4771  R-E-S-P-E-C-T for the milonga floor

Date: Sun, 25 Feb 2007 19:45:55 -0300
From: "Janis Kenyon" <Jantango@feedback.net.ar>
Subject: [Tango-L] R-E-S-P-E-C-T for the milonga floor
To: "Tango-L" <Tango-L@MIT.EDU>

My mother used to tell me as a child that when one learned and practiced
good manners at home, one didn't have to think about them in public. Good
manners then became normal behavior.

I learned ballroom etiquette from my parents who danced, so I was prepared
for attending dances from an early age. Dance floor rules were an integral
part of my classes when I taught ballroom dancing in adult education
courses. However, no one prepared me for what I had to learn about respect
for the milonga floor in Buenos Aires.

My first visit to the milongas in Buenos Aires was in 1996, when our group
went to Club Almagro on a Tuesday night. I didn't know that the milonga
floor was a sacred space. When the floor was clear, no one crossed it. You
just don't cross the floor as a shortcut to go to a friend's table on the
other side. That's why there are aisles between the rows of tables. Well,
no one had told me. That night in Club Almagro, Miguel Angel Zotto arrived.
I was so eager to greet him, that I almost ran across the empty floor! No
one said a word about it to me about it at the time, but years later I
realized my error. I had to learn the rules. I should have waited to greet
him later at his table. He wasn't going anywhere. I know exactly how
first-time visitors feel when they go to a milonga and see tango performers
whom they have admired on stage from a seat
in the audience. You lose all sense of good manners and run across the
floor to greet them without thinking. What do those in the milonga think
about it? Oh, just another tourist who hasn't learned the rules.

I was dancing with a milonguero at Glorias Argentinas. We arrived at one
corner of the floor and had to dance around two men who were busy having a
conversation on the dance floor. No, they weren't tourists; they were
Argentines who were there to perform. Even when I motioned to one of them
during the tanda, they continued their conversation on the floor rather than
at a table a step away.

A week ago in Club Gricel, four tourists remained on the floor during the
cortina in order to chat with a dance teacher. She could have simply led
them off the floor to her table, but they continued their conversation until
people entered the floor for the next tanda.

The milonga rules aren't published in a tourist handbook. It takes time to
learn them by paying attention. Dancers would feel more comfortable during
their first milonga experience if they knew the rules. The rules should be
taught in every beginning class and put into practice before going to a
milonga anywhere. Unfortunately, teachers are more concerned with teaching
steps and often don't know the rules themselves.

Take note on how people enter a milonga, how they are seated, how they enter
the floor to dance, how they observe the line of dance, how they apologize
when bumping other dancers, how they leave the floor, and what happens
during the cortina. These are basic points to know before you take your
first step with respect for the milonga floor.

You need to know more than the basic step to walk onto the milonga floor.
Read an article on the subject in the February issue of El Tangauta.
https://www.eltangauta.com/nota.asp?id`9&idedicion=0


Janis Kenyon
Buenos Aires