Re: [TANGO-L] Reluctance to dance milonga.

[astrid <astrid @RUBY.PLALA.OR.JP>]

> From: Rick Mc Garrey
>
> *snip*
> Since I never dance milonga...
> *snip
>
> Rick,
> You're not the only man from whom I've heard this sentiment. I love to
dance milonga and frequently ask men to dance and get this reply.
>
> I'd be interested in the reasons you never dance it, and also the
perspective from other leaders who feel the same way.
>
Sorry, this is from a follower.
I have had the same experience, and I know that their reason for this is a
very simple one: they can't. Because the teacher they learned from does not
teach it. In my experience, those tango teachers who come from stage dance
and have a background of ballet, folklore, ballroom or some such, or who do
not come from Buenos Aires, often are unable to dance milonga.
Taking the risk of opening another bag of worms here, let me say, that this
is what I have seen and figured, so it may be a subjective view. But I have
also noticed, that those teachers here who much prefer to dance on stage or
in a studio, and do not attend milongas, often do not know how to dance
milonga (not the same as dancing "at a milonga", but it may go hand in hand
somehow, still)

Astrid

P.S.
It does take a while to get used to the milonga rhythm, as it is not the
same as in tango, even if my teacher thinks, that the milonga is the easiest
of all dances (I don't). It also comes (in part) with a different set of
moves, contrary to what some people seem to think.