More observations: Cabeceo When not dancing, look ALIVE!! You are always being scouted by potential partners dancers. Yes, it´s aggravating not to dance and the wait is excruciating, because you don´t know how long it will be. Dances don´t run on a timetable. Some women look like they are in a catatonic state, waiting for Count Dracula or Prince charming to break the spell.
Unless you have 2 noses or 3 ears, Argentines think you´re an Argentine, unless you change your shoes at your table. For me, facing 30 women who are looking my direction (not at me) makes me feel my back is to the wall and I´m facing a firing squad!! Ready, aim, dance. If you dance simply and well, the women won´t know until they converse in Spanish and I have to tell them ¨No soy Argentino.¨ Some will say in English or Spanish ´Where are you from?´ or will ask ¿Are you from Miami? or ¿are you from New York? For some reason, they think those are the only cities in the US. (I´m having a hell of a time with this Spanish keyboard.) Be prepared for the unexpected For the last tango in a tanda, my partner decided on her own that we were going to dance Cayeunge. (Don´t bother writing I misspelled it.) she put her left check against my right and lowered my left arm. I´ve seen this dance twice, never took any lessons, but survived the challenge. How much money to bring (everything in pesos) Figure a milonga will be 20 (including an obligatory beverage). It´s possible to go to two milongas in a day. I rented a house so my breakfast bill is minimal from buying groceries. Lunch will be 30 pesos and dinner 40 pesos at Tenedor Libre (buffet), Multiply by the number of days you´re in BA and divide by 3.6 to convert to US dollars. Add on for souvenirs, lessons, shoes, etc. There is a NEW Argentine departure tax of $29US. If you bought your ticket PRIOR to April 1, the airline didn´t collect it and you´ll pay it at the airport. After April 1, it should be included in your ticket. Check with your airlines. What NOT to wear (non milonga related) Don´t dress like a tourist. Argentines don´t wear tango T shirts. To thwart pick pockets, I wear my Israeli army jacked with has zippered pockets. I don´t want to carry bags. My guide told me to take off my gold watch. Somebody could bump into me and slide it off my hand. Leave expensive jewelry (including watches) at home. The Argentines don´t wear fancy clothes Next time, I´ll write how to get around town. If you´re in a group, you don´t have to worry about the language, riding the subway or bus and using cabeceo. But then, you´ll miss some of the life and energy of the city. Tomorrow is laundry day and Gricel, which I haven´t been to yet. Today I took a 6 hour walking tour of Plaza San Martin down to Plaza de Mayo. (I bought the Living Earth(?) guide book. Tomorrow I plan a walking tour of the Port or La Boca. Reporting from Buenos Aires Michael Ditkoff Washington, DC -- I'd rather be dancing Argentine Tango _______________________________________________ Tango-L mailing list [email protected] http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/tango-l
