kieronneedscake
New Member
In the spirit of things such as karmic balance, I would like to say how pleasantly surprised I have been by the dancing scene in Rome. My apologies for the furore over my other thread. In spite of one negative experience, it has not tarnished my whole visit. No further mention will be made.
In my long weekend here, I have been to three proper milongas in three nights. At each I have seen a generally high standard of dancing and friendly attitude. There are many more milongas that I cannot visit, with predominant styles and selections of music at each. There is dancing every night of the week until very late (up to 4am on several nights).
Many styles are danced and I had no difficulties in communicating my lead to the various dancers. Music and DJing was good, with neither too many forays into crazy neo music, nor too much die hard golden era music. Floor craft was not up to the dizzying standard of El Beso, but I received no surprise hits from flying heels or forceful collisions.
Gender balance was heavily on the side of women. I did see a reasonable amount of dancing with no feeling (the stereotypical step collectors, male and female), but no more than I expect anywhere else. Codegos were vague, but assertive approaches to women were generally accepted.
In conclusion, when coupled with the awesome history of Rome, I recommend it as a destination for the tango traveller. Men in particular should enjoy themselves on account of the plentiful supply of skilled women already there. Sadly, the late finishes and absence of 24 hour BsAs taxis mean it may not be easy to get home from milongas on the cheap. I was lucky enough to have help so I didn't need to try the night buses. Go on, be a history/religious tourist by day, and tango dancer by night, and prodigious consumer of delicious gelato whenever you feel like it.
In my long weekend here, I have been to three proper milongas in three nights. At each I have seen a generally high standard of dancing and friendly attitude. There are many more milongas that I cannot visit, with predominant styles and selections of music at each. There is dancing every night of the week until very late (up to 4am on several nights).
Many styles are danced and I had no difficulties in communicating my lead to the various dancers. Music and DJing was good, with neither too many forays into crazy neo music, nor too much die hard golden era music. Floor craft was not up to the dizzying standard of El Beso, but I received no surprise hits from flying heels or forceful collisions.
Gender balance was heavily on the side of women. I did see a reasonable amount of dancing with no feeling (the stereotypical step collectors, male and female), but no more than I expect anywhere else. Codegos were vague, but assertive approaches to women were generally accepted.
In conclusion, when coupled with the awesome history of Rome, I recommend it as a destination for the tango traveller. Men in particular should enjoy themselves on account of the plentiful supply of skilled women already there. Sadly, the late finishes and absence of 24 hour BsAs taxis mean it may not be easy to get home from milongas on the cheap. I was lucky enough to have help so I didn't need to try the night buses. Go on, be a history/religious tourist by day, and tango dancer by night, and prodigious consumer of delicious gelato whenever you feel like it.
