1652  Recuerdos de Buenos Aires 7/11

Date: Sun, 3 Aug 2003 17:47:45 EDT
From: Charles Roques <Crrtango@AOL.COM>
Subject: Recuerdos de Buenos Aires 7/11

Fri 7/11

Went to the Academy of Tango which is above Cafe Tortoni. Quiet and restful
inside, there are lectures and concerts given on some evenings. I inquired
about CDs and other information but it is mostly an organization devoted to
promoting tango but no resources are there to do any real research not do they have
a retail outlet. There was an exhibition of paintings in one of the rooms but
the best part was hearing an orchestra rehearse in one of salons. I sat for a
while and listened to them stop and start musical phrases. The group was
"Orquesta Tipica Fernandez Fierro" who have a CD available. Mostly very
contemporary sounding music in the style of Pugliese, minus his steady beat. Some
classic tangos and original compositions are on the CD but with very modern
arrangements. Mostly "listening tango," not very danceable, with tempo changes and
pauses but beautiful within the acoustic surroundings of the academy which is
like a large spacious apartment. It was late afternoon and the sun was filtering t
hrough the curtains on to the walls and floor as they played. A very pleasant
pause in the afternoon. The front room overlooking the street has many framed
old sheet music covers lining the walls. Try to stop by to see their
newsletter for lectures and concerts.

Back to the apt to rest and clean up before heading out to El Pial, a
neighborhood milonga that had been recommended and was featuring an older
"milonguero" couple. Was planning on staying a little while then heading back to see
Gavito dance at Canning but by the time I got there, the older couple who had been
scheduled to dance had already finished. I decided to stay since it was too
late by then to see Gavito. In some of the neighborhood places, the level of
dancing won't always be so great . Many older people dance but the quality will
vary, although it tends to be much better overall than dancing in the States.
And there are many so-called "milongueros" around, some good, some not so
good. I didn't see too many really good people and there were a fair number of
dating or married couples there as well. It thinned out early. I probably
wouldn't return there to dance although the people I met were nice. But there are
many milongas in Buenos Aires so exploring them will let you know where to go to
find the crowd you like best. You are bound to strike out once in a while.
(My first Sat night there on my birthday was at Gricel but it happened to be
"matrimonio" night so I only watched all night.)
Note: It is considered bad etiquette to ask a woman to dance if she is with a
date, unless perhaps you know them and are sitting with them. Couples who
want to dance separately will not sit together. But you also you won't see any
politically correct sense of "community" there (like in the US) about being
democratic and "sharing the joy" of the dance with your fellow tango lovers. As I
posted earlier, if the men don't think you are attractive or dance very well
they won't ask you nor will the women dance with men if they don't know them or
haven't seen them dance. They also probably won't dance with you if you walk
up to them and ask. (Catch their eye and use the "cabeceo" or nod first.) In
part because they don't need to nurture their "community.' There is plenty to
go around but it can be competitive. Women who are good won't sit very long
without dancing.

Back to Avenida de Mayo for a quick breakfast then rest. Tomorrow will pick
up my shoes from Juan Carlos.

Cheers,
Charles