[TANGO-L] Outdoor Milongas Hosting/Dancing

[Ramu Pyreddy <rpyreddy @EECS.UMICH.EDU>]

Greetings,

We started a Argentine Tango club at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
last September. Close to 2/3rds of our membership comprises of students and
the other 1/3rd is community members.

Contrary to our initial expectations, we did well in our first year. We also
got monetary logistic help from the University in this endeavor. During
Fall and Winter semesters (when school is in session), we have milongas
twice a month. In the summer we have milongas once a month. We hold weekly
practicas besides the milongas. We keep the membership fees very low.
($15/$10 for a semester). It is a non-profit venture and we have some
dedicated volunteers willing to teach. (details  @ www.umich.edu/~umtango)
All our events are free for people visiting from out of state.

We just got permission from the University to hold milongas outdoor
at the Regent's Plaza, next to the University's Student Center (aka Michigan Union)
The plaza has a nice ambience, it is aptly lit by street lights, surrounded
by concrete benches on 3 sides and "The Cube" on the fourth.
("The Cube" is a big black steel cube pivoting on one of its corner)
This is a free event.

The only drawback is that the floor is concrete. I would like to hear from
members of this list about street dancing and dancing on concrete in particular.
I danced outdoors once in Portland, Oregon and once in Paris on the banks of
Seine river. I enjoyed the whole experience. The floor was concrete in one case
and brick in the other. But I understand it is much harder for women who do
more pivoting and turning.

In particular (for dancing on concrete floor) -
  Any DOs and DON'Ts
  Advice on Shoes
  Advice on Dancing Styles
  Anything relevant to dancing outdoors

I am planning to compile a list of these and distribute at the outdoor milonga.
Check our website for additional details.
www.umich.edu/~umtango

Thanks in advance.

Regards,
Ramu

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Send "Where can I Tango in <city>?" requests to Tango-A rather than to
Tango-L, since you can indicate the region. To subscribe to Tango-A,
send "subscribe Tango-A Firstname Lastname" to LISTSERV @MITVMA.MIT.EDU.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------