Milonga (the dance) and I have an unusual relationship. Most leaders run a mile from it during their early years; I didn’t. Because I could dance to the beat long before I had the vocabulary to dance to the melody, I was actually very happy with milonga tandas from a very early stage. And because … Continue reading Milonga with Diego; a workshop with Corina and Ines; and an unusual Tango Garden
When it comes to resolving my tangistential crisis, Filippo had given me a way forward which seemed to be working. Namely, take one element of my less-used vocabulary at a time, and figure out alternative resolutions for every step. Practicing those would then give me the confidence to use them in crowded milongas, knowing that … Continue reading Balance is just technique – working with Diego on the calesita
There’s a turn I saw once in a Pablo and Anne video and which I’ve seen several times in milongas, and it always struck me as one I ought to learn as it had three characteristics I liked. First, it looked like it would feel really nice for the follower. Second, it seemed a very … Continue reading A Diego-engineered turn, and no wonder my barrida was messy!
Tango has an astonishing ability to energise. I’d been woken at 4am by a certain chocolate-coloured feline who decided to make a heroically unsuccessful attempt to jump onto the living room window-sill. I was alerted to this fact by the sound of two cacti pots crashing to the floor. (Orange Boy had a solid alibi … Continue reading Another hit of the following drug, in a joyful private with Emma
One of the challenges in tango is that it’s really hard to be happy where we are. We always want to be at the next level, whatever that may mean to each of us. Even for me, an avowed ‘journey not the destination’ guy, it’s tough. Tango is also never a straight line. It’s the very … Continue reading Feeling like my tango has finally levelled-up – after a very long plateau
This city can make me feel like a tango god. When I get the right milonga, the right atmosphere, the right music, the right follower, the right floorcraft … when everything flows effortlessly, my partner and I reading each other perfectly, and I feel like I own the floor. It can also make me feel … Continue reading Feeling like a tango god or tango toddler; rarely anything between the two
Being Argentina, there are some complications around time. The country is located at a longitude that would properly put it either four or five hours behind GMT. But the place decided to temporally relocate itself some considerable distance to the east, and have a time zone just three hours behind. Additionally, Argentina may or may … Continue reading Sans Souci lacking the king of sound engineering; a few tandas at La Comedia; and bed at 6am
Diego has been encouraging me to cabeceo more and more advanced followers, and I have been doing this – very happily here, and with a little more trepidation in London. I did, however, draw the line at teachers and performers. Until last night, when I danced with at least two, and I suspect more. Entirely … Continue reading A sleep-deprived mistake turning into a wonderful surprise, at Milonga en lo de Balmaceda
I have a dozen identical white linen shirts, which you might think sounds like a lot. But given that I generally need a change of shirt during a milonga, and am sometimes doing two milongas a day, dropping and collecting laundry is a regular task. The hours of my local laundry are clearly shown as … Continue reading An Argentine embrace, and a wonderful night at Muy Martes and Parakultural
The two-tier pricing controversy escalated, so now has a standalone post here. It’s Alessandra’s first visit to BsAs, and in the first couple of days she wanted to spend every waking moment in the daytime out sightseeing, and then every waking moment at night in milongas. By day five, she finally understood that you can … Continue reading A rhythmical revelation at Porteño y Bailarín
journey of a trainee tanguero 
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