Cabeceo and Other "Rules"

[Tangogal]

Most of our dance events take place in a sports club. The bar is separate to the hall so we buy drinks through a hatch and the club reserves the bar area for its members. This takes care of the staff wages but not the extra inconvenience for the two young lads (early 20s).

The heating is on a meter! There is no aircon but there is an outdoor seating area so we open the doors wide on summer evenings (I take no responsibility for midges).

The slush fund has purchased an adequate portable speaker. Our DJ is part of the organising team but for bigger events we try to hire a live band (swing dancing not tango). We also try to organise one or two dinners a year for the organising team.

 

[JournalInTime]

Yes, tango people seem obsessed with dimly lit environments . . . then have the gall to grumble about how the cabeceo doesn't work. One place where I like to dance is always bright, and I greatly prefer that, as it makes invitations much simpler.

Funny observation about that and being the barman: Where I worked, the lighting panel was behind the bar. The only event staff with easy access to it were the bar staff, usually meaning me. The regulars knew this, so every night, all night, I had a constant stream of requests:

"Please dim the lights. It's too bright and it's spoiling the mood."​

"Please bring up the lights. It's too dim and I can't cabeceo."​

"Hey, you, turn those lights down! This isn't a grocery store."​

"Yo, barman, electricity isn't that expensive. Brighten this place up so we aren't stumbling in the dark!"​

"Too bright, damn you!"​

"Man, I told you, BRIGHTER!"​

No. Victory. Possible.

 

[Tangogal]

Funny observation about that and being the barman: Where I worked, the lighting panel was behind the bar. The only event staff with easy access to it were the bar staff, usually meaning me. The regulars knew this, so every night, all night, I had a constant stream of requests:

"Please dim the lights. It's too bright and it's spoiling the mood."​

"Please bring up the lights. It's too dim and I can't cabeceo."​

"Hey, you, turn those lights down! This isn't a grocery store."​

"Yo, barman, electricity isn't that expensive. Brighten this place up so we aren't stumbling in the dark!"​

"Too bright, damn you!"​

"Man, I told you, BRIGHTER!"​

No. Victory. Possible.

I just pretend I don't know how to use the switches or "accidentally" turn on the disco ball.

 

[Rabbit]

The solution to lighting is coloured lights that create ambience without reducing visibility too much.

Powder should only be an emergency measure if the floor is very sticky. Most of the time it is an unnecessary hazard and people who scatter it on the floor frequently actually have issues with their shoes, pivoting technique or both.

 

[Brummbaer]

Yes that’s why the organisers tip the bar, if there is one, since they make next to nothing on sales.

I think that even the village pub is closed and boarded up - insufficient trade. You need a licence for alcoholic drinks, so a village hall may or may not have something, depending what else they do.

If it's in a town/city where I can use public transport, then I'd go with that. For the numbers at a non-city milonga then it's probably not worthwhile.

This does visualise the expectations at a 'city' milonga, where you're more likely to get attendees, they can get there and get home on public transport, you can have codigos that people might know, your costs go up, but you can charge for the offering. But then you might want to promote AT throughout the country, where people travel 30-50 miles (50-80km) for a lesson, or milonga, it's a small group who know each other with an enthusiastic teacher, so a different approach is needed. The organising work doesn't change, although the costs might.

 

[Brummbaer]

Powder should only be an emergency measure if the floor is very sticky. Most of the time it is an unnecessary hazard and people who scatter it on the floor frequently actually have issues with their shoes, pivoting technique or both.

I agree. It's more about floor preparation depending on the previous event: wake, sports viewing, disco, children's party, etc. Just another job for the organiser if it hasn't been done.

The solution to lighting is coloured lights that create ambience without reducing visibility too much.

Great if you've got a dedicated venue and brightness control. Mostly they're on or off.

 

[Rabbit]

Great if you've got a dedicated venue and brightness control. Mostly they're on or off.

Generally we have our own lights, it does add more equipment to manage though

 

[JournalInTime]

I just pretend I don't know how to use the switches or "accidentally" turn on the disco ball.

I only did that once or twice. Not sure it solved the problem, but it made me feel better.

 

[JournalInTime]

The solution to lighting is coloured lights that create ambience without reducing visibility too much.

We had those, actually. Didn't help. Some people wanted them up high enough to melt to colored gels; others wanted them off so they could dance in the light of the LEDs of the sound board and fake candles. It was almost that extreme.

Powder should only be an emergency measure if the floor is very sticky. Most of the time it is an unnecessary hazard and people who scatter it on the floor frequently actually have issues with their shoes, pivoting technique or both.

The thing with powder on sticky floors is that it doesn't help for long. After the third or fourth couple passes through it, it gets ground into the stickiness and creates an even nastier mess. Then I have to come out with a mop, and nobody can dance there while it dries. And once it dries, it's sticky again, because contrary to common belief, stickiness is usually due to the finish on the floor going bad, not due to spilled drinks.

Most tango people seem to learn to dance circular movements with either pivoting or crossing technique. Part of what my teacher meant by learning to dance including learning to dance on bad floors was learning both techniques and employing the right one for the floor. But obsessive pivot fans would rather powder than just cross one leg behind the other.

 

[Tangogal]

I haven't seen any growth in the tango community for the last several years. There is still only one main organizer and one main teacher (who now lives in a bigger city but travels once a week). The other sometimes teachers rarely organize events.

Group1: Organizing and teaching couple + main Argentine tango teacher. Restarting next week they run two group classes and a practilonga on a Monday night. Seem happy with the status quo.

Group2: Teacher 2 non-Argentine but very experienced also teaches other styles of dance. Teaches tango for love of the dance but is now doing kizomba fusion and tango beginners for the Latin night. My best hope for growth and change.

Group3: Teacher: hobby dancer who teaches beginners from a dance studio. He filled a spot that was previously held by another hobby dancer with some ballet background. The class is mostly couples and beginners with a class package from the studio. No growth or change expected.

Me: preparing to re-join tango after hiatus. Previously assisted Teacher 2 before the last lockdown then he restarted but didn't require vaccination and had rotating partners so I couldn't go. Then I had a shoulder injury which is 90% fine now. I'll give Omicrom another fortnight and reassess the situation then. I'm taking a break from organizing dance events and looking forward to just enjoying my hobbies for a while.

 

[Brummbaer]

Then I have to come out with a mop, and nobody can dance there while it dries.

It's about floor prep - and the time available. Usually needs an industrial floor cleaner or considerably more work mopping. We've turned up early for events to assist with floor prep. Try a dance and then get to work cleaning up after the previous party so that it's ready for the others when they arrive.

Most tango people seem to learn to dance circular movements with either pivoting or crossing technique.

If I'm paying for a dance floor, then I expect a danceable floor. Reserve crossing/walking technique for the really bad paving or other outside floor. But if it's the best you can get in the circumstances, then adapt. Not worth ripping a knee.

 

[Cabbit]

If im paying an entrance fee, a pivotable floor is the least i expect, and coupled with somebodys phone or bluetooth speaker my only milonga requirements.

If the floor is dangerous for pivoting, we might as well dance in the streets and parks. Actually, some streets are paved with polished granite, so thats a viable option for okay weather.

 

[Rabbit]

The thing with powder on sticky floors is that it doesn't help for long. After the third or fourth couple passes through it, it gets ground into the stickiness and creates an even nastier mess. Then I have to come out with a mop, and nobody can dance there while it dries. And once it dries, it's sticky again, because contrary to common belief, stickiness is usually due to the finish on the floor going bad, not due to spilled drinks.

Usually it is dirt brought in from street shoes of whomever was using the space previously and/or the venue being slack about cleaning the floor.

It's possible to turn without pivoting, but eliminating ochos from the dance also removes a very important expressive and choreographic tool. Yes it can be done, and a good leader who doesn't rely on sequences can get through a d'Arienzo tanda without a single pivot, but I think most people have a hard time getting satisfactory results out of that, and once you get off the hard rhythm tracks it will be a serious compromise to just about everyone.

 

[Tangogal]

I agree that the minimum expectation is a floor on which I can pivot. Provided I take the responsibility of wearing appropriate shoes. Expecting the average leader to dance without leading pivots is too much and most followers don't know enough to step or cross instead.

 

[ArbeeNYC]

"The lights are too bright"

Funny, I often complain that they're not bright enough. Some places here turn them down quite low.