Ha, What Else? Tango - Milongas

[Cialu]

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.

Thanks Jentango, that is exactly my plan I'll try to go to as many as i can - you only live once I also meant to ask -- Lo de Celia is listed 4 times a week, Wed, Fri, Sat and Sun, times slightly different; are there better attended days/hours in terms of proportion of good leaders and women? Because you are a regular and a good dancer , these details may not matter; for a newcomer it will make a difference between an enjoyable milonga and sitting out in a corner with a partial view of the floor

 

[Cialu]

....

If when the tanda finishes, she stays talking with somebody on the dance floor, banned, too easy and I don t want that milongueras think that I am fishing.


Basic but important, don t dance more than 2 tandas in one night with anybody. Since I have a family I prefer to dance only once per night so there is no missunderstandings at all.

You seat with women and if a man seats self invited you look at him as he is rapping his own mother.

We have two reasons for inviting to dance a new girl, she is an outstanding dancer or she is super cute.

Hi Bajo_Cero2, thanks - your reply is super helfpful and so fun! I love how your judgements are. I know re 2 tandas and thankfully never had a verbal invitation in BA (but all the time in US, people not just come over but hover over you and ask directly

-will try to do something about being super cute. one thing i noted is many women (local, possibly regulars ) were dressed way more provocatively - eg miniskirt, decolette down to there, make up like there is no tomorow. - ie more grown up 'glamorous/oversexed ' look. i was surprised but not prepared to compete - it's just not me

-i never stay chatting after tandas but thank a person and smile while walking back. one problem is people try to make small conversation between songs and i don't know spanish, so it limits teh interaction a bit, i'm starting to learn a little spanish though.

-i do stay seated while a guy comes to the table, at least to avoid embarassement if he was looking at a woman behind me; it's hard if you wear glasses/lenses to see at a distance ...

- one problem i had : a good dancer who, while speaking between songs in a tanda, wanted to stay in a somewhat close embrace, i did not think it was the norm and kind of wriggled out of it to make distance; what would people do here? it's not too inappropriate to say Gracias and leave, but was uncomfortable for me.

- and one of reasons i really liked Canning (on my last visit) is the friendliness of men, they saw that i was respectful and really trying and there were a lot of smiles, 2nd invites, when i was leaving people approached to say goodbye etc. I liked the relaxed attitude of men and lack of hurrying. So the ambience stayed with me in a good way.

 

[sylvie]

Cialu,

What we're all saying is to just go and answer these questions for yourself. No milonga is the same from week to week. Plus, it really doesn't matter what any of us think about a particular place, does it? Because you don't know us and can't assess our likes and dislikes.

I don't go to Lo de Celia or I would try to answer your question. Actually, I'm not sure I understand your question. The two times I went, I was seated way in the back, which is just what happens when you're unknown to that organizer. In general, the better the level the dance at the milonga, the worse your seat will be. That doesn't mean you won't dance. Have you tried Los Consagrados on Saturdays? Similar crowd to Lo de Celia, but lots of unknown tourists get to dance.

 

[Alicia karr]

Hello fellow tangueros/as. I organized a milonga 15 months ago that is now an established BsAs milonga called "La Coqueta de Recoleta". (Mondays 5-11, San Jose 224 p.1) Because we are still relatively new it has a feel of a neighborhood milonga. It is followed by 60% porteños and 40% foreigners, located in Congresso, has a wood floor, air conditioning and is known for its friendliness. (that is why I started it!) Its also probably the only Milonga in BsAs where you can order a frozen berry margarita or quesadillas! Altho it is very much a traditional milonga with Mario Orlando as the DJ (he's without dispute the best DJ in Bs As) I and my assistant (Porteño) speak English and actively try to make everyones experience good. We also have an excellent class beforehand of two hours by someone who speaks German, Spanish and English. It's been a challenge to do this but we are still here after almost a year and a half and have people who return to us from all over the world (this week a Siberian couple came!) In your search for milongas I agree with some of the former comments encouraging people to try some of the lesser known or neighborhood milongas. They are often more friendly. And altho it can be hard for "new people" sometimes to break into a milonga if one has patience you will succeed. Sometimes more patience is needed than others! Try and frequent the same milongas so people will get to know you and see how you dance. At my milonga, for example, if I see some women not dancing who are new to the milonga, I make sure that one of my gentleman friends will cabaceo them to give them a start....good luck and have fun!

 

[jantango]

Thanks Jentango, that is exactly my plan I'll try to go to as many as i can - you only live once I also meant to ask -- Lo de Celia is listed 4 times a week, Wed, Fri, Sat and Sun, times slightly different; are there better attended days/hours in terms of proportion of good leaders and women? Because you are a regular and a good dancer , these details may not matter; for a newcomer it will make a difference between an enjoyable milonga and sitting out in a corner with a partial view of the floor

You want all the answers. That will not happen. Go and find out for yourself! You should stay longer than two weeks, but you will learn. You are 35, and there is no rush.

 

[Cialu]

Hello fellow tangueros/as. I organized a milonga 15 months ago that is now an established BsAs milonga called "La Coqueta de Recoleta". (Mondays 5-11, San Jose 224 p.1) Because we are still relatively new it has a feel of a neighborhood milonga. It is followed by 60% porteños and 40% foreigners, located in Congresso, has a wood floor, air conditioning and is known for its friendliness. (that is why I started it!) Its also probably the only Milonga in BsAs where you can order a frozen berry margarita or quesadillas! Altho it is very much a traditional milonga with Mario Orlando as the DJ (he's without dispute the best DJ in Bs As) I and my assistant (Porteño) speak English and actively try to make everyones experience good. We also have an excellent class beforehand of two hours by someone who speaks German, Spanish and English. It's been a challenge to do this but we are still here after almost a year and a half and have people who return to us from all over the world (this week a Siberian couple came!) In your search for milongas I agree with some of the former comments encouraging people to try some of the lesser known or neighborhood milongas. They are often more friendly. And altho it can be hard for "new people" sometimes to break into a milonga if one has patience you will succeed. Sometimes more patience is needed than others! Try and frequent the same milongas so people will get to know you and see how you dance. At my milonga, for example, if I see some women not dancing who are new to the milonga, I make sure that one of my gentleman friends will cabaceo them to give them a start....good luck and have fun!

it's so nice to hear from organizers and that they really care about guests' experience. I'll be there and will try to bring some friends along!!!

 

[Cialu]

You want all the answers. That will not happen. Go and find out for yourself! You should stay longer than two weeks, but you will learn. You are 35, and there is no rush.

You are absolutely right. i want the answers and it will not happen and yes i should stay longer. and exactly because i'm 35, i want to rush and do it all do remember how it is !

 

[Cialu]

Cialu,

What we're all saying is to just go and answer these questions for yourself. No milonga is the same from week to week. Plus, it really doesn't matter what any of us think about a particular place, does it? Because you don't know us and can't assess our likes and dislikes.

I don't go to Lo de Celia or I would try to answer your question. Actually, I'm not sure I understand your question. The two times I went, I was seated way in the back, which is just what happens when you're unknown to that organizer. In general, the better the level the dance at the milonga, the worse your seat will be. That doesn't mean you won't dance. Have you tried Los Consagrados on Saturdays? Similar crowd to Lo de Celia, but lots of unknown tourists get to dance.

HI Sylvie, you are right. I do know of Consagrados and will be there and am looking forward to it. WWW is not the best medium for conversations in general, and i apologize for any confusion this topic caused. I was not looking for "THE ANSWERS AND ULTIMATE GOD GIVEN TRUTH" which i am to follow for perfect tango experience. It is common sense that we all feel /react/dance differently and prefer different things

I was asking for personal experiences of expats or visitors who may have been in my situation, had similar aspirations, and how it felt for them.
Again, pardon any confusion here. Many comments here were more than helpful, were great, and i was able to take Viruta off my list for sure, perhaps only if i were to go with a certain performer friend. Same for El Beso . I thought Glorieta and Dorego were THE ultimate BA experiences, given outdoor neighboorhood spirit, but now have a bit of a balanced view. so overall, i'm very thankful for all your comments!

Thanks! Perhaps we'll run into each other and it will be great fun!

 

[Yogur griego]

I have to agree about Plaza Dorrego... I do not understand why the hell those drums are supposed to be there

 

[jamila]

I have never been to [background=rgb(252, 252, 252)] Lo de Celia so I can't commnet. I like Glorietta but is is far from my house so i don't go often. I think the level of dancing is mixed I like Cachirulo but only when it is at el beso not at Villa Malcom because i don't like Villa Malcolm in general. the level is pretty good but it is an older crowd. [/background]