I haven’t yet had a chance to put my new London mindset to the test – viewing most London milongas as Tango-Inspired Contemporary Dance events – as this weekend’s dancing comprised Tango Secrets followed by Corrientes. So one outside-London milonga, and one London milonga which falls firmly into the Argentine tango category.

There was one other Argentine tango vs TICD issue I wanted to explore: the question of escorting a follower back to their seat at the end of a tanda – or at least to the edge of the dance floor in the vicinity of their seat …

To escort or not to escort

Outside London, this is the norm for sure, as it is in the BsAs milongas I frequent. But while it always seems to be appreciated when I do it, it’s somewhat rare to see other people do so in London, so I thought I ought to check preferences. I posted a poll in the London Tango Facebook group.

This revealed an interesting split in views, between those who considered it a lovely way to part ways; those who liked it for practical purposes (finding where they left their glasses!); and a minority who felt it was either old-fashioned or even patronising. One additional point made was that it’s rare in London to actually have a fixed seat, so the best you can do is walk with someone to the edge of the floor.

But overall, even in London’s TICD, the majority welcome it (figures don’t add up to 100% as not everyone expressed a preference):

• Yes, absolutely: 55%
• Yes, preferably: 16%
• Yes (total): 66%
• No, preferably not: 18%
• No, absolutely not: 1%
• No (total): 19%

I shall then continue to offer an arm, with followers of course free to take it or not as they wish.

Tango Secrets

While I’d previously considered it impractical to get to Tango Secrets and back on public transport, the Elizabeth Line has changed that! It’s around a 50-minute direct train to Taplow, and Irina’s husband Jonathan kindly offering a lift to and from the station. With that problem solved, it’s become a firm fixture in my tango calendar.

I was joined this time by Malvika and Ameya, two wonderful followers I met at the Feast. They were up in London for a few days, and had asked my advice on London milongas. I gave them my thoughts, including an invitation to join me at Tango Secrets on the Friday, and Corrientes on the Saturday.

There’s always a little nervousness involved in making such recommendations, as leader and follower experiences can of course be very different. Not just in terms of ease of getting dances, but also in the quality of the dance, given that followers may be more skilled than leaders (or vice-versa). But they had been once before, and fortunately loved this visit every bit as much as me. I think all three of us danced all but a handful of tandas!

Irina’s music is always fantastic. She does follow tradition by opening with simpler rhythmical tandas, but quickly transitions into layered music, and the tandas get more and more lyrical as the evening progresses.

The evening was a warm one, and the turnout was huge, so there was a point at which I went to cool off outside during the cortina, intending to sit out the next tanda while chatting with another leader. Then I heard a very distinctive opening note, and abandoned him mid-sentence as I sprinted back inside with a single word of explanation trailing in the breeze behind me: ‘Pugliese!’ Fortunately tango people understand these things. It was indeed a wonderful tanda!

As for the followers, my only complaint is that there were so many lovely ones I couldn’t dance with them all!

The three of us spent much of the return journey enthusing about the evening.

Corrientes

Ask a dozen different dancers for a view on Corrientes, and you’ll likely get more diverse opinions than for any other milonga in the city. Those answers may further vary depending on when you ask them.

Early in my tango journey, when I first started sampling different London milongas, a tango acquaintance suggested I skip that one. She said that even with her decade’s worth of experience as a follower, the level was high, and the dancers very selective. 

It hadn’t sounded like the place for a newbie leader, so I’d crossed it off my list for quite some time. When I did eventually decide to try it, around nine months in, I went with a follower friend on the basis that, worst case, we’d dance a few tandas together and then drown our sorrows in a nearby bar.

In fact, I couldn’t have had a better experience! A lot of my regular followers were there, and I ended up dancing almost non-stop. I found myself wishing I hadn’t avoided it for so long.

Indeed, I would say it is my favourite London milonga – not that you’d guess this from my recent attendance, or lack of same! But that’s because being late on a Saturday night, and fortnightly rather than weekly, the gods (and DJs!) have to align for me to make it.

Corrientes can be the perfect example of a virtuous circle. The spaciousness of the room means that there’s none of the chaotic jostling which substitutes for a ronda in most London milongas. That in turn attracts dancers who appreciate good floorcraft. Good floorcraft means that dancers can focus on their partner and the music, rather than body-guarding duties, so the level of musicality is high.

I also appreciate the tables (well, for those who get there early enough). This again creates a more civilised and BsAs-like atmosphere, where people can socialise, eat empanadas, and drink wine, as well as dance.

But I do understand the range of views expressed about it. I’ve talked before about the huge role that can be played by chance in London tango in particular.

Indeed, last time I was there, a couple of weeks ago, there were almost no followers I knew (or at least recognised). I did manage to get dances, but certainly had to work harder for them.

Having had a mostly good but tiring week for non tango-related reasons, I was only intending to stay for a couple of hours. With Malvika and Ameya coming, I was guaranteed two lovely tandas to start the evening, and hopefully kick-start things for them. That was absolutely the case, on both fronts: really beautiful tandas, and they scarcely had the chance to sit down afterwards!

I think I only knew a couple of other followers there, and had equally delicious tandas with them – and luck was then mostly on my side with cabeceoing unknown followers.

I also finally got to shoot dance footage with one of the more elusive interviewees for my tango video project. So if you’ve seen me following a couple around the dance floor videoing them at a milonga or two, this is why!

So, yeah, 1.30am not midnight. It was still warm then, so I had a lovely cycle ride home in shirt sleeves. Hopefully I’ll in future make it back to Corrientes more frequently than my recent average of once every two-and-a-half months …