At the end of the pandemic, maybe a new start?

[David_In_CA]

Probably. It's a rolling risk based on current observation. 16 months ago vaccines were hoped for but were expected to take a year at least to develop. They've now arrived, but not as effective as hoped (although that was hope over reality).

My personal approach has been to try to get dancing in now as much as possible, since the risk level has looked like it's as low as it's going to be for the foreseeable future. Of course, I'm in the US, and have lost faith in the reasonableness of my fellow countrypeople.

 

[itwillhappen]

I hope it will be the other way round: Perhaps the taste in music recovered as the permanent moral brainwashing of the dance school owners, poor dancers and by die-hard djs could not be heard.

Yes, definitely, but what if the ladie's preference for neo/non/alternative music comes to light? I wouldn't go to such a milonga, but in private there are more important things like beautiful women, a delicious buffet, good wine, a lively atmosphere.
However, I can only dance in preferred close embrace, when the dance partner moves away an alarmed feeling arises. The necessary opposite adaptation gave me a quite interesting dance style, as I hear.

 

[Rabbit]

Yes, definitely, but what if the ladie's preference for neo/non/alternative music comes to light? I wouldn't go to such a milonga, but in private there are more important things like beautiful women, a delicious buffet, good wine, a lively atmosphere.
However, I can only dance in preferred close embrace, when the dance partner moves away an alarmed feeling arises. The necessary opposite adaptation gave me a quite interesting dance style, as I hear.

Contemporary music can be danced very well in close embrace, the association of dance styles with musical eras is a fabrication.

 

[itwillhappen]

Contemporary music can be danced very well in close embrace, the association of dance styles with musical eras is a fabrication

Please discuss that with @opendoor

 

[itwillhappen]

The forced break is perfect for thinking about what you want, what you don't want, and what you can do for others.
Basically I want to invite, lean forward a little to get into contact, dance, and say "thank you" after one tanda.
And about the dance style I would like to quote a statement by El Flaco Dany:

Take your time. Tango is too precious not to enjoy the learning. First learn the technique, then forget about it. The body will have it, but it's only your spirit which makes the tango. As my friend Gavito used to say “lo limpio no sirve. Hay que ensuciarlo, (...) tu personalidad tiene que dictar el baile, eso es que le falta al europeo ”- the clean, correct is no good, you have to get it dirty, let your own personality design the dance, this is what Europeans miss.

Interview with Tango Maestro FLACO DANY

I took this interview on September 10, 2010. El Flaco Dany is my favorite milonga dancer, some say he is the best. I am among those. Apart f...

stiutesinestiute.blogspot.com

 

[ArbeeNYC]

My personal approach has been to try to get dancing in now as much as possible, since the risk level has looked like it's as low as it's going to be for the foreseeable future. Of course, I'm in the US, and have lost faith in the reasonableness of my fellow countrypeople.

I'm inclined to agree. And it's been so long as well.

 

[ArbeeNYC]

The forced break is perfect for thinking about what you want, what you don't want, and what you can do for others.
Basically I want to invite, lean forward a little to get into contact, dance, and say "thank you" after one tanda.
And about the dance style I would like to quote a statement by El Flaco Dany:

Yeah, it's a nice quote from Dany Garcia. You know his brother dances quite well, also.

 

[Bailango]

And yes, I see a lot of Europeans on this forum talking about travel as if it were no big deal.

Traveling in Europe is a very different experience. Each large city or scene is less than hour and half flight time. The tickets can be incredibly cheap. If you book in advance, you can fly for less than 40 Euros between any two popular or unpopular cities/towns.

In the USA in most major metro areas you will likely spend 45 minutes into an hour driving to a milonga. Few cities (ateast on the west coast have usable public transport) When you include gas expenses and time invested, it is almost same as flying on a weekend afterwork to another city in Europe for dancing event. That could be small or big festival, or it could be a well attended local milonga. You also have option of Euro 10 to 20 bus tickets for traveling to another place (two to three hours on the road).

Having traveled in Europe for a few years, it is indeed no big deal.

 

[Bailango]

I’m just shy and find the whole eye contact thing difficult. That kind of misunderstanding takes too much effort to untangle.

This can be a challenge for a leader who might want to dance with you. Unless I know a shy follower well enough, I am neither going to ask her verbally nor walk up close enough to her (six feet or less) to initiate a cabaceo.

There are many followers I don't ask, because I am not sure if they are interested in dancing or not. I assume at least half of them are shy, because I observe them saying yes when asked verbally by a leader.

I have spoken to many leaders. The consensus is the leaders will often ask and dance with followers who are emitting vibes of "wanting to dance". That is tough when a follower is introvert or shy.

 

[Bailango]

If you choose not to dance with Miss T because she has a bad attitude - that’s your choice to make based on your opinion. However it’s unfair to share that opinion or spread gossip to that effect.

Totally agree.

There are some whom I don't ask. But they are good dancers (perhaps). If I have formedbb by a certain impression whether it is about their dancing or personality or who they keep company with, I keep it to myself.

 

[Bailango]

It is very hard to generalize risk. It will differ from region to region, level of vaccination compliance, milonga entry requirements, amount of community spread of variants, etc.

I started dancing the outdoors and semi-outdoors since late April. The indoor milongas started in May with both vaccination and mask as required with capacity restrictions. When California lifted the mask mandate in June, only requirement to enter milonga is proof of vaccination. Gradually since then the number of dancers have increased as more reached fully vaccinated status and the capacity restrictions were lifted in early July.

I am not aware of anyone trying to cheat. To do so they will have to show a fake vaccination record. Dancers who were not fully vaccinated waited till two weeks after the second dose.

It helps that they vaccination rate is very high in the region (approaching right percent of all population). They infection rate is very low. Likelihood that you would come in contact with an infected person in everyday situation (as long as you are not taking public transport and not working in health care settings) is extremely low.

From all the literature, stats and data I have read it is clear that breakthrough infections are rare. When they do occur, they are mild or asymptomatic. Prevent hospitalization in over ninety six percent of cases. So far in USA only three deaths have been linked to vaccinations and less than 0.05% chance of death due to covid for a fully vaccinated person.

Delta Variant - while it is more contagious, there is not sufficient data to in dictate it causes more hospitalization or severity.

Breakthrough contagious - There is no proof yet that vaccinated people are contagious when breakthrough delta variant infection occurs. The viral load of delta variant is high and it resides in upper respiratory system in higher volumes. That has lead some experts to 'speculate' that vaccinated people could be contagious.

There is a lot of unclear and mixed reporting in the mainstream news sources which makes it difficult for a lay person to separate factual data gathered till date from the opinions offered by experts. Factual data has limitations. There are unknown unknowns that can change what we know today when more information becomes available tomorrow.

 

[Bailango]

It helps that the vaccination rate is very high in the region (approaching eighty percent of all the population). The infection rate is very low.

Typo corrections

 

[itwillhappen]

There are many followers I don't ask, because I am not sure if they are interested in dancing or not. I assume at least half of them are shy, because I observe them saying yes when asked verbally by a leader.

I now see a "new start" and, if necessary, allow myself to invite frontally and clearly whom I would like to dance with. That almost always works, of course, and the majority also become really good tandas.

On the other hand, I attend consciously some very "traditional" events where this is by no means desired.

 

[Rabbit]

I now see a "new start" and, if necessary, allow myself to invite frontally and clearly whom I would like to dance with. That almost always works, of course, and the majority also become really good tandas.

On the other hand, I attend consciously some very "traditional" events where this is by no means desired.

I think direct invitations are not necessarily a bad thing. I don't mind when women come over and directly invite me, it happens frequently in more relaxed milongas. But I think we have to develop a culture where people feel free to say no, and there are no bad feelings on either side.

 

[TTanguero]

I think for Brits in particular, cabeceo is to be highly encouraged, as we're pretty bad at saying no.