Continued from Previous Message But I notice the younger dancers are now starting their own milongas (and yes, they DO call them milongas - for example, "Milonga10", which directly follows "Practica8", which is in competition with "Practica(X)" on Tuesday nights). At these new milongas that I've attended, they play typically traditional music, in the place of a "workout mode" practica vibe there is often a palpable feeling of real emotional connection between partners, line-of-dance is observed, but the dancers also tend to dance with more energy than the average dancer at late-night milongas; the level of dance is correspondingly higher; when space is available, they tend to (more) fully use the available space while maintaining intimate connection, without causing conflicts, just as they do in the sometimes-available space in the classic milongas without disruptions. There is far less tendency to immediately form a dense outer ronda with a wide-open middle at these milongas.
So one useful generalization I'd offer is that younger BsAs dancers, and those who want to focus on improving their tango level regardless of age, tend to make full use of available space (typically in BsAs without disrupting others) at whatever event they attend, whether traditional Milonga, practica, or "new milonga". Correspondingly, older, more traditional BsAs dancers comfortable with their current level, and those seeking a relaxed social experience without intense focus on the dance, tend to frequent the classic milongas, where traditionalists cluster in a dense outer ronda even when there is plenty of space. I also observe that deep emotional intimacy is possible (insofar as it's visible to onlookers) regardless of the dancers' "density choice". Based on this, I suggest that even small communities can successfully host conflict-free "mixed events"! Dense outer ronda for the traditionalists, open inner space for the "practica types", right? Perhaps that distinction, if taken to heart by attendees at milongas in the USA, is all that's needed for everybody to get along, even in small communities which can't yet support differentiated events? That way everybody gets what they need at the same event, which can help smaller communities still have events that feel like real parties. Maybe a little community consensus-building, over coffee or something, would go a long way to bridging the gulf and resolving this issue. This should work OK as long as there are enough traditionalists to form a ronda in the available space - if not, maybe a smaller venue is needed to adequately test the idea. On the other hand, one idea for too-large venues is to just split the floor - use a folding table or two as a divider, traditional milonga-style ronda on one side, watch-your-back practica-style freeform on the other side, everyone hears the same music. This works very very well in our big Denver practicas with very few conflicts - the dividers just move back and forth between the "venues" to create an effectively dense ronda, with people freely switching sides as needed for their dance-activity-of-the-moment. I'd be interested in comparing notes with others who have observed the same, or different, circumstances in Buenos Aires, or who seek to resolve the kinds of conflicts Ron and Jack refer to at USA tango events of various sizes. All the best, Brian Dunn Dance of the Heart www.danceoftheheart.com Building a Better World, One Tango at a Time _______________________________________________ Tango-L mailing list [email protected] http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/tango-l
