Today, I finally managed to DRAG Maciek to a tango lesson. And he liked it! From now on vamos a bailar todos las noches
espero! Only in San Telmo, the backpackers quarter where we stay, there are tens of ‘milongas’. Some begin already at 2 pm, others last until 8am. So theoretically, we could go directly from such a “tango disco” to our morning Spanish classes
In BA tango is danced literally everywhere, in the streets, bars, at home and milongas. A typical milonga takes place in an stylish post-colonial dance hall and is attended by teenagers as well as octogenarians:) It often starts with a 1.5h dance class taught by master dancers. Later in the evening, the lights are dimmed and the room gets filled with elegantly dressed people (unlike us, “sandalers”). They start by having sth to eat or drink and then head for the dancing floor. The first songs you usually dance with your partner. Later on, guys ask other women, in the order that follows strict yet unwritten rules.
On the one hand, tango was born in red light districts and until now is fulfilled with seduction and desire. On the other hand, tango is the ‘art of walking’, an elegant synchronization of movements in a couple. Unlike cheerful salsa, where the overflow of energy (at least Maciek’s) is manifested in pirouettes chasing one another, tango is based on precision and almost theatrical gestures. It is serious and mature. Salsa spins, tango flows.
In tango, the guy is the one and only leader, and it is him who has all the control. Golden rule for the girl: the moment you forget about yourself and fully concentrate on the tiniest gestures and hints of your partner, you are there. This is exactly what men love most in tango… at least Maciek does. He got carried away by this idea so much that he even inquired our profs how to make it function in real life.
Salsa can knock your socks off. Tango can at most badly squash your toe – this is what happened once to Maciek when some woman stepped on him with her trekking sandal. I tell him, luckily it was not a spiky heel.
Gotta run now, our last milonga in Buenos Aires starts soon!
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Ojojoj, jak pieknie! Zazdroszcze!!! Caluski! K.