[Tango-L] Milonga codes

[Sergio Vandekier]

Dear tangueros,

Recently I wrote: "You accept the dance with a cabeceo and stand up waiting for the man to come close to your table or walk towards him and meet halfway."

I want to clarify that at the milongas we do not cross the dancing floor. We always walk following the periphery of the dancing area, even when the floor is empty. We consider the floor as a "sacred" area that is to be used only for dancing.


What I meant was that the lady and the man can walk towards each other following the periphery of the dancing floor, not crossing the dancing area where other couples are already dancing.

 A woman has to wait until the man reaches the corner of the floor where she will enter to meet him. Crossing the floor to meet a man before he arrives shows she doesn't know the codes and hasn't observed other women.


The man, comes for her and returns her to her place. He usually comes close to her table, but not very close; he remains tree or more feet away, waiting for her to come or to reach her table back, this as a sign of respect for "her area".

 

The same when I wrote: the subject covered for talking in between the tangos of a tanda could be an invitation for a cup of coffee or about "the weather".

 

I did not mean "the weather literally" I meant"something irrelevant or of little importance".

 

As a female friend of mine says:

  

The topic is mainly the orchestra, the tango, the singer, about the music to which we are dancing.  

 

Local men may take advantage of the fact that many visitors ignore the milonga codes.

 

Today local men are asking foreign women where they live, how long they'll be in town, etc. which they get away with, knowing that it is inappropriate to get personal with someone you meet for the first time.

 

It would be important to take some time during the tango learning process to review the milonga codes, their origin, history and importance.

 

Best regards, Sergio