Which UK/European festivals/marathons/encuentros would you recommend?

ArbeeNYC said:
No that's conformity. Elitism is intentional exclusion of others simply because they are others, regardless of their skills or abilities. It's a form of social exclusivity. Has nothing to do with how you dance, really (even in tango).
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There is a lot more to it than that: a focus on performance and effectivity; shared values and knowledge, often documented by a similar upbringing; some common codes.

The most important tool for excluding people is mirada/cabeceo; an effective and quick form of communication that outsiders find difficult to get involved in. And then tandas, i.e. keeping the time window for choosing a dance partner as short as possible so that undesirable people cannot sabotage your own goals.

It is quite easy to behave egalitarian at a festival. You sit down at a table, chat for a while, ask the women at the table if they would like to dance, and sometimes tap the women at the next table on the shoulder. At some point you go out for something to eat or drink and sit down at another table. At the end you can still finish the wine bottles and have a few jokes with strangers at the bar.

But you can also behave elitistly at a festival, and many of my dance partners really like that. So I move my chair a bit away from the table, scan the room, remember previous events, consider networks, weigh up opportunities, move when "idiots" block my line of sight, and afterwards I don't block my dance partner with unnecessary chatter.

At a milonga you usually have a choice, but there are also some with a more or less clear profile.
At an encuentro or marathon almost all participants behave in an elitist manner.

So there are reasons why outsiders consider the tango sociotope to be elitist.
 
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ArbeeNYC said:
...Elitism is intentional exclusion of others simply because they are others, regardless of their skills or abilities...
Bailango said:
.......Who is talking about a type of dancing. We were talking about a certain type of event and who chooses patronize them.
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In my understanding and use, elitism always has something of a claim to superiority. In contrast, the tendencies at milonguero-only events implicitly acknowledge that these people are less good at dancing and only want to move with small steps with their peers in a slowly progressive ronda. In this respect, my suggestion would be to call this phenomenon rather segregation.
 
opendoor said:
In my understanding and use, elitism always has something of a claim to superiority. In contrast, the tendencies at milonguero-only events implicitly acknowledge that these people are less good at dancing and only want to move with small steps with their peers in a slowly progressive ronda. In this respect, my suggestion would be to call this phenomenon rather segregation.
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Yes, you could call an "Encuentro" the segregation of yesterday's elites.
The elites of tomorrow in turn prefer the term "Marathon".
And today's elites, well, they are either deceiving themselves or they are somewhat concealing their methods. Depending on whether they have chosen the red pill or the blue pill...
 
Anyone who attended the Encuentro Porteno Amsterdam? what's your opinion about this event and what's the best option when it comes to accommodation?
 
ardix said:
Anyone who attended the Encuentro Porteno Amsterdam? what's your opinion about this event and what's the best option when it comes to accommodation?
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Hi, me :joyful: . And so my opinion has to be positive.
Since I haven't been there for five years (for the Encuentro), I know little.
You might have noticed the accomodation page on their website. Parking in Amsterdam-Noord is relatively cheap around €8/day, I would try to get a bed there, a bike is helpful.
Personally, I plan to move my campervan to the nearby industrial estate.
 
As expected, "Tango Celebration" was a very cosy event in a very beautiful city with very charismatic hosts.
If you reserve 55% of the places for couples (without defining "couple" more precisely), that may (at least) have the advantage that 55% cannot feel lonely by definition.

I have now registered for the exact opposite at the "High Noon Marathon", in the European tango metropolis, where you cannot register as a couple at all, everyone fights for themselves. It wouldn't be my first choice, but a friend wants to go. And to register solo is not an issue for two male leaders. I'm excited to see how it goes.
 
itwillhappen said:
I have now registered for the exact opposite at the "High Noon Marathon", in the European tango metropolis, where you cannot register as a couple at all, everyone fights for themselves. It wouldn't be my first choice, but a friend wants to go. And to register solo is not an issue for two male leaders. I'm excited to see how it goes.
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A very well organized event, and I danced well, I can fully recommend it.

However, followers have to be very quick when it comes to registering, they had 1 minute and 46 seconds before they ended up on the waiting list. That leaves little time to fix any IT problems.
And for couples, the leaders wait calmly to see if their partner has made it, and register then. Or not.
Well, it obviously works that way.
 
itwillhappen said:
when it comes to registering, they had 1 minute and 46 seconds before they ended up on the waiting list.
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I once registered within a minute of registration opening up and ended up on the waiting list. I was told by the organizer, don’t worry, I’m # 2 on the list. When after a month or so I still wasn’t in, I questioned them again. ‘Oh no, that must have been a typo, you are number 22’. They can do whatever they want with those lists. I was not connected and I also wasn’t that experienced a dancer at the time. But it was the only decent event I had access to within a couple of hours from my place.
Now with access to many more events, my attitude has changed. And I’m not going with the flow. With very few exceptions I register ahead of time. Only if I really really want an event or if someone I enjoy dancing with invites me. It’s funny how in the times where people are more and more commitment phobic to even say yes to a friend’s dinner party, or buy concert tickets ahead of time, that tango events have gone the opposite way by forcing a commitment a year ahead sometimes. I lean more and more towards the casual registration events like Basel Ostertango where you show up at the door and pay. That’s it. Hotels, however, I’ll book way ahead, as long as I can get free cancellation.
 
My calendar shows the following for the next two months:

Ronda del Querer/Lauterbach/Germany
NocheDePasion/Regensburg/Germany
Early Verano/Kehl/Germany
La Cita de los Amigos/Spa/Belgium
Amado/Baden/Austria

So I'm still betting on Encuentros in and around Germany. However, at the last two, I had the strong impression that codigos and floorcraft had declined significantly, even at an Encuentro with separated seating. For whatever reason.
 
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