Ha, What Else? Tango - Milongas

[Cialu]

OK, so it sounds like you would enjoy a little of this and a little of that. Experiment with some salon places.

Flor de Milonga is long gone from San Telmo (see why hoy-milonga.com is so useful?). It moved to La Boca, and now I think is somewhere on Rivadavia. The outdoor milonga in Plaza Dorrego continues, but it has shrunk into a small, sad shell of its former self. The neighboring restaurants have captured some of the space, and the Murgas (the guys who bang their drums endlessly every Sunday night) now park themselves right next to the milonga, so you can't even hear the tango music.

A nice place, late on Sunday nights, is Torquato Tasso. They usually have a very good orchestra and the dancing is fun. I also love Cochabamba 444 on Thursday nights. A tiny, cool spot with good neighborhood dancers.

TT -- i'll be for sure!!! i was also thinking of Lo de Celia and Gricel - any opinion?

 

[toongeorges]

El Beso on Sundays and Tuesdays is good, specially for women. You are going to feel young there.
Milonga 10 on Tuesday and Saturdays is another good place but there you might feel older.
La Viruta is good late, very late, but it is a place where you shouldn´t fish because there are low and high end and nothing in between. There you can dance only with dancers you already know. (Speacially if they look like "He-Man", go to La Viruta and you will understand)

El Beso would be good, especially since the poster said she dances milonguero style. If the milonga in El Beso is emptying around 1h30 on Tuesday or 2h30 on Sunday, an option is to cross Corrientes and go to Porteño y Bailarín, where the milonga lasts until 4 AM.

I think Milonga 10/Praktika 8 is overhyped, because it is more a milonga where people dance with people they know and tourists do not get that many invites. I have been there about 10 times and still I easily dance 3 times more and better if I go to El Beso + Porteño y Bailarín than if I go to Club Fulgor (Milonga 10/Praktika 8). Praktika 8 started as a tango práctica, but despite its name, it is far from a práctica nowadays. You are right about the age differences. In El Beso + Porteño y Bailarín, most people are in their 40s, 50s or older. In Club Fulgor, most people are in their 20s or 30s.

La Viruta is more a place to hang out with friends, to continue dancing with people you know after other milongas close or to look for a hook up. If you are only interested in tango, it is best to enter when the entrance is waived between 2h30 and 3h30, since before you also have tandas of rock and salsa. In La Viruta, men typically do not cabaceo, but some walk around and ask women to dance. The guys that ask women to dance are typically not the ones hanging out with friends, so you have to judge if they are the kind that looks for a hook up and you want to dance with them. It is normal to say "no gracias" in case you are not interested.

 

[sylvie]

I agree with everything toongeorges said, including about the hype (and snobbery... my own add) at Club Fulgor and Villa Malcolm. And La Viruta... exactly! I used to go at 4, after the other clubs closed, but I'm too old for that now. Thankfully.

You asked about Lo de Celia and Gricel. You will get a dozen different answers, but here's mine. For sure you will get to dance at Gricel, and you should try it, but be choosy about who you accept. I don't mean that in an arrogant way... There are lots of old guys who are great and deliciously musical, and there are lots of who can hurt you by leading with their arms, forcefully, and digging into your ribcage to signal a pivot. Observe for a while before you accept any cabaceos... and never dance with the ones who walk up and ask.

I'm not qualified to comment about Lo de Celia. i only went twice, years ago.

 

[Yogur griego]

So... could you define a couple of 'neighbourhood milongas'? I am not referring to Sin Rumbo, I am more interested in neighbourhoods like Parque Patricios, Flores, maybe conurbano. On milonga lists and maps I never see anything outside of the regular tourist circuit.

 

[Cialu]

So... could you define a couple of 'neighbourhood milongas'? I am not referring to Sin Rumbo, I am more interested in neighbourhoods like Parque Patricios, Flores, maybe conurbano. On milonga lists and maps I never see anything outside of the regular tourist circuit.

-coquetta la recoleta
-la glorietta?
-la milonguita
-?floreal?

 

[Cialu]

And also - i should have said - if anyone wants cheerful company to go to a milonga on any day beginning Feb. 27, do let me know!!!

 

[sylvie]

Yogur griego, I can give you examples of milongas del barrio in San Telmo. El Tacuarí, Cochabamba, Milonga en Orsay, Bendita Milonga... I used to know one in Parque Patricios, but I think it closed. There are plenty of small milongas and practicas, like La Pipetuá or de la Misteriosa, for example, and they are basically all listed on hoy-milonga.com.

Cialu, the first three you mentioned wouldn't be considered in that category. I've never been to Floreal, but it sounds good.

 

[jamila]

I agree with most of what people have said. I think you need to find your own milongas. Depending on how long you have try a little bit of everything. but i would like to add my own thoughts.

i love viruta but is in not a traditional milonga. It is hard to [background=rgb(252, 252, 252)]cabeceo [/background]there because it is so big and dark. There are some very bad dancers there and some very good ones. I think of La Viruta as a place to go AFTER the milonga and hang out and dance with your friends. Wed & Sunday nights are best.. It's genrally free after 1:30 and thats when all the best people show up. Friday and Sat after 3:30. People don't follow the "rules" We often sit at tables mixed sex tables, sometimes the tandas go on forever and sometimes I dance with the same person more than one in a row... *gasp!* i know I know. I hardly ever dance with people i don't know or haven't been introduced to there...

One not I went to Tasso a few weeks ago and there was no orchestra and it was dead... i am not sure if the orchestra was on holiday or what. I like the milonga at plaza dorrego, the but you have to be careful of the level of the dancers ... again it might be a better place to go with friends

I like Canning best on Mondays and Tues ( live music) try to make a reservation. Canning is more traditional early in the night also people dance more milonguero style ( often because it is so crowded) and then changes later in the night. Especially on Tues. Stay after 2 and it changes into a whole different milonga, younger people more open dancing. much more casual.

I keep mentioning that many milongas are places where people go with their friends. I think in Buenos Aires it is important to make friends/ network... People ask people they know. A good way to do that is by going to classes and practicas. Take classes. Go to practicas talk to people. if you see or dance with people whose style you enjoy.. ask them where they are going tonight... tomorrow.

Tango is the same all over the world but dancing in Buenos Aires is different from anywhere else you have ever been.

be friendly, smile, try not to dance with the vultures, be open to new experiences, have fun and leave plenty of room in your suitcase for shoes! You are going to have a great time!


let me know if you have any other questions

 

[Cialu]

I agree with most of what people have said. I think you need to find your own milongas. Depending on how long you have try a little bit of everything. but i would like to add my own thoughts.

i love viruta but is in not a traditional milonga. It is hard to [background=rgb(252, 252, 252)]cabeceo [/background]there because it is so big and dark. There are some very bad dancers there and some very good ones. I think of La Viruta as a place to go AFTER the milonga and hang out and dance with your friends. Wed & Sunday nights are best.. It's genrally free after 1:30 and thats when all the best people show up. Friday and Sat after 3:30. People don't follow the "rules" We often sit at tables mixed sex tables, sometimes the tandas go on forever and sometimes I dance with the same person more than one in a row... *gasp!* i know I know. I hardly ever dance with people i don't know or haven't been introduced to there...

One not I went to Tasso a few weeks ago and there was no orchestra and it was dead... i am not sure if the orchestra was on holiday or what. I like the milonga at plaza dorrego, the but you have to be careful of the level of the dancers ... again it might be a better place to go with friends

I like Canning best on Mondays and Tues ( live music) try to make a reservation. Canning is more traditional early in the night also people dance more milonguero style ( often because it is so crowded) and then changes later in the night. Especially on Tues. Stay after 2 and it changes into a whole different milonga, younger people more open dancing. much more casual.

I keep mentioning that many milongas are places where people go with their friends. I think in Buenos Aires it is important to make friends/ network... People ask people they know. A good way to do that is by going to classes and practicas. Take classes. Go to practicas talk to people. if you see or dance with people whose style you enjoy.. ask them where they are going tonight... tomorrow.

Tango is the same all over the world but dancing in Buenos Aires is different from anywhere else you have ever been.

be friendly, smile, try not to dance with the vultures, be open to new experiences, have fun and leave plenty of room in your suitcase for shoes! You are going to have a great time!


let me know if you have any other questions

ok, thanks - superhelpful!!
- any opinion on Lo de Celia, Glorietta, Cachirulo?
- how do you know vultures ? i do not accept verbal invites and don't know spanish enough to understand intentions

 

[jantango]

Lucy,

You and I exchanged several emails Jan 9-14. I gave you my opinion on your long list of milongas which is too many in only two weeks. You wrote me that Lo de Celia is #1 on your list for this trip. Go there, watch and learn. It's a real milonga, not a pickup place.

You have to try places and decide for yourself where to go. Do it alone and enjoy the adventure.