What are the technical elements of a pleasant embrace?

[opendoor]

..Chance of course plays a significant role in tango generally, but nowhere more so than in London, in my limited experience..

But between you and me, why don't you arrange to meet your peer group via SMS or wtspp? The young people in BSAs do that too. Nobody will take a risk.

 

[opendoor]

..when their preferred dancers spend the evening entertaining tourists.

I'm currently planning my vacation time in southern Germany and northern Switzerland. And of course I expect the ladies to take care of me and to welcomes me publically at the milongas, to socialize me and to pass on information and so forth.

 

[TTanguero]

But between you and me, why don't you arrange to meet your peer group via SMS or wtspp? The young people in BSAs do that too. Nobody will take a risk.

I generally arrange to go with at least one friend, but I actively like dancing with a mix of familiar and new dancers.

 

[opendoor]

I generally arrange to go..

Since I can't dance as much anymore, I don't leave anything to chance anymore. I'm not looking for adventure, or surprise, I'm just looking for good followers.

 

[itwillhappen]

I'm currently planning my vacation time in southern Germany and northern Switzerland. And of course I expect the ladies to take care of me and to welcomes me publically at the milongas, to socialize me and to pass on information and so forth.

I now have the opportunity to travel more often and longer, including to dance tango. So it might be wiser if the tangueras manage their resources. There's no need for a red carpet, it's enough for me if I'm allowed enter a milonga through the front.
I'll touch tango on Lake Constance in May, just between a festival in France and an encuentro in Germany.

 

[Be Present]

Yes, of course. But for some this love cools down a bit when their preferred dancers spend the evening entertaining tourists.

Yes true. And probably also works both ways.

 

[Rabbit]

Yes, of course. But for some this love cools down a bit when their preferred dancers spend the evening entertaining tourists.

Don't the same people also travel and complain that locals at their destination don't want to dance with them?

 

[JournalInTime]

Since I can't dance as much anymore, I don't leave anything to chance anymore. I'm not looking for adventure, or surprise, I'm just looking for good followers.

I can dance lots, still, but I don't leave much to chance. It's very rare that I go to a milonga without several of the following being true. Roughly in order by frequency in a given week:

• Several tangueras in my circle have spontaneously contacted me by SMS or social media to say that they'll be there.
• I've posted an event notice on my social media and had tangueras in my circle comment that they'll be there.
• My girlfriend is coming with me.
• Another tanguera is giving me a lift to the event, with the unspoken agreement that I'll dance with her in return.
• Another tanguera has reserved a table and invited me to be there.
• I've contacted tangueras in my circle by SMS or social media to say that I'll be there, and they've confirmed.

I feel zero shame "stacking the deck" like this, and I'm not too proud to exchange tandas for lifts or table reservations.

 

[Brummbaer]

It's very rare that I go to a milonga without several of the following being true. Roughly in order by frequency in a given week:...

And that's how, socially, you have dances beyond being a solo beginner and seeking them out.

 

[Bailango]

I can dance lots, still, but I don't leave much to chance. It's very rare that I go to a milonga without several of the following being true. Roughly in order by frequency in a given week:

• Several tangueras in my circle have spontaneously contacted me by SMS or social media to say that they'll be there.
• I've posted an event notice on my social media and had tangueras in my circle comment that they'll be there.
• My girlfriend is coming with me.
• Another tanguera is giving me a lift to the event, with the unspoken agreement that I'll dance with her in return.
• Another tanguera has reserved a table and invited me to be there.
• I've contacted tangueras in my circle by SMS or social media to say that I'll be there, and they've confirmed.

I feel zero shame "stacking the deck" like this, and I'm not too proud to exchange tandas for lifts or table reservations.

1. None of my peers I could do coordinate going to milongas with are in the scene. They have moved out of the area long ago.

2. There are two or three that will contact me about milongas. They are okay dancers. When I see them I will dance with them. They aren’t that good that I look forward to dancing with them. There are may be another two or three or four. They aren’t that good of dancers.

3. There are only couple of good dancers that I can sms about going to a milonga. Ninety percent of the time they can’t make it due to other responsibilities.

If who I know is showing up is to be yardstick it isn’t too inspiring to go to local milongas.

 

[Brummbaer]

If who I know is showing up is to be yardstick it isn’t too inspiring to go to local milongas.

Isn't it also about who you might meet?

I suppose, if you just reduce it to 'dance', then you may as well just advertise for a 'dance partner' to meet the criterion - or choose a professional 'taxi dancer'. Back to the era of 10¢-a-dance? The Encuentro is too risky as the 'less inspiring' may have moved there in their search.

 

[pianistamediano]

I usually go to milongas now to be around friends; ideally, I'd like to have a few quality tandas, and then sit the rest of the time enjoying the atmosphere. It's marathons/the occasional festival/milongas when travelling where I'm more dance-focused.

 

[JournalInTime]

If who I know is showing up is to be yardstick it isn’t too inspiring to go to local milongas.

When I'm being honest, I'm going because the people on my list are enthusiastic and like to dance with me, not because they're super-great dancers. Over the past decade plus, I've put "dance at a high level" in the "a thing my girlfriend and I do with our coach" column and "dance with enthusiastic tanguera friends" in the "most of what happens in Real Life" column.

 

[pianistamediano]

When I'm being honest, I'm going because the people on my list are enthusiastic and like to dance with me, not because they're super-great dancers. Over the past decade plus, I've put "dance at a high level" in the "a thing my girlfriend and I do with our coach" column and "dance with enthusiastic tanguera friends" in the "most of what happens in Real Life" column.

Knowing that someone actively wants to and enjoys dancing with you goes a very, very long way.

 

[JournalInTime]

Knowing that someone actively wants to and enjoys dancing with you goes a very, very long way.

Yes. As much as I truly enjoy intensive coaching and practice, value good technique and floorcraft, and spout paragraphs about tango theory, most of my personal joy of tango comes from my social interactions in the local tango community. As I've said many times: I'm a not-so-well-paid editor and writer, with no budget for tango travel. If I want to keep dancing until they pour me into an urn, then I must make peace with dancing locally almost all of the time, and that means building local tango friendships.

It helps a lot that "the local tango community" is centered on a metropolitan region of 4.3 million people. We have on the order of a dozen tango studios with dozens of teachers in the greater region, thousands of occasional dancers and hundreds of regular dancers, at least one if not two or three events every day of the week, a couple of good-sized tango festivals, and visiting orquestas and masters most months. "Local tango friendships" doesn't mean "two tangueras I dance with regularly," but something closer to "20-30 tangueras I dance with regularly."