[Tango-L] milonga chatting

[sherpal1@aol.com]

So very perfect Sergio!!!!....such harsh  criticisms and comments on 
the list about such a beautiful social, cultural custom.  If this 
aggression is in your head, what must your dancing be like...the 
dancers in BA are not machines that try to crank out as many dances as 
possible in one evening or matinee...not only don't they start dancing 
as soon as the music starts, they dance far fewer steps to each song, 
there is really far less movement than in our US milongas...all this 
leads to LONGEVITY with out tire or injury.  It is a very valuable 
strategy deployed to enable dancers to dance all night.

And a really good milonga has its own character and pulse and everyone 
through their sensitivity has the shared sense about when the floor is 
going to start moving.  People who want more chat, pull themselves out 
of the dance lanes so as not to interrupt.  And the chatting in my 
opinion is a bit humorous from a foreigner's point of view, usually 
following the lines of: Where are you from, when did you arrive, when 
are you leaving, where do you stay, what is your name, where else do 
you dance.  If they recognize you from a previous trip(and they always 
do since they have great memories of dance styles) they will say : when 
did you arrive, when are you leaving, etc, etc...IF you only learn how 
to speak enough spanish to answer these routine questions, you will be 
a big hit!!!

I don't know why people travel if not to learn and absorb some of the 
most wonderful customs and culture of another country...other people 
might just have it right...and if you incorporate these principles in 
your own life and experiences, you may have a better time than you 
think you are having now.  Sherrie

In a message dated 5/22/2012 2:08:53 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, 
sergiovandekier990 at hotmail.com writes:

Every code has an important reason to exist, some times more than one; 
that reason may only exist in Argentina and in this case the code is 
not understood or necessary abroad .  If you are a lady who comes to 
the milonga alone, you have to be perceived as unattached for  men to 
ask you to dance.  You show this condition by entering the milonga 
alone or in company of other women, greeting briefly some friends, men 
and ladies; a kiss on the cheek is no problem. You sit alone or in 
company of other ladies. You do not talk to a particular man. You 
accept the dance with cabeceo and stand up waiting for the man to come 
close to your table or walk towards him and meet halfway. When a tango 
ends and while you wait for the next one to start, this is the only 
chance you have to chat with that particular man. The conversation 
could be an invitation to a cup of coffee after the dance or about the 
weather.  In case of a date, both the man and the woman wish to keep 
the "unattached condit!
ion" (for the time being) and therefore they leave the milonga alone as 
they came. They meet later in certain place described during the 
"chat". Another reason for the rest (talking or not) in between pieces 
of music, is that a good tango dancer has the need to wait for a moment 
to get the feeling of the music before he starts to dance. The same as 
when he arrives to the milonga, he must sit and relax for a while, 
absorbing the ambiance, studying his posibilities in reference to 
possible dancing partners, perhaps having a drink, etc., before he 
starts dancing.  The conversation we are discussing is very brief, a 
few seconds, the duration depends on when the couple in front of you 
starts moving, it does (it should) not disrupt the ronda at all. Best 
regards,  Sergio
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