Dear friends this work on "Milonga codes" written in French by Frederic Megret
Mc Gill University, has over 35 pages. I translated page 12 that refers to the
subject we were disussing.
When I finish reading the original I might add to this initial translation.
Requirement for a certain individual behavior: (page 11-12)
Beyond the demand that you should know the dance, there are unwritten milonga
codes, a call to a certain personal behavior, that one could describe as (more
or less) " to know one's place"; for instance, as an example, never dance at a
milonga anything that you do not know perfectly well.
One should have a feeling of the role one is to play. In this respect there is
no place for an excess of narcissism or of humility.
It is bad manners for instance to dance to attract attention, to show off; or
even worse to look at oneself dancing in the mirror. This type of behavior is
considered to be vulgar, but it will also, eventually damage the reputation of
your partner. It shows lack of respect for a certain ethic tanguera which is
minimalist.
The "best" is the enemy of the "good". In this respect here one is situated at
the opposite extreme of other social or sport dances and their ethics of
competitiveness and performance.
Even if the elements of competition can be latent in tango, they must remain
secondary in order not to affect the spirit of the milonga.
A good dancer will know how to find an equilibrium between a modest tango and
certain moments of shine the same as the music itself has slow and dynamic
periods.
The dancing floor is not a stage, and those that are sitting are not the
public, it is important to dance first for your partner and eventually and in
second place for the outside; in third place for oneself.
To forget oneself is the best road to tango extasis.
On the other hand it is important to consider oneself as a dancer. It is not
useful or appropriate, for instance to apologize after each mistake.
This turns the dance into an unpleasant experience.
When you denigrate yourself again and again this translates into lack of
confidence, something that is incompatible with dancing tango.
Turning to another subject, beyond self complacency or morality, Milonga
defines its subject not as a client or consumer but as somebody we could call a
citizen milonguero.
It is expected that not only he will not be an "offender" but that he will
provide his stone to the edifice of the milonga.
In summary what is demanded from a milonguero, up to here, other than the
"rituals of preparation"(1) is to minimally know how to dance and not to be
presumptuous.
Best regards, Sergio
(1) rituals of Preparation for the milonga is another chapter.
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