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

[Bailango]

Also, an addendum I just thought of: Finding actually good/compatible dancers in a larger crowd is way more difficult. Plus, you will be competing with other same-role dancers who may very well be better than you in the eyes of the dancer you're trying to dance with. The competition only increases in quantity, and you are more likely to be overlooked or just go unnoticed by that dancer

Yes indeed! That’s an issue.

Considering that there's only so many tandas in an event, and that the number of tandas tends to be less in a festival (because of performances, classes, etc.) compared to, say, a marathon, assuming they span the same number of days, and have the same number of milongas in a day (afternoon, evening, afterparty), I would be much more inclined to go to a marathon known for having high-level dancers than a festival, unless my friends are going to that festival.

I don’t have enough data points having only attended one small marathon (in Vienna), a local weekender (in Paris), and two festivals (300 to 400 people maybe) todate. At marathon it felt to me like 80% of the crowd knew or were familiar with each other. It was small enough to be like a medium size milonga from vague memories I have. I randomly ran into an acquaintance I had not met in 10 years. He wasn’t a tango dancer when I knew him. He introduced me to a couple of followers who were good. One of the two followers and I also did some tourist sightseeing and trying food skipping the marathon during the day time. My primary aim was spending a week in Vienna as a tourist and I planned it around the marathon weekend. So the marathon was incidental and secondary. I do like to try out food and cafes, therefore finding a company to do so courtesy of marathon was the best thing about it I had a whole appartment through Airbnb walking distance from the marathon venue which cut down any local travel time to get to the venue. I might have attended only three or four milonga sessions. That too not fully.

 

[Bailango]

I can't keep track of people if the event is too large and crowded, so I invite primarily based on appearance. Most of the other people there are doing the same thing. That's why it's less accurate.

I meant as a follower since a follower is more likely to get invited and do less or no asking relative to a leader.

Unless follower changes their hairstyle, I can remember or keep track at large event.

 

[Bailango]

Yes, of course there are many variables and it's impossible to truly isolate them from one another, and this is all coming from my non-objective viewpoint.

I don't expect to find positive experiences everywhere I go, or every night that I go out, I'm just sharing a personal observation, which is that so far I usually have my best dances at smaller events, and it's making me wonder whether there is something about smaller events or venues that might affect attendees positively, or conversely wether there is something about large events that might have a negative effect.

And yes, it is quite possible that my lukewarm experience was in large part down to me - that I feel more comfortable at smaller events, and therefore my ability to connect to my partners are better in those circumstances. However, if that's true for me, I would think it's also likely to be true for a few other people as well.

I have attended a fair number of dance festivals and know the crowd that does regularly. It usually breaks down into two. Some like and prefer small events. Others like and prefer big events. It comes down to personal preference and personality make up. Reading what you write, it seems you fall in the category that strongly prefers smaller size events. What’s the average milonga size and frequency in your home scene?

Though good dancers start favoring smaller events (less than 300) when they are assured the quality will be high. Which then makes those that are not at that level yet feel either intimidated or disinclined to attend.

 

[Bailango]

I honestly believe that it's because in recent years, probably over the last decade or so, these factors are to blame: the increasing propensity for milonga organisers to have performances in the middle of a milonga, the greater over-idolisation of famous dancers, the prevalence of Mundial styles and their variants thereof, and the spreading sentiment that places the physicality of tango movements over the music, the feeling, and the inherent culture and history.

Those factors don’t affect my dancing or how I experience the dance. Other than the performance eating into social dance time. A necessary evil since many people look forward to performances.

All these lead to a slow convergence to a more uniform set of styles, and hence reduce the diversity of tango. Moreover, there is more emphasis placed on the steps and movements and tango is treated as a mere physical dance. Communication between leader and follower, listening to each other's bodies, adapting to one's partner — all these are skills that are becoming less important, at least where I'm at.

I don’t know. I have not felt so. To me eras don’t change the distribution of those who dance steps, those who are musical, those who are playful.

I see more and more people like that, and I refuse to dance with them, because there is no dance in them. If they have been dancing for some time already and do not want to go beyond the physical aspects of tango, then they are useless and invisible to me.

They are still a community building project to me

 

[Bailango]

I do agree with you on afternoon milongas, by the way; I find that the sunlight and relaxed nature brings out the best in people. They are more relaxed, open to new dancers, happy to talk up a storm, and the laser-like focus on dancing I tend to see in evening milongas is happily slackened.

That's why I make an effort to go to every afternoon milonga at marathons, because they are usually great!

People do tend to be less formal, more relaxed in the afternoon dancing, and have their guard down. Afternoon dancing is not looked as the main dance session. That’s reserved for the night. People treat it as an optional bonus. Neither do people try to dress up.

Night milongas brings all the formality and seriousness that tango is associated with.

 

[Bailango]

That’s exactly the reason size of the event matters! At really big events where it’s not even necessarily the same people during consecutive days, scanning the room for perceived good matches doesn’t work if you lose them in the crowd. So you end up taking a risk with whoever is within convenient cabeceo lines. And then if fireworks happen serendipitously, you make the effort to find each other again later.

For the mid size events, I’ll take a chance on someone without watching him beforehand, but if it’s not a good match, there are enough other targets, and I can avoid the bad match without it being obvious.

For the small events over several days it’s harder to avoid further tandas without coming across as snooty.

If you are good, people will notice you in small events. In very large, they won’t. But the chances of finding high level dancers to dance with at the big events seem higher - purely an anecdotal non scientific observation based on my personal experience.

Fair to say the mid-size event is Goldilock zone for you and you prefer larger event to a smaller one?

 

[itwillhappen]

Yes, but dancers in the former category are less likely to feel dissatisfaction, especially since marathon regulars/frequent marathon-goers are already likely to know compatible dancers and have satisfying tandas with them and with hitherto-unknown compatible dancers.

But the most resilient group seems to me to be couples who, with only the experience of a few dance classes, sit well at their table and dance at max with the other couple there. The ratio of satisfaction to effort seems unbeatable to me. If you don't belong to this category, you should have good reasons.

 

[itwillhappen]

For the mid size events, I’ll take a chance on someone without watching him beforehand, but if it’s not a good match, there are enough other targets, and I can avoid the bad match without it being obvious.

Well, when there is a gender imbalance, some dancers have an unusual amount of time to observe the ronda. And then there are usually two live sets where tandas are suddenly possible that weren't before. So in one evening - with the great Orquesta Tipica Silbando - I got four dream tandas, my alltime high I suppose.

 

[itwillhappen]

And yes, it is quite possible that my lukewarm experience was in large part down to me - that I feel more comfortable at smaller events, and therefore my ability to connect to my partners are better in those circumstances. However, if that's true for me, I would think it's also likely to be true for a few other people as well.

Yes, of course, we are all influenced by the surroundings. Ultimately, however, it is also a question of skills and talents as to how well you can maintain a deep connection even under adverse circumstances.
I personally had little fun with the ronda at my first two festivals away from home. However, it was almost unsportingly easy to find good dance partners. The third festival was poorly organized, but I felt I did my job somehow. But by the fourth I was already aware that I was a quite good dancer for the conditions there. While at encuentros, where everyone should dance musically and connected, I am naturally in the middle of the pack.

 

[ArbeeNYC]

Some of my most memorable tandas have been with people I'd never danced with before. My guess is that it might be because smaller venues offer you a feeling of intimacy that you'll struggle to get at a larger venue, and that might put people a bit more at ease.

this makes sense. I sometimes dance more at larger events but also spend more time walking around trying to find out where people are because of the crowd. And since I wait to hear the music before trying to eyeball someone, I'm often late to the game, because other men don't always wait. But you never really know until you're there. I agree about dances with strangers. Some of those have been fantastic.

 

[Cabbit]

When i visitet BTE for the first time, the vast majority of my many tandas were very enjoyable. Relative to my then skill, there were many leaders with whom i had a mutualy enjoyable dance experience.

Now, most of the time if i accept a random invitation, they will have a great time, and ill have regret. Still, its a great place to catch up with friends. I like it for that social aspect of bringing really a lot of people together.

 

[pianistamediano]

Now, most of the time if i accept a random invitation, they will have a great time, and ill have regret. Still, its a great place to catch up with friends. I like it for that social aspect of bringing really a lot of people together.

Quality over quantity!

 

[itwillhappen]

I like the casual wording of this event:
I enrolled as a solo follower and got an email back offering a discounted price if I found a partner to enroll with, but that my spot was still secured nevertheless. (I found someone who was there last year also.)

Incentives work much better than strict rules and arrogant selective attitudes.

(The event is in August in Teplice, if any of you want to meet up with me there. I loved it. It’s cheap, it’s cheap to get there (my train ticket cost €17 one way), accommodation is cheap, it’s beautiful, the DJs are world class, the space is fabulous, and the dance level is high. Several of my top most favorite partners go every year. And it’s friendly.)

Great - for me that would be a total of 1200km on the road, which would be a bit more expensive than just 2x€17.
And I think I'll need the weekend to rest too, it won't get boring,
because I'll be in the two weeks before
here:

Festivalito INTO this WOOD - Gros-Fays - Ardennes

Festival (-ito) in August in the valley of la Semois in the region of the Ardennes. A moment out of time during summertime in the middle of the forest, with on the program: pearls of music, argentinian tango, stories and activities for the whole family.

www.festivalito.be

and here:

Tango Summer Festival Heidelberg

Exclusive and International Tango Summer Festival Heidelberg. Experience Tango at Heidelberg's Unique and Historic Open-Air and Indoor Sites!

intango-weekend.de

But both are for the first time, so I can't tell somthing about them.

And then the week after at a proven encuentro:

BOCA – Encuentro BOCA Antwerpen

Quality over quantity!

Quality and quantity!

 

[Brummbaer]

and here:

Ah, Heidelberg. Now that evokes some nostalgic memories. Spent some time there in my youth learning German at a language school.

Interesting that there's some 'outdoors' in this year's summer season. I seem to have missed the UK's summer by being in mainland Europe when it occurred; the rain is just warmer here now - and the heating threatens to cut in. But hasn't there been high rainfall and floods in more southern regions? I noticed some YT posting of 'outdoors' during London's brief summer, having recently enjoyed the extremes of an outside evening milonga in a more Mediterranean climate of 28°C.

 

[pianistamediano]

Quality and quantity!

If only I could have quality in ludicrous quantities!