The Tango-L mailing list archive
Digest from 12 Oct 2000
to 13 Oct 2000
Reply-To: Discussion of Any Aspect of the Argentine Tango <TANGO-L @MITVMA.MIT.EDU>
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Date: Fri, 13 Oct 2000 03:01:26 -0400
Sender: Discussion of Any Aspect of the Argentine Tango <TANGO-L @MITVMA.MIT.EDU>
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Subject: TANGO-L Digest - 12 Oct 2000 to 13 Oct 2000 (#2000-277)
There are 3 messages totalling 117 lines in this issue.
Topics of the day:
1. portable dance floors - thanks!
2. Men--expect to be asked
3. Mariano Mores y 70 anos de tango
Date: Fri, 13 Oct 2000 00:12:15 +0200
From: Helaine Treitman <treitman @GIOTTO.ORG>
Subject: portable dance floors - thanks!
Hi friends,
Writing to the list about my dance floor problem (October 3, 2000) was the
smartest thing I could have done. Within 24 hours I had about a dozen
suggestions, some of them quite detailed and informative, and the
suggestions are still coming in. I now have a big file of material to
research and discuss with suppliers. The manager of the ex-monastery is
even eager to go through the responses and help me choose a workable one -
but I have to translate everything to Italian!
Thanks to everyone who took the time to respond and offer me advice.
To clear up a small misunderstanding I seem to have created in my message,
I had NO intention of investing $30,000 US in a temporary floor in our
first year of seminars! I was looking for an economical solution, but one
that would still last through 70 days of seminars and milongas, and maybe
into the following year.
It's great to be part of this worldwide community of tangueros. Thanks
again.
Helaine
Date: Thu, 12 Oct 2000 19:45:34 -0300
From: Janis Kenyon <jantango @FEEDBACK.NET.AR>
Subject: Men--expect to be asked
Naomi Bennett wrote about her experience in Buenos Aires:
>There were many that would only dance with women that they already knew.
This is not only true in BsAs, but all over the world. It is normal to
dance with partners you know. It takes time to become known in the
milongas. And longer to know how to handle yourself.
>Most of the people in the afternoon milongas are 50-60-70. After a while I
got a bit tired of dancing with >men older than I.
The majority of people in the milongas of BsAs are 55-75. They are the ones
who have time to go dancing. The milongas are their social activity. Many
don't have work and would rather dance than stay home. There appears to be
a gap from the ages of 40-50. And there are milongas joven for those 15-30.
If one falls between the age of 30 and 55, you will find more partners older
than you. But ladies, if you are in your 40s, you can always take a chance
at the milongas where the younger dancers go and see what happens. My
question is, why do women need/want to dance with someone their own age?
Isn't an excellent dancer enough?
>So I was also going to the evening milongas. I must say, it is tough as a
>foreign woman to get a dance at night. There are so many local women there
>to compete with. Many men would look right back at me but through me and
>then slowly move their glance, like they didn't see me. I got tired of
>waiting an hour or more between dances.
For me, tango is not exercise. I don't have to dance a certain number of
tandas at a milonga to feel it was worthwhile going. I went to a milonga
yesterday from 19,00-22,00. I enjoyed the music and watched the dancers
while I sat alone at my table. I did not dance until 20,30. There were
only three men in the room with whom I wanted to dance. I danced three
tandas in three hours. I hadn't been to a milonga for 11 days. I prefer
quality over quantity.
>Anyway to
>dance with only 2-3 men in a 4 hour period was boring.
It happens to all the women in the milongas. Women out-number the men. On
rare occasions, there are more men in a milonga. I have learned to be more
patient. I remember a milonga when the quality of the tanda was so
incredible, I didn't have to dance anymore that day. It may have sounded
like a line to him, but I truly meant it. We had danced regularly last
year, so after five months of not dancing with Pepe, it was an absolute
delight.
>Mary went to B.A. and didn't follow the code. She asked the best dancers
>and was bold about it. She didn't speak spanish either. She was not an
>exceptional dancer, She was not young. She did have personality. What I
>got from her was not to follow the code down there, or anywhere.
I regret that Mary was determined to dance at all costs. I question whether
she really had the best dancers for partners. I wouldn't recommend this
method to any woman who wants to have a good experience in the milongas of
Buenos Aires. The woman chooses with whom she wants to dance, but she waits
for the man to indicate the time. That is how it is done here. Period.
Did she make a point of taking classes to improve the level of her dancing
before charging into the milongas? Did she take the time to learn a few
phrases of Spanish so that she could converse? So what if she has
personality. Ladies, please don't follow Mary's lead in the milongas of
Buenos Aires. Sounds as if she had a quota of tandas to win a bet.
Pichi
Date: Thu, 12 Oct 2000 18:52:44 -0300
From: Janis Kenyon <jantango @FEEDBACK.NET.AR>
Subject: Mariano Mores y 70 anos de tango
The show will be live on the Internet, this Saturday, October 14.
www.clarin.com.ar www.ciudad.com.ar
End of TANGO-L Digest - 12 Oct 2000 to 13 Oct 2000 (#2000-277)
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