A few years ago a documentary film was made about Susana Minana and her milonga in Salon El Pial in Flores. This past Sunday was her 15th anniversary--not a small accomplishment for this tiny woman in her 70s.
All I can say is that she's a real firecracker. She greets everyone--all 400+ dancers--and knows their names. She wears her tango shoes all night long without ever sitting down. The first hour from 6:00-7:00 is a solid hour of dancing without cortinas while everyone is arriving. El Pial is the largest dance floor I know in Buenos Aires. Tables of ten surround the dance floor. It's like a big party where friends have been getting together for years. Most have the same table they've had for years. There is a small section of tables near the entrance where singles are seated. The majority are couples, especially on Sunday. There are only a handful of couples under the age of 60. Most are in their 70s and 80s. Susana had two couples for exhibitions. One of them had represented El Pial in the Campeonato Metropolitano. Susana took the spotlight for a tango and vals with Hector "Coco" Guaraldi. She also paid tribute to many couples who have attended her milonga from the beginning. They danced to D'Arienzo's La Cumparsita while friends cheered and applauded them. There were so many who came for her anniversary party, that tables had to be set up on the stage. And Susana had cake and Sidra served to everyone! _______________________________________________ Tango-L mailing list [email protected] http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/tango-l
