 classes. One with Raul Bravo, an icon. Fancy steps: 
sacadas, enrosque, etc. One with Christian Marquez, a young, elegant 
show dancer: more fancy steps, sacadas, enrosque etc. Of course I can't 
use these in a crowded milonga. One with my teacher Mimi Santapa. And 
what do I work on with her? The same thing she always works on with me: 
posture, embrace, walk. And that I REALLY used in the crowded milongas.

Now having danced back home for a couple weeks, my compliments continue. 
I still go to weekly lessons, practicas and milongas and I feel like I 
dance better every week. I still "share the love" with everyone I can.

Many thanks to all my teachers and partners over the last several years! 
What a ride it has been!

For those who have yet to go to Buenos Aires to dance, I say go as soon 
as you can. Observe the codes and dance as much as you can and let the 
Tango spirit infuse into you and bring that back home to share with others.

Abrazos!

El Stevito de Gainesville