Milongas in Russia?

TTanguero

TTanguero

Forum Master
I'm just doing some tentative investigation of a possible trip somewhere when things re-open a little. Russia seems one possibility – does anyone have experience of dancing there? What is it like for leaders, and for followers?

Or, if you're able to give any more specific feedback, how things might be for a two-year leader who is at a very early stage of collaborative dance, and an advanced follower (8 years) who has been out of the tango scene for a while?
 
First you’ll have to clear the huddle of entry. The border is essentially closed except for Russian citizens and their spouses.

Milongas are open in Russia but close earlier than before (officially by 23:00). Most days of the week there is one to go to. Women outnumber men. The beginner lead will have many opportunities to dance (though not necessarily with good followers, who will be selective and watch how he dances before accepting cabeceo). The advanced follower might find the experience frustrating because she will face a great deal of competition from good followers and gender imbalance. If you can get entry, you might try registering for an event that plans to maintain gender balance (like the marathon in Rostov Jan 2-6).

Fairly strict cabeceo is the rule almost everywhere. Most of the dancing is close embrace (unless Nuevo or alternative).

As to COVID, it’s quite prevalent. If you don’t have antibodies, you will be risking infection. I would guess 30-40% of the people at milongas have recovered. The others just don’t seem to come down with it.
 
Thanks for the feedback – that's really helpful.

The Russian Embassy website in London and the Foreign Office both say UK citizens can visit with a negative test result.

January definitely isn't possible, however, as London is under Tier 4 lockdown, which prohibits all non-essential travel. This is just a tentative look at potential future plans.
 
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