gmane.recreation.dance.tango.tango-l

Milonga codes

Sergio Vandekier — 2012-05-26T16:35:00

Dear tangueros,

Recently I wrote: "You accept the dance with a cabeceo and stand up waiting for the man to come close to your table or walk towards him and meet halfway."

I want to clarify that at the milongas we do not cross the dancing floor. We always walk following the periphery of the dancing area, even when the floor is empty. We consider the floor as a "sacred" area that is to be used only for dancing.

What I meant was that the lady and the man can walk towards each other following the periphery of the dancing floor, not crossing the dancing area where other couples are already dancing.

A woman has to wait until the man reaches the corner of the floor where she will enter to meet him. Crossing the floor to meet a man before he arrives shows she doesn't know the codes and hasn't observed other women.

The man, comes for her and returns her to her place. He usually comes close to her table, but not very close; he remains tree or more feet away, waiting for her to come or to reach her table back, this as a sign of respect for "her area".

The same when I wrote: the subject covered for talking in between the tangos of a tanda could be an invitation for a cup of coffee or about "the weather".

I did not mean "the weather literally" I meant"something irrelevant or of little importance".

As a female friend of mine says:

The topic is mainly the orchestra, the tango, the singer, about the music to which we are dancing.

Local men may take advantage of the fact that many visitors ignore the milonga codes.

Today local men are asking foreign women where they live, how long they'll be in town, etc. which they get away with, knowing that it is inappropriate to get personal with someone you meet for the first time.

It would be important to take some time during the tango learning process to review the milonga codes, their origin, history and importance.

Best regards, Sergio

New in the appstore: Tango app "Tango Curso"

Ricardo "El holandés" — 2012-05-25T05:32:52

We like to inform you that in the appstore we uploaded a new tango 
app "Tango curso" version 1.1 (fixed in-app purchases)
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/tango-curso/id500129550?l=de&ls=1&mt=8
the app is free i hope you like it!


Ricardo



Discription app:

Free app with a presentation of tango classes: Tango de Salón, Tango 
de Fantasía, Milonga and Vals

The free app contains:
oA survey of the course material
oDances showing the content of every class
oOne chapter of every class (the others may be purchased)
oTexts for every class
oText and video on Buenos Aires
oRicardo´s CV
oVideo interview with Ricardo

All other chapters of the respective classes may be individually 
purchased as downloads.

The lessons
oare well-structured.
ocontain all basics, but also sequences for very advanced dancers.
oexplain the most important sequences as well as how to dance in the 
salón, posture, musicality, adornos etc.
oare well-balanced. Rotraut demonstrates and explains the womens´ 
steps at equal length and depth as does Ricardo with regard to the 
men.
oare perfect for all who wish to learn tango as it is danced all 
over the world in the salón
owere filmed in one of the famous Buenos Aires salóns, "Sin Rumbo"

About Ricardo:
Ricardo has been teaching tango argentino since 1990. He studied with 
famous maestros in Buenos Aires where he lived for 14 years, and 
where he still visits on a regular basis. Under the name of "Ricardo 
y Nicole" he achieved recognition as a dancer, teacher and producer 
of, among others, the first series of tango classes on video "Curso 
de Tango". 

With his current partner, Rotraut Rumbaum, he has been dedicating 
himself to tango de salón which they have been teaching across 
Europe. 
More information about Ricardo can be found at 
www.tango-argentino.info.

milonga chatting

2012-05-24T02:49:27

So very perfect Sergio!!!!....such harsh  criticisms and comments on 
the list about such a beautiful social, cultural custom.  If this 
aggression is in your head, what must your dancing be like...the 
dancers in BA are not machines that try to crank out as many dances as 
possible in one evening or matinee...not only don't they start dancing 
as soon as the music starts, they dance far fewer steps to each song, 
there is really far less movement than in our US milongas...all this 
leads to LONGEVITY with out tire or injury.  It is a very valuable 
strategy deployed to enable dancers to dance all night.

And a really good milonga has its own character and pulse and everyone 
through their sensitivity has the shared sense about when the floor is 
going to start moving.  People who want more chat, pull themselves out 
of the dance lanes so as not to interrupt.  And the chatting in my 
opinion is a bit humorous from a foreigner's point of view, usually 
following the lines of: Where are you from, when did you arrive, when 
are you leaving, where do you stay, what is your name, where else do 
you dance.  If they recognize you from a previous trip(and they always 
do since they have great memories of dance styles) they will say : when 
did you arrive, when are you leaving, etc, etc...IF you only learn how 
to speak enough spanish to answer these routine questions, you will be 
a big hit!!!

I don't know why people travel if not to learn and absorb some of the 
most wonderful customs and culture of another country...other people 
might just have it right...and if you incorporate these principles in 
your own life and experiences, you may have a better time than you 
think you are having now.  Sherrie

In a message dated 5/22/2012 2:08:53 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, 
sergiovandekier990< at >hotmail.com writes:

Every code has an important reason to exist, some times more than one; 
that reason may only exist in Argentina and in this case the code is 
not understood or necessary abroad .  If you are a lady who comes to 
the milonga alone, you have to be perceived as unattached for  men to 
ask you to dance.  You show this condition by entering the milonga 
alone or in company of other women, greeting briefly some friends, men 
and ladies; a kiss on the cheek is no problem. You sit alone or in 
company of other ladies. You do not talk to a particular man. You 
accept the dance with cabeceo and stand up waiting for the man to come 
close to your table or walk towards him and meet halfway. When a tango 
ends and while you wait for the next one to start, this is the only 
chance you have to chat with that particular man. The conversation 
could be an invitation to a cup of coffee after the dance or about the 
weather.  In case of a date, both the man and the woman wish to keep 
the "unattached condit!
ion" (for the time being) and therefore they leave the milonga alone as 
they came. They meet later in certain place described during the 
"chat". Another reason for the rest (talking or not) in between pieces 
of music, is that a good tango dancer has the need to wait for a moment 
to get the feeling of the music before he starts to dance. The same as 
when he arrives to the milonga, he must sit and relax for a while, 
absorbing the ambiance, studying his posibilities in reference to 
possible dancing partners, perhaps having a drink, etc., before he 
starts dancing.  The conversation we are discussing is very brief, a 
few seconds, the duration depends on when the couple in front of you 
starts moving, it does (it should) not disrupt the ronda at all. Best 
regards,  Sergio
_______________________________________________
Tango-L mailing list
Tango-L< at >mit.edu
http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/tango-l

chatting during the cortinas

2012-05-24T02:44:18

One more thing about the chat custom....it is a way to convey charm,to 
amuse, entertain, make yourself indelible in the memory of the partner. 
   Portenos have a wonderful sense of humor and if you can play any sort 
of word trick, pun or even sing songy answer to the question and answer 
period you will be remembered forever.  Reminder: this is fun, social 
interaction, not life and death black belt tango dancing.  Charm....a 
word mostly lost in our parlance and behavior...good to retrieve, 
revive and practice....a good charm offensive goes a long way...to 
providing enjoyment and memorability.  sherrie

AUTO: John Sing/San Jose/IBM is speaking at IBM Conference in Berlin, returning on 5/26/12 (returning 05/26/2012)

John Sing — 2012-05-23T22:04:12


I am out of the office until 05/26/2012.

I will traveling on IBM business returning on 5/26/12.

My manager is:  Pete Potosky/Rochester/IBM,  phone:1-720-396-3347


Note: This is an automated response to your message  "Tango-L Digest, Vol
74, Issue 7" sent on 05/23/2012 10:20:15.

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flor de tango a great radio show on the web

gaby luna — 2012-05-22T16:38:48

http://www.radiocasbah.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=192&Itemid=47

ATTENZION: Florence/Italy: 'Tango with a View!' STARTSLATER

2012-05-22T09:24:02

We are really unhappy to inform You, that the city of Florence has postponed the beginning of the 'Tango with a View!'
at the Florentine cathedral!

un abrazo
Patricia Muller

Buenos Aires - Milonga Codes

Sergio Vandekier — 2012-05-22T06:07:24

Every code has an important reason to exist, some times more than one; that reason may only exist in Argentina and in this case the code is not understood or necessary abroad . If you are a lady who comes to the milonga alone, you have to be perceived as unattached for men to ask you to dance. You show this condition by entering the milonga alone or in company of other women, greeting briefly some friends, men and ladies; a kiss on the cheek is no problem. You sit alone or in company of other ladies. You do not talk to a particular man. You accept the dance with cabeceo and stand up waiting for the man to come close to your table or walk towards him and meet halfway. When a tango ends and while you wait for the next one to start, this is the only chance you have to chat with that partic
ular man. The conversation could be an invitation to a cup of coffee after the dance or about the weather. In case of a date, both the man and the woman wish to keep the "unattached condit!
ion" (for the time being) and therefore they leave the milonga alone as they came. They meet later in certain place described during the "chat". Another reason for the rest (talking or not) in between pieces of music, is that a good tango dancer has the need to wait for a moment to get the feeling of the music before he starts to dance. The same as when he arrives to the milonga, he must sit and relax for a while, absorbing the ambiance, studying his posibilities in reference to possible dancing partners, perhaps having a drink, etc., before he starts dancing. The conversation we are discussing is very brief, a few seconds, the duration depends on when the couple in front of you starts moving, it does (it should) not disrupt the ronda at all. Best regards, Sergio

chatting between songs, was: Buenos Aires Milonga traditions outside Buenos Aires

Robert Dodier — 2012-05-22T02:21:14

Shahrukh,

thanks for your interesting observations. It's always nice to hear
from people in different places.

My $0.02 about talking before the dance begins is based on my
experiences in North America, at regular milongas and festivals.
What I've seen is that festivals have bigger crowds and more
social energy, and that just makes people chatty. What I think I
see is that people are ardently communicating nonverbally while
the dance goes on, then when the song ends, they keep on
communicating -- they just switch to a verbal mode. Then it takes
a while for everybody to switch back to nonverbal mode.

At regular milongas, there typically just isn't the critical mass of
social energy to spark the conversation. Most people just go
back to dancing as soon as the music starts. But sometimes
people do get chatty, which, as a DJ, I take as a very good sign.

As to what people should do, it seems like "when in Rome" is
enough advice.

All the best,

Robert Dodier
Boulder, CO

Zapateo

Don Klein — 2012-05-20T18:24:39

Although it might border on heresy, I suggest using steps from Appalachian Clogging.  Then there'shttp://www.aquifolklore.com.ar/Espanol/videomalambo.htm   a good site for chacarera, gato, and more

Don

Buenos Aires Milonga traditions outside Buenos Aires (WAS chacarera skirts)

Shahrukh Merchant — 2012-05-20T17:35:32

It's not, other than (a) being Argentine (but from the provinces rather 
than urban) and (b) that it's played at milongas in Buenos Aires for 
variety.


I assume you mean that you dislike that it's played at Tango events 
OUTSIDE Argentina, right? In Argentina, it's not seen as out of place at 
all, and the floor is always full when a chacarera is played (which is 
not always the case when a salsa is played, for example).

If you generalize this observation, there are many aspects of milongas 
in Buenos Aires that, strictly speaking, are not essential to emulate in 
order to dance Tango, but which has nonetheless evolved to be part of 
the mainstream concept of "milonga" outside Buenos Aires and Argentina 
as well.

In rough order of "Buenos Aires traditions most often emulated outside 
Buenos Aires" to least-often-emulated, we have:

1. Use of a popular subset of "old guard" Tangos (and Milongas and Valses).

There are many many more perfectly danceable ones, and while some DJs do 
experiment with those, the core is still based on a much smaller 
standard repertoire.

2. Use of Tandas and Cortinas.

I hear this is not as de rigueur in Germany, for example, but most 
places around the world do seem to follow this (though they do not 
always leave their partners and return to their seats as religiously as 
in Buenos Aires).

3. Table seating.

... as opposed to "studio seating" with a row of chairs against a wall. 
All milongas in Buenos Aires will have this, and many even so-called 
practicas, but outside Buenos Aires it seems to be about 50%.

4. Occasional tandas of other dances.

Many but again not all milongas in Buenos Aires will have a tanda of 
salsa or rock-n-roll or chacarera/folkloric, and in some traditional 
milongas even "paso doble" (nothing like the ballroom version), "jazz" 
(a ragtime-y cross between foxtrot and quickstep), "tropical" (mix of 
Latin rhythms like cumbia, cha-cha-cha).

This was the subject of nntp-posting-host's aka Tiffo's complaint. I 
think it has some legitimacy. These tandas are played in Buenos Aires 
because there is an expectation that the people in attendance actually 
DANCE these rhythms. Most Argentines who dance Tango will also dance a 
serviceable (or better) rock'n'roll, salsa, cumbia or chacarera. Zamba 
and other folkloric dances have fewer exponents. Paso Doble and "Jazz" 
will find fans mainly amongst older dancers.

Now, to imitate these blindly outside Buenos Aires would make no sense 
(an Argentine "paso doble" tanda in Little Rock, Arkansas???). But the 
concept of throwing in a different rhythm for variety is OK, if it is 
tailored to what makes sense for the demographics: Perhaps a tanda of 
Country Two-Step in Texas, or West Coast Swing in California, or Forró 
en Brazil, Salsa almost anywhere, etc. Chacarera would make sense in a 
community where it has actually been taught extensively or where a lot 
of the community has travelled to Argentina and seen and learned it 
there, otherwise yes, it would be somewhat contrived (and, more 
importantly, bad for the energy of the milonga to have 95% of the 
participants impatiently waiting for something they can dance to, while 
2 couples show off their chacarera).

But let me continue with my list ...

5. Cabeceo.

The across-the-room version is rare (and would indeed usually seem 
contrived) outside Buenos Aires (it's getting rarer in Buenos Aires too, 
but has not yet got to the level of seeming contrived). But the 
as-you-approach-the-lady version does seem to work increasingly in more 
and more places.

6. Table reservations.

Most milongas in Buenos Aires offer this, but one rarely sees this 
outside Buenos Aires. One milonga in Miami, I think, has this, and no 
doubt a few others, especially for special events like New Year's Eve 
milongas, but otherwise it's rare.

7. Table service.

Almost universal in Buenos Aires, but never seen this outside Buenos 
Aires (except for milongas which are held in functioning restaurants 
where the exisiting restaurant staff is often available to take drink or 
food orders).

I suppose there are any number of additional items--others are welcomed 
to chime in (or take issue with my list!) ...


There's another list too, of milonga traditions that have developed 
outside Buenos Aires, that don't exist in Buenos Aires (or exist to a 
negligible degree). Anyone care to take a shot at that? The use of 
"alternative" Tango [sic] music would be the most obvious example, but 
on the positive side we have complimentary refreshments tables and in 
some cases BYO wine (regulations permitting ... and sometimes not 
permitting notwithstanding ...).

Shahrukh Merchant

Chacarera

Sergio Vandekier — 2012-05-20T14:09:49

Chacarera is an Argentine folkloric dance.  It is not related to tango. Probably originated in the North of Argentina, most likely in the province of Santiago del Estero.It was danced in rural areas, the instruments used were Violin, Guitar and drum. Chacarero/a is the person that works in farms, chacras.  During the years of migration from rural areas to the cities,(1940s) folkloric dances appeared in many urban areas. It is one of many folkloric dances, the present popularity, in part is due to the simplicity of its choreography. Best regards,   Sergio

SA: CNN article on tango in Buenos Aires

Romero Migdalia — 2012-05-12T14:52:22

The link below is to an article on tango that appeared in Thursday's   
edition of CNN.com, International edition, under  
"travel" (5/10/2012).  It is a quick and easy read and nicely  
illustrated.  It is worth sharing with friends who are planning to go  
to Buenos Aires and who may not have had too much exposure to tango.   
Migdalia Romero

http://edition.cnn.com/2012/05/10/travel/buenos-aires-tango-travel- 
guide/index.html?hpt=itr_t1#
-----------------------
Migdalia Romero
Author: Tango Lover's Guide to Buenos Aires
Website: www.tangoloversguide.com

SA: Tango Events in BsAs during May

Romero Migdalia — 2012-05-02T03:03:07

If you are in Buenos Aires or traveling there in May you can access a  
comprehensive and chronological listing of tango events for the month  
on my webpage, www.tangoloversguide.com. The list includes tango  
shows, concerts, competitions, films, exhibits, talks, dance  
exhibitions, special milongas and dance seminars that are being held  
throughout Buenos Aires -- in a variety of venues including  
nightclubs, theaters, bars, cafes, museums, academies, government  
buildings, cultural centers, milongas, and dance studios – many off  
the beaten path.  Some are free and others charge and/or require  
reservations. Entries are organized by week and day – in  
chronological order.

Currently, May 1 - Sun, May 6 is up and running.  I am still  
collecting and filling in data for the rest of the month.  The full  
calendar will be ready before May 7th.

At the beginning of each month the calendar is revised, and  
throughout the month, listings are added as they become available, so  
checking the calendar periodically throughout the month is a good idea.
-----------------------
Migdalia Romero
Author: Tango Lover's Guide to Buenos Aires
Website: www.tangoloversguide.com

tango visitor in Richmond, Virginia

Robert Dodier — 2012-04-30T21:00:47

As it happens, I was in Richmond VA recently on business
and I had the opportunity to dance a little while I was there.
I'm happy to say it's the most welcoming tango community I've
encountered. I attended the Wednesday night milonga at the
restaurant C'est le vin and the 3rd Friday milonga at
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. VMFA was the larger of the two events and it's
a really wonderful setting. The museum grounds are beautiful and
we danced in the atrium with curious bystanders looking on.
Afterwards some friendly Richmonders dragged me off to
Charlottesville for late night dancing.

It was an entirely delightful experience which I'll recommend
without hesitation. I'm told Facebook is the best way to find
info about tango in Richmond. There is also a Yahoo group
(RichmondTango) which has announcements about current events and
and a somewhat out of date website (richmondtango.org).

Thanks to all the fine folks in Richmond! See you later!

Robert Dodier
Boulder, CO

AUTO: John Sing/San Jose/IBM is doing customer briefings in Charlotte and Poughkeepsie, back in office Fri 4/27 (returning 04/27/2012)

John Sing — 2012-04-25T22:04:06


I am out of the office until 04/27/2012.

I am doing customer briefings in Charlotte on 4/25 and Poughkeepsie on
4/26, back in Silicon Valley on Fri 4/27.   My access to email limited, so
please allow time for me to respond.  If it is urgent that I be reached,
text me at my cell phone (it's on BluePages).   My manager is Pete
Potosky/Rochester/IBM.  Thank you!


Note: This is an automated response to your message  "Tango-L Digest, Vol
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tango.info with new festival statistics

Mr tobias conradi — 2012-04-25T16:03:04

One can now see how often a DJ or a danceteacher appears in festivals that are included in tango.info:

http://festivals.tango.info/danceteachers 

http://festivals.tango.info/deejays

 
--
Tobias Conradi
Rheinsberger Str. 18
10115 Berlin, Germany

https://tango.info

Tango in Florida - advice needed

Christian Lüthen — 2012-04-17T21:04:27

Hola listeras y listeros! 

Any advice on Tango on SpaceCoast, Florida. 

Around Melbourne, FL and maybe a bit further on weekends. Will there be any special events in June and July this year? Any regular events/milongas to be recommended? (any to be avoided?  ;-) ).

My dancing style is mainly close "Tango de Salon" (as danced at "El Corte" (Eric Jeurissen's place), Nijmegen, Holland and "Flor de fango", Arnhem, Holland) 

Thanks in advance!
Christian

.

about Richard Powers ragtime dance workshop

Robert Dodier — 2012-04-16T16:51:02

Hey gang,

for what it's worth, I had the pleasure of attending Richard Powers'
ragtime dance workshop a couple of days ago.
I mention it because we did a lot of old-fashioned (circa 1912) tango.
Richard says that he tries to teach tango as close to the
style of that era as he can -- in particular he says that the
style of Paris (& therefore New York & everywhere else) was
the same as the style of Argentina. The old-fashioned tango we
learned had a lot in common with modern-day tango, but there
were a lot of differences too.

Richard is a very personable and remarkably effective teacher.
I enjoyed his commentary -- he is well-informed and always kept
his comments on topic -- he talked a lot, all day, and always
for good reason. He kept the class steadily moving along
(in a literal and figurative sense) all day long. I think any dance
teacher would do well to attend a workshop with him to see how
he teaches.

Finally he dances very well himself and he & his partner gave
several charming demonstrations.

I was intrigued by Richard's remark that there was a dance
craze for the one-step in the early 1900's. If a person could
dance a little bit, it was probably the one-step. That makes me
wonder whether tango might be more widely known. I like to
think that tango is pretty simple -- could tango be the dance
that people do when they don't know much about dancing?

All the best,

Robert Dodier
Boulder, CO

Tango orchestration sources in the USA?

Steve Littler — 2012-04-12T06:21:35

Does anyone have a source in the USA for full orchestrations of 
Argentine Tango compositions for a full orchestra of 56 instruments or 
thereabouts? (Our orchestra is looking for music.)

Many thanks!

El Stevito de Gainesville

chacarera skirts

Trini y Sean (PATangoS — 2012-04-04T21:22:45

Hola listeros!

We've (finally) learned the chacarera here as a community and recently had one of the university clubs demonstrate it at a Latin festival.  Although the women had long skirts, I would like to either find or make fuller skirts to really make the dance shine for future demos.  I really like the way the woman in this video uses the skirt of her dress and it would be cool to have something similar.



 
  
  
  
  
  
  
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   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-SdUEa_fLk&feature=related
I saw something on Etsy custom-made for $85, but that's way more than what I want to spend on one skirt.  Any suggestions on skirt patterns, costuming secrets, or sources to get a full skirted look?
Gracias,Trini de Pittsburgh