MILONGA ETIQUETTE

Which Way Do We Dance?
Argentine tango is a social dance and, as it is usually the case for such events, there are a few rules that tango dancers observe.

Rule no. 1 at the milonga: Respect the dancing space of other couples.
When you’re not dancing don’t stop on the dance floor or, even worse, on the line of dance. If you have to cross the room when people are dancing, try to walk around the room on the sides. I noticed that waiters tend to walk contrary to the line of dance so that the leaders are able to see them clearly, and I always follow this rule when I have to cross the room. Don’t forget: it is the responsibility of those not dancing to clear the space for the dancers.

Entering the line of dance is often compared with changing lanes on the highway. Leaders should look into the eyes of the man leading behind them and make sure he sees them and will allow them to enter the line of dance. Once in, leaders should try to move at roughly the same speed as the rest of the dancers in the room. Some people encourage slow dancers to try to dance towards the middle of the room. I believe that active attention is paramount and that you should always understand that your speed is relative to the average speed of the other couples.

When you dance, maintain the line of dance. In packed milongas there are more lines of dance, usually concentric. Leaders should choose one and keep it without getting entangled into static combinations and always moving carefully in directions where you will not disturb anyone.

Don’t walk backwards. Eliminate the famous and fabled step 1 from your tango vocabulary when at the milonga. Don’t take it unless absolutely necessary and then only in positions where you are visible for the leader behind you or when you are moving against the line of dance. Do not lead ganchos, boleos, sacadas or other ample moves unless absolutely sure that your partner will not hurt anyone. If the lady believes a certain move to be dangerous she has the right not to do it and it is impolite for the gentleman to insist she does it.

Never give lessons during the dance at the milonga especially to the lady you are dancing with. Do not use verbal leading – lengthy speeches to your lady partner explaining your intention, the technique, etc. Lead your partner to the music and the music to your partner – that’s all there is to it.
On the dancing space remember two things: politeness and kindness. If two couples collide by mistake, both gentlemen will apologise briefly and politely to one other.

WHAT KIND OF MUSIC ARE WE DANCING TO

The music at a milonga is organized in TANDAS and CORTINAS. A tanda consists usually of four tangos of the same style and played by the same orchestra.

The cortina is a tune marking the end of a tanda. Usually people don’t dance on cortinas, which can be very short (30 seconds, sometimes less, sometimes more) but in many parts of the world there are also milongas where cortinas are chosen for dancing. During the cortinas the dancers can leave the dance floor if they whish so. The gentlemen can accompany the ladies back to their tables and can invite another lady for the next tanda.

During a tanda, in the pause between two songs the partners can choose to remain on the dance floor. When the next tango begins, they listen to the music for a few moments and then start to dance. You don’t necessarily have to dance from the first chord.

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