2856  Impressions from the first tango trip to Buenos Aires. Part III. Cabeseo

Date: Mon, 4 Oct 2004 18:40:47 +0000
From: Oleh Kovalchuke <oleh_k@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: Impressions from the first tango trip to Buenos Aires. Part III. Cabeseo

The intricate art of cabeseo

Cabeseo is ritual used at Buenos Aires milongas to invite partner to dance.
For some time I absentmindedly called cabeseo cabesito, which if you think
about it is altogether very different thing. It took me three full days to
work out proper ritual for cabeseo. Not that I wasn t dancing but I am sure
I have missed some opportunities to dance simply because I would be staring
at inappropriate time or simply staring. Borges has wasted his talent
writing that tango poem (about knifes and other silly things). It would be
much better spent attempting to describe refined rules of invitation to
dance at milongas. As in any complex human system there are exceptions from
the rules and exceptions from exceptions. Also the rules vary from milonga
to milonga and depend on how early or late you arrive to a particular
milonga, and on how good a dancer you are. See, Borges should have loved to
write about it. Well everything is not lost as yet - I saw a guy at Salon
Canning and a girl at El Beso doing nothing but writing fervently throughout
milonga. Tango Borgeses in the making?

Milonga floors are rectangle. Since dance invitations in Buenos Aires occur
via eye contact it is the best to separate men and women and place their
tables at perpendicular sides of the floor (the best example of this kind of
placement as well as the best environment (floor size, light) can be found
at Lo de Celia). As you enter the milonga a host usually greets you and
escorts you to your table. The best tables located in the middle of the
front row are usually reserved for hard core milongueros. It makes sense
since these are the guys who will be looked on the most and often dance the
most. Tourists and couples are placed at the back row. Again makes sense
since these are the people who are not going to use cabeseo much. Couples
dance with themselves. If you are a couple but wish to dance with other
people sit at separate tables. It is very easy to spot tourists at milonga
especially at Salon Canning: they form the islands of people among empty
tables still sitting during third song in the tanda.

You can call ahead and reserve a front table. However I would advice against
it if you do not dance well, since you might feel lonely sitting there while
everyone except you has left their tables to dance. Also it could be very
stressful for your neck and needless to say to your psyche to node in
response to all the glances addressed to some really good dancer sitting
right next to you. If you happened to find yourself in this predicament
(sitting next to a popular dancer) you will be well advised to wait until he
gets up to dance and then start scanning the tables for remaining potential
partners.

So the host has placed you at your table (or if you arrived late or to Salon
Canning you found an empty chair somewhere). Cortina is played. Look at the
floor, the ceiling, the table, your neighbor - anywhere but the followers;
you never know what kind of music will be played during the upcoming tanda.
Tanda has started. Let those popular guys get up. Now start to glance
casually along the follower s row. If you have just arrived to Buenos Aires
at your first visit and not a Prince Charming on white horse and in full
attire chances are no one is looking your way. At some point at this
introductory stage you might encounter three kind of glances: 1) quick
glance and look elsewhere no interest; 2) about three second stare and
look elsewhere too late, you have just missed your chance to invite
someone for a dance, node after the first or second second to invite these
are the potential dances I have missed initially a lot; 3) constant stare
your fellow tourist.

Start dancing and hope that your partner is good (this is why some sage
tourists hide from the countrymen). If you are good and needless to say
close embrace dancer magic begins to happen: after couple tandas heads begin
to turn your way. First from the table with the follower with whom you have
just finished a tanda. Gradually from all around the room. Now even local
dancers might begin to stare. At this point anything goes and you can also
start to stare at someone you consider to be an interesting to dance with. I
didn t do it but I saw some great local dancer who would stare at followers
all the time simply because he would hate to miss a tanda.

You know that you are accepted as a quality dancer when you come to Porteno
y Bailarin for your second milonga and a good follower sitting in front of
you and with whom you have not danced as yet turns her chair around almost
putting her back to the floor to face you. Naturally native milongueros are
surrounded by this kind of attention all the time. In fact it is very
illuminating as well as entertaining to stand behind a milonguero s row at
Porteno y Bailarin (bar is conveniently located right behind this row) and
to observe the lengths some of the followers go into to dance with the old
tigers.



Summary

When can I visit again?


Cheers, Oleh K.
Colorado Springs
https://TangoSpring.com

Date: Mon, 4 Oct 2004 14:54:12 -0700
From: Tango Dancer <tango_1908@YAHOO.COM>
Subject: Impressions from the first tango trip to Buenos Aires. Part III. Cabeseo

Part 1>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

> Besides these three

> exceptions people dance chest to chest at all milongas I went to.

When the floor is not crowded you see a lot of open embrace dancing in Buenos aires... if you leave from the milongas early, you will only see close embrace dancing...

> The level of dancing is naturally more uniform and

> rather high. I have not seen any beginners,

Hm... perhaps you did't have your eyes wide open... or you might just not be able to distinguish bad dancers. Or perhaps, we two, just have different definition on who a "bad dancer" is. My "impression" is that in the milongas of BA you can find a lot of bad dancers...

> So if you do not speak Spanish the

> pauses will feel rather cumbersome. This is another reason why tourists do

> not get invited often. Tourists do speak English usually.

Perhaps dancing with a tourist is kind of risky... (most tourist are bad dancers) and perhaps locals prefer to invite people they already know...

> Couples dance with themselves. If you are a couple but wish to dance with > other people sit at separate tables.

I think you wrong here...

> Cortina is played. Look at the floor, the ceiling, the table, your

> neighbor - anywhere but the followers; you never know what kind of music

> will be played during the upcoming tanda.

I guess this is a way to track tourists when you are away from salon canning

(we already know how to find tourists in salon canning:)



-----------

part 2 is comming up....

Date: Mon, 4 Oct 2004 14:56:57 -0700
From: Tango Dancer <tango_1908@YAHOO.COM>
Subject: Impressions from the first tango trip to Buenos Aires. Part III. Cabeseo

Part 2 >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

> Maria told me that I do too much with my feet and that of all milongueros

> only Gavito does something similar with his feet.

-No comments

> Matinee at Club Espanol. The most ornate/posh building of all. Due to

> apparent absence of hardcore milongueros I got to be a minor star at this

> particular milonga. In fact I had to hide my eyes for a bit of break from

> dancing.

> Salon Canning. Me and D. went here to avoid crowds. The place was fairly

> empty since everyone is at Nino Bien on Thursdays. This again gave me a

> chance to be a minor star.

-No comments

> You know that you are accepted as a quality dancer when you come to

> Porteno

> y Bailarin for your second milonga and a good follower sitting in front of

> you and with whom you have not danced as yet turns her chair around almost

> putting her back to the floor to face you.

-No comments

> If you are good and needless to say

> close embrace dancer magic begins to happen: after couple tandas heads

> begin

> to turn your way. First from the table with the follower with whom you

> have

> just finished a tanda. Gradually from all around the room. Now even local

> dancers might begin to stare.

Could also happen if you are a bad dancer...

> I have

> danced with another instructor from La Academia later at Milonga de las

> Morochas and she told me she likes the way I dance, other local dancer at

> Lo de Celia told me that I dance like porteno).

Did this local dancer clarify whether you dance like a bad porteno dancer or like a good one?



...............

Nothing personal Oleh

sorry if i was a bit rude

but some times i freak out whith what i read in Tango L



love,

Marco

Date: Mon, 4 Oct 2004 22:15:45 +0000
From: Oleh Kovalchuke <oleh_k@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Impressions from the first tango trip to Buenos Aires. Part III. Cabeseo

Tango Dancer wrote:

"-No comments" several times
and
"Nothing personal Oleh sorry if i was a bit rude but some times i freak out
whith what i read in Tango L"

No harm done. Obviously we all write from personal perspective.Those were my
personal experiences. They might clash with yours and hence could either
amuse you or freak you out. Besides it is hard to take offense to no
comments.

Cheers, Oleh K.

>From: Tango Dancer <tango_1908@YAHOO.COM>
>Reply-To: Tango Dancer <tango_1908@YAHOO.COM>
>To: TANGO-L@MITVMA.MIT.EDU
>Subject: [TANGO-L] Impressions from the first tango trip to Buenos Aires.
>Part III. Cabeseo
>Date: Mon, 4 Oct 2004 14:56:57 -0700
>
>Part 2 >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>
>
>
> > Maria told me that I do too much with my feet and that of all
>milongueros
>
> > only Gavito does something similar with his feet.
>
>
>
>-No comments
>
>
>
> > Matinee at Club Espanol. The most ornate/posh building of all. Due to
>
> > apparent absence of hardcore milongueros I got to be a minor star at
>this
>
> > particular milonga. In fact I had to hide my eyes for a bit of break
>from
>
> > dancing.
>
> > Salon Canning. Me and D. went here to avoid crowds. The place was fairly
>
> > empty since everyone is at Nino Bien on Thursdays. This again gave me a
>
> > chance to be a minor star.
>
>
>
>-No comments
>
>
>
> > You know that you are accepted as a quality dancer when you come to
>
> > Porteno
>
> > y Bailarin for your second milonga and a good follower sitting in front
>of
>
> > you and with whom you have not danced as yet turns her chair around
>almost
>
> > putting her back to the floor to face you.
>
>
>
>-No comments
>
>
>
> > If you are good and needless to say
>
> > close embrace dancer magic begins to happen: after couple tandas heads
>
> > begin
>
> > to turn your way. First from the table with the follower with whom you
>
> > have
>
> > just finished a tanda. Gradually from all around the room. Now even
>local
>
> > dancers might begin to stare.
>
>
>
>Could also happen if you are a bad dancer...
>
>
>
> > I have
>
> > danced with another instructor from La Academia later at Milonga de las
>
> > Morochas and she told me she likes the way I dance, other local dancer
>at
>
> > Lo de Celia told me that I dance like porteno).
>
>
>
>Did this local dancer clarify whether you dance like a bad porteno dancer
>or like a good one?
>
>
>
>..............
>
>Nothing personal Oleh
>
>sorry if i was a bit rude
>
>but some times i freak out whith what i read in Tango L
>
>
>
>love,
>
>Marco
>
>
>

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