Taxi Dancers included Colombia Tango Festival

[Rabbit]

I am wondering when it counts to partners in social dancing if people are more open minded when younger and become close minded as they get older. Are those in 40s and 50s more selective (not based on skills) than those in 20s or 30s.

I don't think it's age, its amount of time in the scene. after a few years the tendency is to:

- develop certain preferences for what one enjoys about the dance

- have had enough really good experiences where average dances are less satisfying

- most people reach a skill / ability plateau

 

[opendoor]

I don't think it's age.. after a few years... most people reach a skill / ability plateau..

That's enviable. After reaching my peak, it immediately went downhill again with a negative slope. No plateau. I'm afraid I fall under the Red Queen rule: you always have to run faster to stay in the same place.

 

[itwillhappen]

The difference between, "I barely know you, but we've danced once or twice. I'll drive you to the event, get you an invitation, pay your way in, etc. if you'll be my principal partner for the evening," and, "I barely know you, but I'll pay you to be my principal partner for the evening" seems hair-thin,

Would it change your perspective if the (actual) payment were not offered by the giver, but demanded by the receiver?

 

[Rabbit]

Would it change your perspective if the (actual) payment were not offered by the giver, but demanded by the receiver?

I've actually heard of this happening, but I classify it as offensive behaviour

 

[Tango Distance]

They Dance among Us

Today is Halloween in the USA. Thoughts that normally go along the lines of Loss Function convergence stray outside the lines... Could it be someone passing over has done one last milonga, and you've danced with this person? Might that lady dressed in black, who doesn't go to the pre-milonga lesson because "it is too early, it's still daylight," be wearing a mask to hide her vampire fangs? Have you ever been leading, and had an invisible force grab the follower's foot and put it in the wrong place, definitely not where you meant it to go? I'm sure I have seen zombie leaders infiltrate milongas of the living, slowly shuffling and scraping along... For that matter, once I stepped into a milonga and I think it was a case of the still living, me, entering a milonga of zombies all slowly shuffling along to old, slow music that the DJ had further slowed down (BTW I know a non zombie DJ who sometimes slows down a song).

A few weeks ago I was introduced to a man sitting in the corner. I had never seen him before, but he looked like the stereotypical milonguero I have seen in BA videos, for example he was wearing a suit, rare for here. His English was poor, but he handed me a dark card that said "Taxi Dancer." I thought "good luck with that" with a twinge of sadness for him; he'd be lucky to get any business. We have a friendly community! Many people dance with many people! Sure enough, I have not seen him again... but thinking along the lines of Halloween that doesn't mean he is gone...

At a recent Halloween milonga, a nice friend invited us to sit with her. We did. She told my dear wife (DW) that our community has taxi dancers at regular milongas, but she doesn't do it because it is expensive.

My DW and I later discussed this. Neither of us had perceived this was happening. DW did say she was surprised at cases where a good leader kept dancing with followers who were clearly not as good as she is while never inviting her, but now she knows a possible reason. I'm surprised I had not caught on to this. Maybe my mysterious taxi dancer contact has been working in the shadows, unseen by me...

Taxi dancers, they dance among us.

 

[itwillhappen]

I don't think it's age, its amount of time in the scene.

I agree with you. But I hope that younger people will experiment more, try out more paths and connections. After all, they learn faster and can use what they've learned for longer.

Since I've been dancing tango with my partner, I've realized how much importance I used to place on other people's (presumed) opinions and behavior.

If I show up at a milonga with "my" dancer, confident that I'm a good dancer too, I hardly care whether XYZ wants to dance with me. If one thinks it's not for her, that's fine.

 

[JournalInTime]

Would it change your perspective if the (actual) payment were not offered by the giver, but demanded by the receiver?

I think "demand" gets offensive quickly. But I also think that isn't limited to monetary payments. I've had people demand dances from me, and I've been present when they demanded a special price at the door, to see an organizer to complain, that a DJ play specific pieces, etc. Not "ask" – "demand."

So, my reply is, "Yes, but the operative word – the thing that would change my perspective – would be 'demand,' not 'payment.'"

 

[JournalInTime]

Thanks for the laugh!

I'm sure I have seen zombie leaders infiltrate milongas of the living, slowly shuffling and scraping along... For that matter, once I stepped into a milonga and I think it was a case of the still living, me, entering a milonga of zombies all slowly shuffling along to old, slow music that the DJ had further slowed down (BTW I know a non zombie DJ who sometimes slows down a song).

My life and dance partner once referred to a particular leader here "Monsieur Zombi." Over time, the term has come to represent a general type of dancer. We have a lot of them. They don't appear to be able to mark music above a certain tempo, or to move more than a foot's length with each step.

Taxi dancers, they dance among us.

Ours don't dress like stereotypical milongueros, but they exist. Since at least one other member of our community reads these forums, I won't say more. But yeah, it isn't a secret . . . it's more that most people don't want to know about it.

 

[Bailango]

Ours don't dress like stereotypical milongueros, but they exist. Since at least one other member of our community reads these forums, I won't say more. But yeah, it isn't a secret . . . it's more that most people don't want to know about it.

My DW and I later discussed this. Neither of us had perceived this was happening. DW did say she was surprised at cases where a good leader kept dancing with followers who were clearly not as good as she is while never inviting her, but now she knows a possible reason. I'm surprised I had not caught on to this. Maybe my mysterious taxi dancer contact has been working in the shadows, unseen by me...

Taxi dancers, they dance among us.

I am repeating what I already posted a few years before.

I was clueless for almost ten years that people paid others (usually instructors) to dance with them at milongas. Either by time (one hour or two hours) or by tandas (6 or 10 or some specified number etc). Once I was made aware such arrangements were not uncommon, I started noticing what certainly appeared like one of the two had paid the other.

It isn’t widely prevalent. Currently my educated guess is only two or three people are doing it.

 

[Rabbit]

I agree with you. But I hope that younger people will experiment more, try out more paths and connections. After all, they learn faster and can use what they've learned for longer.

Well, it is experienced dancers, often those who teach, that are responsible for infecting people with bad ideas.

At least currently you can dance however you want and no one cares so long as the floorcraft is reasonable

 

[itwillhappen]

The difference between, "I barely know you, but we've danced once or twice. I'll drive you to the event, get you an invitation, pay your way in, etc. if you'll be my principal partner for the evening," and, "I barely know you, but I'll pay you to be my principal partner for the evening" seems hair-thin

Definitely. But I think it's not that third parties don't want to see it, but rather that those involved don't want third parties to see it. At least not outside the isolation of a long-distance trip.

We would like to maintain a certain degree of discretion. Ultimately, problems regarding gender imbalance could be resolved simply by the entry fee to a milonga or event. Those with greater interest would pay more. But that's not socially accepted.

 

[Brummbaer]

Those with greater interest would pay more. But that's not socially accepted.

That's a complicated social and legal issue depending on locale. There were (maybe back in my day), maybe still are(?), night clubs which offer 'free' entry to women, or men pay.

 

[opendoor]

...with greater interest would pay more. But that's not socially accepted.

I get upset about such suggestions, because in my experience, men always are charged the higher entrance fee. And I'm in the minority, firstly in terms of gender, and secondly because of my limiting disability. I advocate for male leads to be completely exempt from paying the entrance fee at all.

 

[Brummbaer]

I get upset about such suggestions, because in my experience, men always are charged the higher entrance fee. And I'm in the minority, firstly in terms of gender, and secondly because of my limiting disability. I advocate for male leads to be completely exempt from paying the entrance fee at all.

Apparently in some legal jurisdictions it's legal for men to pay more (or less) for business reasons, but not because of prejudicial discrimination.

 

[itwillhappen]

Are you talking about paid, sponsored, or volunteer taxi dancers? Do you mean incognito dancers or yellow vests? There's a lot of confusion in your answers!

These are indeed completely different mechanisms.

I think at the festival mentioned one can demonstrate that they can afford to pay the well-known dancers. And the dancers can demonstrate that they dance so well that this service is worth the money.

That wouldn't work well here. If such support measures are necessary, then the organizer should pay the taxi dancers, or even better volunteers, and these should be readily available to all those in need.

And then, of course, there's the broad area of conscious or unconscious influence through money or other resources. This can begin with carpooling or the selection of "helpful" teachers.