Tango Diaries

[Bailango]

Last night’s event had a very good live music. First a sit down concert for 40 minutes by a guitar duo. The second part was a sextet band. With DJ (who was crappy and I don’t like) playing between the two and the last 30 minutes.

First 20 minutes was like a production. Since the event was hosted at an arts warehouse which used for designing sculptures, the place always had a different feel. It regularly hosts only live music with a small dance floor that can fit about 25-30 couples if very crowded. They started the event with the dance floor area having props to make it look like church pulpit. The theme was Church of Tango. One of the musicians duo (visiting from BsAs) pretended to be pastor leading the congregation and invoked names of various golden age musicians (instead of Jesus and Christianity) as part of the service. He also did an entertaining puppet show. All revolving around Tango. It was quite a fun start to the evening.

Third time this week I went to an event/milonga because they were playing live. One of them often sang along with playing and is an excellent singer.

Once the floor opened up for dancing, it was disappointing. Hardly anyone was dancing to the music. Floor craft left much to be desired. I choose not to dance much. Two tandas because I was cabaceo’d and one with a friend because she had invited me to the event.

While dancing with her, at one of the corners a leader cabaceo’d before entering the ronda ahead of me. Once I let him entered, I was planning to lead my partner energetically into the space ahead in the corner, once I saw him clear it. I had a total blind spot if anyone new entered the ronda. When he entered, there wasn’t anyone behind him and we were already in the third song of the tanda. However without being able to see I sensed someone might be there. Therefore instead of launching forward into the space, I curved my step to make us move half a step worth of step backwards. Which meant I still had no visibility with my back almost facing line of dance. At the next step I turned to face line of dance. Sure enough, I saw this guy who had entered from my blind spot! It was irritating because he is one of several regular offenders who are oblivious to entering the ronda or the music (makes dancing behind him worse). Being a corner I could have easily used my partner as a weapon by leading a quick step followed by boleo The music was very strong rhythmic. With boleo arc outside of the floor corner only someone it would have hit is person making an ill-advised decision to stand near the dance floor corner (outside the dance area) or entering without making an eye contact (don’t enter into blind spot of others dancing). This is why etiquettes and codigas are common sense measures and important.

 

[ardix]

Please do!

Tips/links in private conversations/DM

 

[ArbeeNYC]

Was at a very crowded event last night, maybe a couple hundred people, maybe more. Floorcraft was abominable. Over the course of the entire evening and many tandas, only one other leader acknowledged me with a cabeceo upon entering the line of dance. One. And the laggards included several so-called "teachers." Guys leaving 10 feet of space in front of them so they can twirl around like dervishes to some big, slow DiSarli song. Hello? Earth to tango leader... What the hell are you dancing to? Ughh. Two guys bumped into us even though there was space behind me. How does that happen? How? Someone please teach these people how to dance in a social setting.

 

[pianistamediano]

Someone please teach these people how to dance in a social setting.

If only percussive maintenance to the soft parts for a good cause were legal!

 

[opendoor]

I see it differently, Arbee!

..."teachers" ..leaving 10 feet of space in front of them so they can twirl around like dervishes.. How does that happen?

Maybe they are short of money. It is not easy to earn money as a tango teacher. These people were basically advertising for themselves at what was, for you, a social dance event. You wanted to enjoy the party, but the teachers mentioned had to work hard instead.

Someone please teach these people how to dance in a social setting.

They already know the rules and don't need to be taught. The organizers should have communicated the nature of the event more clearly and enforce the rules if necessary. But they were probably too cowardly to do so. Not these teachers are the problem, the organizer was.

 

[TTanguero]

These people were basically advertising for themselves at what was, for you, a social dance event.

But it's counterproductive. I'd never in a million years take lessons with a teacher who is apparently unable to dance in a ronda.

 

[JournalInTime]

But it's counterproductive. I'd never in a million years take lessons with a teacher who is apparently unable to dance in a ronda.

Agreed. I have a vaguely related story . . .

—

Last night, I was dancing at a milonga that got unusually crowded because (1) the competing outdoor event that normally siphons off a lot of people was rained out, and (2) the competing indoor event that was predicted to siphon off a lot of people was avoided due to the previous week being a catastrophe (crowd, broken air conditioner, sticky floor). So, we had twice the usual mob. I danced more than a few tandas in a <1 m circle that advanced 2-3m per piece.

Anyway, there was a visiting teaching couple. They were not the problem. They were dancing like one should. Lovely to see. I'd have taken lessons from them.

Then there was one of this place's teachers. He was backing up. He was parking to let space open up in front of him before charging into it (and often backing out of it before anybody could advance behind him). He did this after announcing that people shouldn't do that. Given the crowding, emergency lane-changes to get out from behind him weren't going to happen.

So, what were the students of this place doing? What their teacher was doing. The visitors were, by virtue of dancing politely for the space, not standing out much. The teacher was, by virtue of having 5m to play with when the rest of us had <1m, standing out and doing things that looked more fun to his students.

I detest this. Not the people, but the situation. It arises altogether too often.

What's worse for me, personally, is that I've never had anyone say, "I like dancing with you because you respect the space," or, "I admire your floorcraft," but I have had people say, "So-and-so danced with you the other night and was a bit disappointed you didn't claim your place and dance your coolest moves." That, to me, is a sign of badly misplaced priorities. There's no "claim your place" in tango, and the idea that he or she who teaches, visits, has the cool vocabulary, or whatever can and should do that is toxic. The lack of admiration for good floorcraft skills is also toxic.

On the way out afterward, I was conversing with a group of followers. The topic of crowding came up. One said, "Well, that's one of those leader things I don't particularly notice." That's toxic, too.

 

[opendoor]

..I'd never in a million years take lessons with a teacher who is apparently unable to dance in a ronda.

Sorry, I don't understand your comment. Nobody takes lessons to learn the ronda. I pay a tango teacher for his knowledge of body control and biomechanics. If he can teach me something, I don't care about the rest. In my city there are many teachers who are highly problematic as human beings, but each one has been able to teach me something.

 

[opendoor]

On the way out.. One said, "Well, that's one of those leader things I don't particularly notice." That's toxic, too.

Floorcraft can only be observed from the outside and with open eyes. The ladies want beautiful dances and many refuse to open their eyes. As a leader, fighting for your place on the dance floor in order to do interesting things is floorcraft in the true sense of the word.

 

[TTanguero]

Sorry, I don't understand your comment.

If a teacher is incompetent at an absolutely fundamental skill, I'm not going to trust them for anything.

Nobody takes lessons to learn the ronda.

On the contrary, one of the earliest privates I had after starting to dance in milongas, I told my teacher "I want to know how to dance on a crowded floor." We spent the lesson with him teaching me how to adapt what I already knew to a crowded space, for example having ochos be circular around me rather than out to the side.

 

[Rabbit]

What's worse for me, personally, is that I've never had anyone say, "I like dancing with you because you respect the space," or, "I admire your floorcraft,"

You don't gain points for good floorcraft, you just lose points for crashing into other people. The followers don't really seem to care whether you avoid the crashes by dancing in a compact space, doing aggressive movements to "claim" extra space or moving to the least crowded area of the dance floor. That's just how it is.

Actually the only situations I get complimented on floorcraft is if I pull a tricky maneouvre to get out of a bad spot on the dance floor or if I finish the dance exactly at my partner's table (even though that one's mostly random.)

 

[pianistamediano]

Then there was one of this place's teachers. He was backing up. He was parking to let space open up in front of him before charging into it (and often backing out of it before anybody could advance behind him). He did this after announcing that people shouldn't do that. Given the crowding, emergency lane-changes to get out from behind him weren't going to happen.

If I were right behind him, I would be constantly advancing and timing my turns so that my back would be presented to him whenever he moved against the line of dance. Ideally, I'd be limiting his movement as much as humanly possible without disrupting the flow of the ronda too. He can collide against me all he wants, I have back muscles to spare. I see no reason why this is wrong; the old milongueros have done the same too.

It might be fun to mirror his movements too; watch how fast his face turns sour when I advance exactly as fast as he does, and leave him with no more (or no less) space to go backwards than any one couple on the pista should have!

The problem is two-fold — on the organisers' side, that organisers do not care, are afraid to police dancers for malicious floorcraft for fear of the consequences (whether they be an average, unknown dancer or famous professional), or are friends with him. On the students' side, they are quite obviously oblivious, stupid, or simply do not care. If he didn't have students, his behaviour would be less arrogant.

So, what were the students of this place doing? What their teacher was doing. The visitors were, by virtue of dancing politely for the space, not standing out much. The teacher was, by virtue of having 5m to play with when the rest of us had <1m, standing out and doing things that looked more fun to his students.

Case in point. Although to be fair, those students were simply imitating their teacher and ignoring the disrespectful and disruptive nature of his actions.

 

[opendoor]

If a teacher is incompetent at an absolutely fundamental skill, I'm not going to trust them for anything...

I think our disagreement is due to my poor English and a totally different understanding of "skill". For me, keeping to the ronda is not a "fundamental skill" but simply a decision.
Adults do not need lessons to make this decision. You either identify with this agreement or you don't, TTanguero.

 

[pianistamediano]

What's worse for me, personally, is that I've never had anyone say, "I like dancing with you because you respect the space," or, "I admire your floorcraft," but I have had people say, "So-and-so danced with you the other night and was a bit disappointed you didn't claim your place and dance your coolest moves." That, to me, is a sign of badly misplaced priorities. There's no "claim your place" in tango, and the idea that he or she who teaches, visits, has the cool vocabulary, or whatever can and should do that is toxic. The lack of admiration for good floorcraft skills is also toxic.

On the way out afterward, I was conversing with a group of followers. The topic of crowding came up. One said, "Well, that's one of those leader things I don't particularly notice." That's toxic, too.

I don't blame people for being mostly self-interested, especially followers; they usually have no idea how they can actively contribute to a good ronda, and I'm thankful for the followers that do know how to do so.

The toxic idea that leaders are solely responsible for floorcraft can't go away soon enough. But as with every other instance of undesirable behaviour by leaders, (some) followers still dance with the culprits, the culprits aren't held to account, and therefore the culprits have no reason not to continue behaving badly.

This is usually, but not always, tied to a high perceived social status within the context of the milonga/local tango community; I doubt an average, unknown visiting leader would be allowed to perform such antics without consequences.

 

[TTanguero]

For me, keeping to the ronda is not a "fundamental skill" but simply a decision.

Dancing within the couple's own space is a skill, and if a teacher doesn't do so on a crowded floor, I'm going to assume they're incompetent.