1599  Dancing in Montevideo (BA Note 13)

Date: Sat, 26 Jul 2003 02:11:56 -0400
From: Tanguero Chino <tanguerochino@NETSCAPE.NET>
Subject: Re: Dancing in Montevideo (BA Note 13)

Rick McGarrey <RICKMCG@FLASH.NET> wrote:

>Uruguay
>
>.... We finally
>found something, a special twice a month event in a
>fantastic spot called Mercado de la Abundancia. Here
>is a tip.
>
>The location was great, an old market that took up
>almost an entire city block, .....

>I have to say that the music and the dancing were not
>very good. ...And, there was another problem. The
>navigation was horrendous.
>

The Mercado de la Abundancia is a special place indeed. Rick, you described the setting well. The milonga there is run by Joven Tango, an organization that host classes in a studio just behind one of the parrilla stalls. They also organize an annual tango festival in December, as well as participate in many other tango events through out the year.

As to the dancing, the attitude is definitely more relaxed in MVD. The Mercado should not be compared to the downtown milongas of BA. It attracts a wider range of people, including those who would otherwise go to the neighbourhood milongas like Glorias Argentina that Rick had described in another post. Milongas like that also exist in MVD, but you definitely need a local dancer and guide. During the few years that I lived in MVD, I had not seen any listing of the neighbourhood milongas.

There is another factor to the horrendous navigation/dancing. In Uruguay, many people dance something called Tango Criollo, also called Tango Oriental, Uruguay being on the east side of Rio de la Plata. This is a simpler style of tango, with more walking, and less complicated figures. This is a tango that many learn by watching, wether it's parents, uncles, aunts or anyone else who does it better. There is more of that showmanship thing than the emotions/connections that is sought after in BA.

Not that BA style "good" dancing cannot be found. Rick and Alejandra probably just missed it. Since the milonga on Saturday alternate between two places, it sounded like Rick went to the wrong one. Either one of these two Saturday milongas would have offered a good level of dancing.

Well, next time.

Go east, dancers, go east!


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