Prague Tango Alchemie, Summer Solstice 2013

Praha! To chutná jak hlt vína,
Opakuji si stokráte

Prague’s heady like a gulp of wine,
I keep repeating and repeating

Jaroslav Seifert, “Wreath of Sonnets”

Argentine Tango is an art of mastering your own body and the body of your partner
to be able to compose a unique musical conversation on the dance floor.
MilaGrosa Vigdorova

6 Chapters of Magic: White Night Red Night Celestial Night No longer Black Night Grobovka Vineyards The final Element

Tangueros of the world are a gypsy caravan-like community, or a secret society if you will – people who understand one another and communicate without words, relying solely on the language of bodies and eyes, and who sometimes struggle to remember foreign-sounding names of their dance partners with whom they just shared a tanda, the proverbial 15 minutes of motion, music, and heart-to-heart connection.

Viviremos los dos el cuarto de hora
de la danza nostálgica y maligna

Let’s live together, the two of us, for a quarter of an hour
Of this evil and nostalgic dance
Claudio Frollo, “Danza Maligna”

It is a rite and religion, goes on the verse. And we have no doubt about it. Throughout the year, across the globe, tangueros of all languages and ages gather in large halls of tango festivals and marathons to mingle together and to dance their fill.
Some are locals, some travel hundreds kilometers, and a few, like us, cross continents and oceans

Solstice Magic of Prague


Prague Tango Alchemie festival is a relative newcomer to the Old Continent’s Argentine Tango scene (where some tango meet-ups date back to the very early years of Argentine Tango revival world-wide, like the festival in Sitges, Catalonia, or the tango camp in Nijmengen, the Netherlands, which boast a 20-year history).
The Alchemie has been running since 2007, but it already build a worldwide reputation for magic and splendor.
The milonga balls are styled after Elements and astrological Symbols, the venues are a succession of ever-more-stunning historic palaces, and the performances are something special, a fusion of tango and elemental symbolism.
And … it is the beautiful Prague, where the magic of ages is palpable – and nowadays, supplemented by a Vegas undertone of a Sin City which Never Sleeps (to a degree, Prague is to Germany what Vegas is to California, a strange city a short distance away, where the rules fade and where laissez-faire rules.

Alchemie 2013 started from a few disappointments … some of the gala milongas were scheduled to be in a beautiful but very modern shopping center at the edge of the Old Town; and then, flood damage took the Red Chateau (Trojsky Zamek) off the venue list; so the Red Gala Milonga would have to be in the same Slovansky Dum as well. But then the organizers added open-air street events to the mix - so we get a chance not just to see Prague, but also to show the city what we dance. And since there will be tango until 7 in the morning almost every night, we won't even have to switch to the European time zone; the plan is to sleep by the day, dance by the night.

White Night of the Moon

White Gala photo by Kristin Bjarnadottir

Clam Gallas Palace, an early XVIII c baroque edifice in Old Town which once saw grand balls with Mozart himself, and was more recently used to house city archives, is all splendor of white and gold. No wonder that it’s traditionally used by Tango Alchemie for the White Milonga. An enfilade of ornate halls leads to the main ballroom – but the white-clad tangeros are dancing in every room, big and small! And one of the first dancers to greet is Balbeska, a long-time virtual acquaintance who first introduced me to Poemas del río Wang, and whose poetic Prague travelogue of 2012 prompted us to go to Alchemie-2013. So nice to meet you in realspace at last!


At midnight, in the fountain courtyard of the Palace, the tangueros greet the change of Zodiac signs with a magic dance of lights of La Brujeria of St. Petersburg, Russia, which culminates when the candles pass from the hands of the dancers into the hands of their bewitched spectators who then join in and pass on the light – and when the music is finally over, all of us return upstairs for more tango and chat with new friends.


Red Night of the Sun

In 2013, the rest of the Gala Balls of the Alchemie got shifted to “daytime hours” – they were over by 9 in the evening, unfashionably early for the dyed-in-the-wool tangueros like us. So we usually showed up just for the last hour or two. But it was only the beginning of the night when you could keep on dancing until after sunrise. Before the Gala Milonga, there was, at last, a chance to dance on the streets of Prague, and to live bandoneon music of Maximiliano (the city’s resident street bandoneonist) at that! We met “at the Horse at Venceslaus Square” – the one which is standing upright near the National Museum, not the other horse which is suspended upside down with Saint Venceslaus perched over its belly, inside a famous pub just down the square.

The Red Night program included a walking-and-dancing tour of the Old Town which got quietly canceled and replaced by a rooftop reception and milonga at the Terrasa at Namesti Respubliki. In a typical chaotic Prague fashion, nobody quite knew the whole story, but still, soon we made our way to this beautiful perch overlooking the whole city, got drinks and gave up on getting food in this scenic but totally overwhelmed establishment, danced a few tandas and went home for a little rest before returning to Slovansky Dum to dance some more, till dawn.

Celestial Night of the Stars

The street dance of the day was supposed to happen at Mustek, “Little Bridge” which once stood over the moat separating Old and New Towns, but at the last moment it was shifted over to Uhelny Trh, a more intimate square just a block away (laissez-fair is how things work in Prague – and with unexpected baskets of strawberries from the organizers this time!) There, Maximiliano’s bandoneon captivated attention of a passerby who happened to be an accordion and garmon collector from Russia, who until this moment didn’t have a clue that such a sister instrument exists. So in a break between dances, I ended up giving a detailed history lecture in Russian, how the German instrument-designer, Herr Band, named bandoneon after himself, how he marketed it for church services as an inexpensive organ replacement, and how, instead of churches, the bandoneon found its calling in the dockside pubs and bordellos of Buenos Aires, where its sound has become synonymous with the sound of tango.

The Celestial Milonga – colored mostly starry silver and gold rather than celestine blue – ended with an exuberant chacarera dance, a spirited folk dance which has become “almost” a part of the pantheon of the dance forms accepted at tango events (the classic trio of tango proper, swirly vals, and light-hearted nimble milongadance). Then the insatiable crowd filed to Jam Cafe just down the street, indeed jamming the tables and the little dance floor really tight.

Madeleine & Jorga in Jam Cafe, J.T. Jorg's photo

Compared to a slightly hyper-formal ambiance of the Gala, the sweaty crowd and patched-up floor at the Jam created just the right vibe for me. I best remember a sweet tanda which ended with Volnushka telling me, "You are crazy" ... here I must explain that the tango etiquette virtually prohibits a polite after-dance "thank you"; the "thanks" is a codeword for ultimate disapproval, for get-lost. So we tangueros must express our gratitude by any other words but never "gracias" - sometimes it happens to be ambiguous words - and so for the next 24 hours I was left wondering if I was crazy in a good or a bad way :)
The last tanda was over, but el gente (as the milonga-going public may be called) still lingered in the loft of the cafe, and then the DJ played a non-tango track, and the already-crazy scene turned truly deranged (and now I knew by heart whose glance I must try catching in a silent dance invitation rite of cabeceo next time!)

The party continued in Slovansky Dum, and it was already light when we finally left and walked the deserted lanes of Old Town to Tyn and Charles Bridge - stopping for some gyro at the only eatery open at this early hour, a Turkish stand operated by a Yerevan Armenian, eager to be complemented - in Russian - on the beauty of his hometown. But Prague, it's like a gulp of wine, its beauty would leave Paris in the dust! Have you ever walked Charles Bridge alone - without any crowds? Have you seen the slanted rays of rising Sun play under its XIV c. arches? But we now needed to get home for a bit of sleep!

No-Longer-Black Night

at Hybernia Theater

The Black Milonga, of the Element Earth, used to be a part of Alchemie's tradition, but color black is already so overused in tango costumes, the organizers replaced it with a Pure Pleasure Gala, whatever colors you prefer. But first of all it was time for a street dance, this time at Hybernia Theater. Maximiliano the bandoneonist was nowhere in sight, and we danced a bit to Volnushka's keychain mp3 player, until an angel (as Alchemie volunteers are known) brought the word that the location changed again ... a sculptural installation was being unveiled at Charles Square, and the Alchemie organizers joined in for the event.

By the time we got to Charles Square, the scheduled dancing was almost over, but since everybody was late, Maximiliano played for another half an hour. Still it didn't feel like the right time to retire into the stolid atmosphere of Slovansky Dum, and we hatched a plan to walk towards the river and Charles Bridge, dancing along the way. Volnushka had the music, and I worked as a navigator (since our route traversed the very New Town neighborhood where we stayed, and which has already become familiar to me). We danced under a lone tree Na Struze, then walked into the courtyard of the National Theater where we found a Czech rock group finishing a gig - but they agreed to play some more after a brief beer break, and then we danced. Then to Vltava embankment and Children's Island Bridge, where we danced to a crooner of a riverside cafe (In the Pines, made known to the whole world by the Nirvana, yes).

at Charles Square

And on to Charles Bridge where we momentarily created a pedestrian traffic jam when we joined a blues band and doubled the crowd of spectators. That was sweet and very Earth-elemental, as in, having real ground underfoot. But it was, finally, time to retreat indoors, to Slovansky Dum and Jam Cafe again. It was a parting night of many last hugs, yet it didn't really feel like a final night for us because we still stayed in Prague for two more nights of dancing - and so did a few other festival-goers.

The Guerrilla tangueros at Charles Bridge

 

 

Grobovka Vineyards

Rain clouds were gathering strength but I still managed to tour the Jewish Quarter before it started pouring.

Grobovka Pavillion, nested
in the vineyards of
Vinohrady overlooking
Prague

And we were heading all the way to Vinohrady (Vineyards neighborhood) for a long walk across the estate park of Grobovka to a beautiful Art Nouveau pavilion perched on a slope in the real vineyards. The rain was unrelenting, and we had to leave our street shoes at the doorstep so as not to bring moisture to the dance floor. The place felt truly surreal, suspended between the Earth and the low clouds beyond the veil of rain. And as we danced, our interconnected shadows danced on the ornate wooden ceiling of the pavilion, as in the Pasternak's verse coming alive.

На озарённый потолок

Ложились тени -

Сплетенья рук, сплетенья ног,

Судьбы сплетенья

Distorted shadows fell

Upon the lighted ceiling:

Shadows of crossed arms,of crossed legs-

Of crossed destiny.

El Element (the Fifth?)

On our last night in Prague, the rain stopped at last, and we walked across the river to Smichov to a basement tango pub called El Element - since we already danced four nights consecrated to the Four Elements of Alchemie, this surely must have been the Fifth. The Alchemie crowds mostly dissipated by now; but the dances were very good, and so were the conversations. La Cumparsita, the signature closing tune of a tango night, came almost too soon, and we kept walking along the deserted streets and talking until it was truly time for the last embraces. We're gonna dance in Budapest tomorrow!

Empanadas, beef and vegetarian

As tasted at Milonga Sin Nombre, Especial el la Gitana Rusa :)

Relleno de carne (inspired by Frida Franco)

Makes a dozen large beef empanadas, more smaller ones

4 medium-to-small onions, chopped

2 4 oz organic beef patties (Trader Joe's)

1/2 cup frozen green peas

2 small potatoes, peeled and cooked

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

Salt, black pepper, olive oil, green olives

Sautee onions on high heat till lightly golden brown, reduce heat and add beef, keep stirring until it browns, but not any longer. Remove the pan from the burner now. Add spices, salt, and peas (no need to cook them, they'll thaw in the remaining heat of the frying pan and that's all you need to do with them). Add mashed taters and olives. All done now. 

Frida says that one can't make relleno de carne any worse by adding even more onions; that olives are better added whole rather than sliced as we did; that hardboiled chopped eggs are a great addition; and that, although I totally made up the peas and the potatoes, these are legit ingredients in some Argentinian provinces.

Killer ginger spinach tofu empanada filling (inspired by Tho Bui)

Makes two dozen small spinach empanadas. Be warned that this recipe doesn't actually contain any spinach. I mean I'm OK with the classic Argentine empanadas de espinaca, but I thought that our vegetarian-minded tangueros deserve a more savory version. Oh, and I chose amaranth because it settles down less when it wilts in the heat. You'd need a taller pile of fresh spinach to get the same end volume, and it may be too hard for me to stir enough of it to fill two dozens empanadas.

pinkie-size chunk of ginger root

half clove of garlic (hey we are all tangueros here and we use the stuff very sparingly)

half cap chopped zucchini

1 small onion, chopped

1 sweet red pepper, chopped

12 oz amaranth (Amaranthus gangeticus), carefully washed and cut into half-inch pieces, stems and leaves but of course no roots.

1/2 pack medium-firm tofu

extra light olive oil

sauces per description

Finely chop ginger and garlic, sautee until very lightly browned (ginger hits the pan first and garlic, a short while later). Scoop them out and set aside. Now we are getting into a frantic stir-fry mode, with onions first, zukes and red pepper next, and finally amaranth a.k.a. Taiwanese spinach topped with previously set aside roasted ginger and garlic. Last goes tofu, soy sauce, and your fav flavorings such as oyster sauce, a couple drops of sesame oil, a few drops of Sriracha... I did a very unthinkable thing and cut on sauces but used salt to reduce juices (in the Far East, all salt must come from sauces or pickles, and you should never use straight salt, but I was afraid that my relleno will have too much liquid). Perhaps next time I'll throw in some finely scissors-cut, undercooked sweet potato thread noodles to soak in the juices?

And what about the dough?

Do not sweat it. A tanguero isn't supposed to work "too" hard. Get frozen jumbo white rolls dough in a store. Set them on flour-dusted trays in a reasonably warm place, covered by plastic lest their surface dries, for 2+ hours. Once they thaw and start rising, divide each roll into 4 parts for a small empanada, or 3 parts for a biggie. 

Shape each piece into a ball and let them rise, under plastic, for another half an hour. Now it's time to roll (palm size for smallies, two palms for biggies) and fill (try your best to rope-pinch the edges, otherwise Frida won't accept your handiwork). We would like to call our pastries empanadas rusas (pirozhki would be another name),  and we have enough Argentine spirit to leave the rope-pinch edges in plain sight - please do not turn the pastries upside-down like you might have done to hide the seam in the old country. Gotta have a bright golden color? Then, after setting your empanadas on a well-buttered baking tray, brush them with egg yolk before baking. Gotta have a pliable crust? Then smear them with a softened stick of butter after baking, and transfer the still-hot pastries into bowls lined, and covered, by towels.

Milonga Sin Nombre, Especial de la Gitana Rusa, playlist

Applause to Brian!

The November Sin Nombre was Russian and Gypsy themed, and planned as a major WTC fundraiser (and ran without the help of Mark and Lorraine, which was so hard). Empanadas rusas, holiday gifts from Russia, some Gitana costumes. Music-wise, I planned to play a few Russian-influenced and Russian-language tango tracks, to use Gypsy-themed cortinas, and to include a special live performance by the Krikov band. But the band had scheduling problems. Still we got great live music when Brian and Sandy made a surprise appearance and joined forces with Dave (many kudos for your wonderful play, guys!!!) And as I was hastily rearranging tracks to make room for Brian's amazing team, I didn't even realize that I clipped off Malerba's tanda with the supposed title track of the milonga, Gitana Rusa. So - I didn't play it, and therefore I am not going to tell its story now. Next time! But in compensation, how about a few short stories about the cortinas, and oh, how about some empanada recipes too ;) ?

01. Carlos di Sarli - Instrumental  "Cara sucia" 1952-02 2:20
02. Carlos di Sarli - Instrumental  "Rodríguez Peña" 1956-02-23 3:18
03. Carlos di Sarli - Instrumental  "Organito de la tarde" 1954-08-31 2:48

Gypsy Girl aka Two Guitars used to be a verse about a dance before it became a song and then, a dance. Written by Apollon Grigoriev in 1857, the poem was originally titled "Gypsy Hungarian dance". There are countless versions of the lyrics now, in many languages, including tango versions too. But my cortina track is fairly classic and purely instrumental.
04. Russian Folk  "Gypsy Girl (cortina)"  0:22
05. Osvaldo Fresedo - Ricardo Ruiz  "Plegaria" 1940 2:24
06. Osvaldo Fresedo - Ricardo Ruiz  "Si no me engana el corazon" 1939 2:31
07. Osvaldo Fresedo - Roberto Ray  "Ojos tristes | Ojos muertos" 1938 2:37
Kalinka ("Little Highbush Cranberry") is a sort of an audio signature of Mother Russia and it's always described as a traditional folk song, but it may be not that ancient, having been performed for the first time in 1860 as composed by Ivan Larionov. History is silent about possible antecedents to Larionov's score.
08. Russian Folk  "Kalinka-Malinka 1 (cortina)"  0:25
09. Carlos Di Sarli Roberto Rufino "Zorzal"  2:40
10. Carlos Di Sarli Roberto Rufino "Yo Soy De San Telmo"  2:20
11. Carlos Di Sarli Roberto Rufino "Pena Mulata"  2:27

Lidiya Ruslanova's frontline concert, 1941

Valenki (Felt Boots) was an immensely popular Gypsy folk song and dance a century ago; the lyrics of the period records, just like the original lyrics of the Gypsy Girl, were in a mixture of Russian and Romani. In the the beginning of WWII, Lidiya Ruslanova remixed the song big way, and it's become a huge hit again - so big that when she performed at the steps of still-smoldering Reichstag on May 2nd, 1945, the servicemen shouted that she should start from "Valenki". "These old felt boots have walked all the way to Berlin!" - exclaimed Lidiya. From then on, the Russians remain adepts of Ruslanova's version, and even when Ruslanova was sent to Gulag in 1949, and her repertoire officially banned, the song just went deeper underground (I used a whole bunch of its variations as cortinas at Sin Nombre)

My Gramps, Mark Gonikberg,
also on the steps of the ruined
Reichstag but on May 13, 1945
(they fought 20 miles South of
town and so they had to wait
for their photo-op)

12. Lidiya Ruslanova  "Valenki 1 (cortina)"  0:24
13. Juan d'Arienzo "Pensalo Bien" 1938 2:17
14. Juan D'Arienzo - Alberto Echagüe  "Mandria" 1939 2:26
15. Juan D'Arienzo Juan d'Arienzo "No mientas"  2:34
16. Russian Folk  "Gypsy Girl (cortina)"  0:22
17. Carlos di Sarli - Mario Pomar  "Tormenta" 1954-09-08 3:38
18. Carlos Di Sarli - Oscar Serpa  "Verdemar" 3:01
19. Carlos Di Sarli Alberto Podesta "Nido Gaucho"  3:22
20. Lidiya Ruslanova  "Valenki 5 (cortina)"  0:36
21. Ricardo Tanturi - Enrique Campos "Al pasar" 1943 2:17
22. Ricardo Tanturi - Alberto Castillo "La serenata (Mi amor)" 1941 2:32
23. Ricardo Tanturi - Alberto Castillo  "Mi romance" 1941-07-07 2:19
24. Russian Folk  "Kalinka-Malinka 2 (cortina)"  0:25
25. Edgardo Donato - Lita Morales - Romeo Gavio  "Mi Serenata" 1940 3:02
26. Edgardo Donato "La Melodía Del Corazón" 1940 3:18
27. Edgardo  Donato "El Adios" 1938 3:09
28. Russian Folk  "Gypsy Girl (cortina)"  0:22
29. Rodolfo Biagi "Humiliacion" 1941 2:42
30. Rodolfo Biagi Jorge Ortíz "Zaraza"  2:42
31. Rodolfo Biagi - Teófilo Ibáñez  "Gólgota" 1938 2:33
32. Lidiya Ruslanova  "Valenki 3 (cortina)"  0:24
This milonga tanda comes with a special 4th track, per Irina's request. "La milonga de Buenos Aires" is requested by Cristina. And the starting track has a special place in my heart - that's the song she (the Milonga) sings about herself: "I'm a fearless Milonga, who dances to candombe, who never changes her mind. I am a musical motif  moving forward in an unhinged gait. I was a song on the fresh, sweet lips of a neighborhood girl. And how did they dance me on the broken slabs of a sidewalk!"
33. Francisco Canaro Roberto Maida "Milonga brava" 1938 2:32
34. Francisco Canaro Roberto Maida "Milonga del corazon" 1938 2:48
35. Francisco Canaro - Ernesto Fama  "La milonga de Buenos Aires" 1939-10-09 2:50
36. Erskine Maytorena y su orquesta  "Milonga Triste"  4:17
37. Russian Folk  "Kalinka-Malinka 1 (cortina)"  0:25
38. Anibal Troilo &Fiorentino  "Malena" 3:00
39. Aníbal Troilo - Francisco Fiorentino  "Toda mi vida" 1941 2:57
40. Anibal Troilo  "Guapeando"  2:49
41. Russian Folk  "Gypsy Girl (cortina)"  0:22
42. Alfredo De Angelis, "Mi Dolor"  2:51
43. Alfredo De Angelis  "Felicia 1969" 1999 2:48
44. Alfredo De Angelis  "Pavadita 1958" 1999 2:53
45. Russian Folk  "Kalinka-Malinka 1 (cortina)"  0:25
46. Enrique Rodriguez  "En El Volga Yo Te Espero - Armando Moreno" 1943, 1943 2:40
47. Enrique Rodrigues, Armando Moreno "Tengo mil novias 1939" 3:06
48. Enrique Rodriguez - Roberto Flores  "Los Piconeros"  2:47
49. Russian Folk  "Gypsy Girl (cortina)"  0:22
50. Pedro Laurenz Alberto Podestá "Recien"  2:41
51. Pedro Laurenz Alberto Podestá "Todo"  2:35
52. Pedro Laurenz Alberto Podestá "Garua"  3:12
53. Lidiya Ruslanova  "Valenki 4 (cortina)"  0:24
54. Ángel D'Agostino - Ángel Vargas  "Adiós arrabal" 1941-09-09 3:07
55. Ángel D'Agostino - Ángel Vargas  "El Yacaré" 1941-12-12 3:06
56. Ángel D'Agostino - Ángel Vargas  "Ahora no me conocés" 1941-09-09 2:35
57. Russian Folk  "Kalinka-Malinka 1 (cortina)"  0:25
58. "Orquesta Tipica Victor - Milonga De Los Fortines - Mariano Balcarce" 1937 2:52
59. Orquesta Tipica Victor  "Cacareando"  2:45
60. "Emilio Pellejero - Mi Vieja Linda - Enalmar De Maria - 1941" 2:26
61. Russian Folk  "Gypsy Girl (cortina)"  0:22
A big cut from the original plan here, right into a truncated Pugliese set, and La Cumparsita
62. Pugliese, Osvaldo Various Artists "Rondando Tu Esquina" 1945 2:49
63. Osvaldo Pugliese - Roberto Chanel  "Corrientes y Esmeralda" 1944 2:46
64. "Juan D'Arienzo  La Cumparsita"  3:45
65. Kayah & Bregovic  "Nie Ma, Nie Ma Ciebie [And You're Not, You're Not Here]" 1999 3:50

Practilonga del Centro playlist, 11/18/2013

This time Del Centro hosted an afterparty for Salt Lake's first mini-festival, Wasatch Tango Exchange, and both the length and the format of the event were supposed to be special: 3.5 hours of music and no class. And something else special in the air - in addition to a post-fest sweet vibe, there must have been a palpable element of physical exhaustion among the sleep-deprived organizers and volunteers. The more excited we were to greet and hug those of us who came to dance on this beautiful full Moon Monday night!
01. Osvaldo Fresedo - Roberto Ray  "Araca la cana" 1933 2:26
02. Osvaldo Fresedo - Roberto Ray  "El Once (A divertirse)" 1935 2:40
03. Osvaldo Fresedo - Instrumental  "Tigre viejo" 1934 3:01
The warm-up quality early Fresedos in the still-empty loft didn't get any feet on the floor, and it was still really cold in the room, so I'm like, how about something more drastic for a warm-up? Thanks Juianne for smiling it through with me :)
04. Enrique Rodrieques - Armando Moreno  "Se ve el tren"  3:11
05. Victor Tsoy  "Spokoynaya Noch' (cortina)"  0:49
06. Ricardo Tanturi - Enrique Campos  "Una emocion" 1943-11-17 2:37
07. Ricardo Tanturi  "Que Nunca Me Falte"  2:42
08. Ricardo Tanturi - Enrique Campos / Oigo Tu Voz 3:07
09. Victor Tsoy  "Gruppa Krovi (cortina)"  0:36
10. Rodolfo Biagi - Teófilo Ibáñez  "La loca de amor" 1938 2:12
11. Rodolfo Biagi - Jorge Ortiz  "Cuatro palabras" 1941 2:20
12. Rodolfo Biagi - Jorge Ortiz  "Tu melodía" 1945 2:51
13. Victor Tsoy  "Spokoynaya Noch' (cortina)"  0:49
Who needs D'Arienzo when there are Di Sarli's tracks of such rhythmic quality :) :)
14. Carlos Di Sarli "La Trilla" 1940 2:23
15. Carlos Di Sarli  "La Cachila"  2:46
16. Carlos Di Sarli Instumental "Nobleza de Arrabal" 2:07
17. Victor Tsoy  "Spokoynaya Noch' (cortina)"  0:49
18. Lomuto, Francisco  "Quiero verte una vez mas"  2:29
19. Lomuto, Francisco  "Nostalgias"  3:05
20. Lomuto, Francisco  "A la gran muñeca"  3:01
21. Victor Tsoy  "Gruppa Krovi (cortina)"  0:36
One can hardly make a full milonga tanda of either OTV's or Pellejero's records, but I think that the two orchestras go really nicely together!
22. "Orquesta Tipica Victor - Milonga De Los Fortines - Mariano Balcarce" 1937, 1937 2:52
23. Orquesta Tipica Victor  "Cacareando"  2:45
24. "Emilio Pellejero - Mi Vieja Linda - Enalmar De Maria - 1941" 1941, 1941 2:26
25. VictorTsoy Victor Tsoy "V staryh kvartirakh (cortina)"  0:44
26. Juan D'Arienzo - Héctor Mauré  "Ya lo ves" 1941 2:39
27. Juan D'Arienzo - Alberto Reynal  "Almanaque de ilusión (2)" 1941 2:55
28.  Juan D'Arienzo "Dime mi amor"  2:40
29. Victor Tsoy  "Spokoynaya Noch' (cortina)"  0:49
30. Miguel Caló - Raúl Berón  "Jamás retornarás" 1942 2:31
31. Miguel Caló - Raúl Berón  "Al compás del corazón" 1942 2:48
32. Miguel Caló - Raúl Berón  "Corazón no le hagas caso" 1942 3:00
33. Victor Tsoy  "Gruppa Krovi (cortina)"  0:36
34. Alfredo de Angelis - Carlos Dante, Julio Martel  "Soñar y nada más" 1944 3:08
35. Alfredo de Angelis - Carlos Dante, Julio Martel  "A Magaldi" 1947 2:50
36. Alfredo de Angelis  "Pobre flor" 2:42
37. Victor Tsoy  "Spokoynaya Noch' (cortina)"  0:49
At this point there was a really nice crowd on the floor, and it properly cleared the space during the cortinas, but I couldn't help thinking that the floors fills up to slowly at the beginning of each next tanda. Maybe it's a Monday night, with chatting friends and beer and food; or maybe the running tradition of Del Centro is cortina-less. Anyway from this tanda on, I'm doing away with the "special format" and with the cortinas planned for it. La vida es corta; just keep dancing, my friends!
38. Osvaldo Fresedo Roberto Ray "Isla de Capri" 1935 3:16
39. Osvaldo Fresedo Roberto Ray "Vida mia" 1933 3:23
40. Osvaldo Fresedo Roberto Ray "Nieblas del riachuelo" 1937 2:25
And indeed, hardly anyone stopped dancing when the lyrical Fresedo transitioned into Biagi :)
41. Rodolfo Biagi - Alberto Amor  "Tus labios me dirán" 1945 3:11
42. Rodolfo Biagi - Carlos Saavedra  "Esta noche me emborracho" 1946 2:50
43. Rodolfo Biagi "Todo te nombra" 1940 3:33
44. Carlos Di Sarli Roberto Rufino "La Mulateada"  2:22
45. Carlos Di Sarli Alberto Podestá "Entre Pitada Y Pitada"  2:33
46. Carlos Di Sarli Roberto Rufino "Pena Mulata"  2:27
47. Pedro Laurenz Alberto Podestá "Recien"  2:41
48. Pedro Laurenz Alberto Podestá "Todo"  2:35
49. Pedro Laurenz Alberto Podestá "Garua"  3:12
50. Francisco Canaro Roberto Maida "Ciego"  2:57
51. Francisco Canaro Roberto Maida "Condena (S.O.S.)" 1937 2:39
52. Francisco Canaro Roberto Maida "Invierno" 1937 3:26
53. Miguel Caló - Raúl Berón  "El vals soñador" 1942 3:32
54. Alberto Podestá  "Bajo un cielo de estrellas"  2:35
55. Miguel Calo - Alberto Podesta  "Pedacito de cielo (vals)" 1942 2:21
56. Victor Tsoy  "Spokoynaya Noch' (cortina)"  0:49
57. Carlos Di Sarli Alberto Podesta "No esta"  2:45
58. Carlos Di Sarli Alberto Podesta "Junto a tu corazon"  3:00
59. Carlos Di Sarli Alberto Podesta "Tu!...El cielo y tu!"  2:59
60. Alfredo de Angelis - Carlos Dante "Fumando Espero"  3:27
61. Alfredo De Angelis - Carlos Dante  "Alfredo de Angelis - Carrillon de la Merced"  2:50
With Pavadita playing, don't you already know what shall be coming your way?
62. Alfredo De Angelis  "Pavadita"  2:55
63. Otros Aires dos  "Los Vino"  2:41
64. Otros Aires  "Rotos en el Raval" 2005 3:53
65. Otros Aires  "Un Baile De Beneficio" 2010 3:42
66. Osvaldo Pugliese "Rondando Tu Esquina" 1945 2:49
67. Osvaldo Pugliese  "Gallo Ciego"  3:34
68. Pugliese, Osvaldo Osvaldo Pugliese "Malandraca" 1949 2:52
(We have a few minuted more than I counted on! Aha, so tonight maybe a night to add a second, crowning Pugliese tanda :) )
69. Donato, Edgardo  "El Adios" 1938 3:09
70. Donato, Edgardo  "Sinfonía De Arrabal" 1940 3:07
71. Edgardo Donato - Lita Morales - Romeo Gavio  "Mi Serenata" 1940 3:02
And the format shall be "P-D-P": Pugliese - Donato - Pugliese. I'm adding a couple early Pugliese tracks, but it's about the end of the practilonga so we are going to jump a quarter of a century towards the end of the tanda:
72. Osváldo Pugliese Osvaldo Pugliese "Remembranzas" 1943 3:41
73. Pugliese, Osvaldo Various Artists "La Abandone Y No Sabia" 1944 3:12
74. Osvaldo Pugliese - Instrumental  "A Evaristo Carriego" 1969 3:52
"Everybody" is out there dancing yet it almost time for us to leave. How about not just one but two Bregovic tracks, then ;) (and I'm joining you)? 
75. Kayah & Bregovic  "To Nie Ptak [Not a Bird]" 1999 4:40
76. Goran Bregovic  "This Is A Film (feat. Iggy Pop)" 2003 4:18
77. Various  "Juan D'Arienzo  La Cumparsita"  3:45

Erskine Maytorena. From Qtango website

I totally fell in love with Erskine and QTango band when we visited Albuquerque two weeks ago; I feel that these great musicians and teachers of tango music have finally provided the ABQ festival, this "Costco of tango events" known for its great price and great quantity but little personality, with the soul and the special quality! Can't stop listening to you, guys! And yet, the following super-slow dreamy milonga was intended to be a final curtain and the furniture-moving track rather than a dancing song ... yet so many people continued dancing to it, I had to throw in a additional, totally non-tango record to help us leave the floor nd move the chairs and the tables :)
78. Erskine Maytorena y su orquesta  "Milonga Triste"  4:17
79. Victor Tsoy, Kino.  "Gruppa krovi"  4:46
(79 total)

Nice, sweet night, all! Thank you so much for coming, many many thanks to Julianne for hosting, and please do not forget about our special Milonga Sin Nombre on Saturday!

Practica del Centro playlist, 9/31/13

Great turnout, so wonderful to see old friends and new faces in this beautiful downtown loft!
The music for the night begins from a few tracks for an informal class, and just keeps rolling from there, the energy of the floor has built up fairly quickly!
01. Carlos di Sarli - Instrumental  "Viviani" 1956-12-19 3:01
02. Carlos di Sarli - Instrumental  "Una fija (Glorias de ayer)" 1958-11 2:51
03. Carlos di Sarli - Instrumental Carlos Di Sarli "El amanecer" 1951 2:30
04. Juan D'Arienzo - Alberto Echagüe  "Mandria" 1939-08-09 2:26
05. Juan D'Arienzo - Alberto Echagüe  "Ansiedad" 1938-11-09 2:38
06. D'Arienzo, Juan Juan d'Arienzo "Que Importa" 1939 2:08
07. Anibal Troilo - Alberto Marino/Floreal Ruiz  "Palomita Blanca (Vals)"  3:22
08. Anibal Troilo Floreal Ruiz "Flor De Lino"  2:55
09. Anibal Troilo Floreal Ruiz "Romance De Barrio"  2:38
10. Rodolfo Biagi - Jorge Ortiz  "Quiero verte una vez más" 1940-07-16 3:00
11. Rodolfo Biagi - Andres Falgas  "Queja indiana" 1939 2:24
12. Biagi, Rodolfo Rodolfo Biagi "Todo te nombra" 1940 3:33
13. Pedro Laurenz Alberto Podestá "Todo"  2:35
14. Pedro Laurenz Alberto Podestá "Garua"  3:12
15. Pedro Laurenz Alberto Podestá "Alma de Bohemio"  2:45

Alex Krebs playing bandoneon, from
Milagro blog

Never played Alex Krebs's milongas before ... let alone a whole set. His orquesta is wonderful to dance to when they play live, and over the years he's got several CDs (and now even a unique vinyl is just about to be released!) ... but you know how sometimes it takes hundreds of records of an ochestra before a DJ can start confidently making great tandas out of them, since styles change quicky over time, and quality may never be perfectly even either. But I fell for the first of these milongas, and felt that it justifies the other two. The inner energy of the beat is so Krebsian here! (Remember that in the Alex Krebs tango philosophy, the step isn't a "getting from point A to point B on time"; instead, the music and the intention impart different energetic quality on on the step's 3 parts, with projection, weight transfer, and collection each having their distinct dynamics)
16. The Alex Krebs Tango Sextet  "Largas las Penas" 2011 3:02
17. The Alex Krebs Tango Sextet  "Negrito" 2011 1:53
18. The Alex Krebs Tango Sextet  "Ella Es Asi" 2011 2:32
19. Francisco Canaro Instrumental "Pampa" 1938 2:49
20. Francisco Canaro  "Recuerdos De Paris - Roberto Maida - 1937" 1937, 1937 3:12
21. Francisco Canaro - Roberto Maida Francisco Canaro Roberto Maida "Invierno" 1937-08-19 3:26
22. Alfredo de Angelis - Instrumen  "Mi dolor" 1957 2:51
23. Alfredo de Angelis - Instrumen  "El Tango Club" 1957 2:40
24. Alfredo De Angelis  "Pavadita 1958" 1999 2:53
Quickly deleted Tengo Mil Novias and adde Los Piconeros after Chris walked in :)
25. Enrique Rodriguez - Roberto Flores  "Fru Fru"  2:57
26. Enrique Rodriguez  "En El Volga Yo Te Espero - Armando Moreno" 1943, 1943 2:40
27. Enrique Rodriguez "Los piconeros-Roberto Flores-1939(Bulerias)" 2:43
28. Edgardo Donato - Lita Morales - Romeo Gavio  "Mi Serenata" 1940 3:02
29. Donato, Edgardo  "Sinfonía De Arrabal" 1940 3:07
30. Edgardo Donato - Horacio Lagos - Lita Morales "Sinsabor" 1939 2:53
31. Osvaldo Fresedo Roberto Ray "Cordobesita" 1933 2:32
32. Osvaldo Fresedo Roberto Ray "Vida mia" 1933 3:23
33. Osvaldo Fresedo Roberto Ray "Nieblas del riachuelo" 1937 2:25
34. Juan D'Arienzo - Instrumental  "Milonga vieja milonga" 1937-09-22 2:41
35. Juan D'Arienzo - Instrumental  "De pura cepa" 1935 2:41
36. Juan D'Arienzo - Instrumental  "El esquinazo" 1938-01-04 2:34
I first had doubts about Demare's Carablanca, and I don't have any anymore!!
37. Lucio Demare - Juan Carlos Miranda  "No te apures, Carablanca" 1942-10-09 3:34
38. Lucio Demare - Juan Carlos Mir  "Manana zarpa un barco" 1942 3:22
39. Demare, Lucio Rodolfo Biagi-Lucio Demare "Cómo se hace un tango - Raul Beron" 1943 3:14
40. Anibal Troilo Fiorentino "El Cuarteador"  2:49
41. Aníbal Troilo - Francisco Fiorentino  "Toda mi vida" 1941-03-04 2:57
42. Aníbal Troilo - Francisco Fiorentino  "Tinta roja" 1941-10-23 3:02
Couldn't get quite satisfactory Firpo (and especially OTV!) vals tandas before, I hope that this united set is a nicer fit!
43. Orquesta Tipica Victor - Lita  "Noches de invierno" 1937 2:47
44. Roberto Firpo Various Artists "El Aeroplano" 1999 2:14
45. Roberto Firpo  "Olga"  2:10
46. Biagi, Rodolfo  "Humiliacion" 1941 2:42
47. Rodolfo Biagi Jorge Ortíz "Zaraza"  2:42
48. Rodolfo Biag Jorge Ortíz "Indiferencia"  2:33
Time is starting to run short, and some sets are cut to just two's
49. Carlos Di Sarli Alberto Podesta "Junto a tu corazon"  3:00
50. Carlos Di Sarli - Oscar Serpa  "Verdemar" 2001 3:01
The slowest milonga ever? Mionga Triste runs full 20 seconds longer than Canaro's classic Sentimental. Sweet feeling.
51. Francisco Canaro - Ernesto Fam  "Milonga del 900" 1933 2:55
52. Francisco Canaro - Roberto Maida  "Milonga triste" 1937-08-10 3:33
53. Francisco Canaro Ernesto Fama y Angel Ramos "Milonga sentimental" 1933 3:12
54. Osvaldo Pugliese  "Gallo Ciego"  3:34
55. Osváldo Pugliese Osvaldo Pugliese "Remembranzas" 1943 3:41
56. Juan D'Arienzo - Instrumental  "La cumparsita" 1951 3:49
Thanks Halina for the oh-o-danceable curtain tune!
57. Eendo  "Eshgh e Aasemaani" 2011 3:31
(

Automatic music identification - as simple as youtube

Forget Shazam. Youtube can instantly identify most tango music tracks, orchestra, vocalist, everything, at least as long as you have full track, beginning to end.

Upload you own video with the selected soundtrack, and Youtube will do its job in a peculiarly unwelcoming way: as soon as it's processed, you'll see a warning in your upload manager, "Matched 3rd party content". Click on the warning and see who claims to own your track and how they call it.

How much effort would it take me to identify a lesser-known Biagi vals?

"Rodolfo Biagi-Dejame amarte aunque sea un dia", sound recording administered by:

WMG

Practica del Centro playlist, 8/26/13

Great turnout, but why did almost everybody have to leave before the Cumparsita?
01. Carlos Di Sarli  Instrumental  "Bahia Blanca" 2:49
02. Carlos di Sarli - Instrumental  "Viviani" 1956 3:01
I chickened and replaced di Sarli's A la Gran Muneca at the last moment (a wink in Vita Markman's direction here; and as I said, I much prefer a vocal version of The Big Doll)
03. Carlos di Sarli - Instrumental  "El amanecer" 1942 2:24
04. Ángel D'Agostino - Ángel Vargas  "Adiós arrabal" 1941 3:07
05. Ángel D'Agostino - Ángel Vargas  "El Yacaré" 1941 3:06
06. Ángel D'Agostino - Ángel Vargas  "Ahora no me conocés" 1941 2:35
I haven't played my fav di Sarli's milonga for too long ... and thanks again, Raquel!
07. Carlos di Sarli - Alberto Podestá  "Entre pitada y pitada" 1942-03-30 2:33
08. Carlos di Sarli - Roberto Rufino  "Pena mulata" 1941-02-18 2:27
09. Carlos di Sarli - Roberto Rufino  "La mulateada" 1941-11-21 2:21
10. Osvaldo Fresedo Roberto Ray "Isla de Capri" 1935 3:16
11. Osvaldo Fresedo Roberto Ray "Sollosos" 1937 3:27
12. Osvaldo Fresedo - Instrumental  "Arrabalero" 1939 2:32
13. Biagi, Rodolfo  "Humiliacion" 1941 2:42
14. Rodolfo Biagi Jorge Ortíz "Zaraza"  2:42
15. Rodolfo Biagi - Teófilo Ibáñez  "Gólgota" 1938 2:33
16. Anibal Troilo - Alberto Marino/Floreal Ruiz  "Palomita Blanca (Vals)"  3:22
17. Aníbal Troilo - Floreal Ruiz  "Romance de barrio" 1947 2:36
18. Aníbal Troilo - Instrumental  "Un placer" 1942 2:19
Really wanted to put El Adios in Donato's tanda but then decided to play Canaro's version of Adios instead ... only to scrap the whole tanda of slow Canaro later. Next time!
19. Edgardo Donato - Horacio Lagos - Lita Morales Edgardo Donado - Horacio Lagos - Lita Morales "Sinsabor" 1939 2:53
20. Donato, Edgardo Various Artists "La Melodía Del Corazón" 1940 3:18
21. Edgardo Donato - Lita Morales - Romeo Gavio  "Mi Serenata" 1940 3:02
22. Pedro Laurenz Alberto Podestá "Recien"  2:41
23. Pedro Laurenz Alberto Podestá "Todo"  2:35
24. Pedro Laurenz Alberto Podestá "Garua"  3:12
Brian, how is this transition of milonga pace to you?
25. Francisco Canaro - Carlos Galan  "Negrito" 1934 2:46
26. Francisco Canaro - Ernesto Fama, Angel Ramos  "Milonga sentimental" 1933 3:10
27. Francisco Canaro - Ernesto Fama  "Milonga del 900" 1933 2:55
Where is Chris when we need him? Irina asked me to put a late-ish D'Arienzo tanda "sort of like Chris's" and it turned out to be really complicated....
28. D'Arienzo, Juan  "Yapeyu" 1951 2:26
29. Juan D'Arienzo - Instrumental  "Don Juan" 1950 2:32
30. Juan D'Arienzo  "Felicia - Instrumental - 1954" 1999 2:59
31. Lucio Demare - Juan Carlos Mir  "Din don" 1938 2:32
32. Lucio Demare - Horacio Quintan  "Igual que un bandoneon" 1945 3:02
33. Demare, Lucio Rodolfo Biagi-Lucio Demare "Cómo se hace un tango - Raul Beron" 1943 3:14
34. Alfredo de Angelis - Carlos Dante, Julio Martel  "Soñar y nada más" 1944 3:08
35. Alfredo de Angelis - Carlos Dante, Julio Martel  "A Magaldi" 1947 2:50
36. Alfredo de Angelis - Floreal Ruiz  "Mi novia de ayer" 1944 2:38
With just a few minutes left to go, and just 3 couples left on the floor, it's time to do away with complete sets and just finish it up with a flourish ... but alas, no Pugliese in the final list!
37. Goran Bregovic  "In The Deathcar (feat. Iggy Pop)" 2003 5:14
38. "Juan D'Arienzo  La Cumparsita"  3:45
39. Hindi Zahra  "Beautiful Tango" 2011 3:57
(39 total)

Practica del Centro playlist, 7/22/2013

So nice to be back & to see you all after a long break! And kudos to Julianne for the super duper new cable and the equalizer settings!
01. Carlos di Sarli - Instrumental  "Viviani" 1956 3:01
02. Di Sarli, Carlos  "Indio Manso" 1958 2:57
03. Carlos di Sarli - Instrumental  "Una fija (Glorias de ayer)" 1958-11 2:51
04. Ricardo Tanturi  "Que Nunca Me Falte"  2:42
05. Ricardo Tanturi - Canta Enrique Campos  "Oigo Tu Voz" 3:07
06. Ricardo Tanturi -  Alberto Castillo  "Así Se Baila El Tango"  2:34
07. Rodolfo Biagi  "Por la huella (Milonga)"  2:47
08. Rodolfo Biagi Teófilo Ibáñez "Campo Afuera " 2:08
09. Rodolfo Biagi - Alberto Amor  "Flor de montserrat" 2:16
10. Osvaldo Fresedo Roberto Ray "Vida mia" 1933 3:23
11. Osvaldo Fresedo Roberto Ray "Nieblas del riachuelo" 1937 2:25
12. Osvaldo Fresedo Roberto Ray "Cordobesita" 1933 2:32
The experimental Troilo tango didn't get traction, I shifted gears before the set was over
13. Aníbal Troilo - Alberto Marino  "Uno" 1943 3:31
14. Aníbal Troilo - Alberto Marino  "Cuando tallan los recuerdos" 1943 2:55
The usual nod in Chris's direction :) Yes I played - and talked about - two of these valses just a month ago. Remind me when I get boring please ;)
15. Enrique Rodriguez  "En El Volga Yo Te Espero - Armando Moreno" 1943, 1943 2:40
16. Enrique Rodrigues "Tengo mil novias-Roberto Flores-1939(Vals)" 3:06
17. Enrique Rodriguez - Roberto Flores  "Los Piconeros"  2:47
18.  Rodolfo Biaggi Hugo Duval "Caricias"  2:52
19. Rodolfo Biagi - Jorge Ortiz  "Quiro verte una vez más" 2:59
20. Biagi, Rodolfo Rodolfo Biagi "Todo te nombra" 1940 3:33
21. Carlos Di Sarli Alberto Podesta "No esta"  2:45
22. Carlos Di Sarli Alberto Podesta "Al compas del Corazon"  3:19
23. Carlos Di Sarli Alberto Podesta "Junto a tu corazon"  3:00
24. Juan D'Arienzo - Instrumental  "La puñalada" 1937 2:17
25. Juan D'Arienzo - Instrumental  "El esquinazo" 1938 2:34
26. Juan D'Arienzo - Instrumental  "De pura cepa" 1935 2:41
27. Miguel Caló - Raúl Berón  "Jamás retornarás" 1942 2:31
28. Miguel Caló - Raúl Berón  "Al compás del corazón" 1942 2:48
29. Miguel Caló - Raúl Berón  "Corazón no le hagas caso" 1942 3:00
30. Francisco Canaro - Roberto Maida  "Invierno" 1937 3:26
31. Francisco Canaro - Roberto Maida  "Condena (S.O.S.)" 1937 2:39
32. Francisco Canaro  "Recuerdos De Paris - Roberto Maida - 1937" 1937, 1937 3:12
33. Alfredo de Angelis - Carlos Dante, Julio Martel  "Soñar y nada más" 1944 3:08
34. Alfredo de Angelis - Carlos Dante, Julio Martel  "A Magaldi" 1947 2:50
35. Alfredo de Angelis  "Pobre flor" 2:42
And BTW Chris you are a breathtaking follower :)
36. Carlos Di Sarli Instrumental "Siete Palabras"  2:38
37. Carlos Di Sarli  "La Cachila"  2:46
38. Carlos Di Sarli "La Trilla" 1940 2:23
39. Osváldo Pugliese "Recuerdo" 1943 2:45
40. Pugliese, Osvaldo  "Rondando Tu Esquina" 1945 2:49
41. Osváldo Pugliese "Remembranzas" 1943 3:41
42. "Juan D'Arienzo  La Cumparsita"  3:45

I hope to talk more about Puszta (which is to Hungary what Pampa is to Argentina) and about this tune (which, in Enrique Rodriguez remix as "Amor en Budapest", was the title and the closing song of Budapest Marathon where it complete the two sweetest tandas in my tango life). Puszta Fox was written for an operetta celebrating Gypsy music heritage of Szeged and its legendary songwriter, Danko (1858-1903), and the lyrics by Hans Bussmann lifted whole lines from Danko's "Dorozsmai Windmill" about the mill which froze still when the beloved gypsy girl went with another guy. 
43. Barnabas Von Geczy  "Puszta - Fox" 2:55

"How to NOT get invited", and more on surviving tango festivals (a translation)

Sage advice from a Russian LJ. (And I'm, like, why write my own Tango Survival Guide when I can cite the classic authors instead ;) )

In front of a movie screen?
Moscow, Milonga Me Gusta (2012) (etango image)

Don't sit in the dark corners. Or in front of a movie screen, or wherever you're lit from behind.

Why? In the darkness, they won't see you. In the faraway corners, they won't find you. If the light illuminates you from behind, then the direction of your gaze won't be visible, and your cabeceo will fall flat. And if everyone is looking at a movie screen behind you, then you'd have hard time telling if anybody is looking at you rather than at the screen! 

(DP's comment: Back rows of tables NEVER work. Also it's also amazing how at outdoor milongas, people don't get it that sunglasses make their gaze invisible, too. Lastly, if you're nearsighted, then don't you think that glasses may help A LOT? )

Wanna dance? Then go & stand where all the like-minded, eager dancers gather!

(DP's comment: entry points to the dance floor, especially the ones closest to the dance hall entrance; spots near the water cooler,  bar or, yes, restroom. In the grand old Norse Hall of Portland, the storied "best fishing spot" is near the trash can ... probably not because the trash can attracts the most eager dancers, but because it guards the passageway to the bar & lounge)

The topic of your conversation may be absolutely breathtaking, but it's still recommended that you pause your conversation during cortina (and at the beginning of the next tanda)

Why? Because you don't want to make an impression that you have much more pressing interests than dancing. Ditto heading to the bar / drinking coffee / eating / reading books / meditating with you fav gadgets.

(DP's comment: it's time to look around; perk up, don't look down)

Don't sit in street clothes, and, especially, without your dance shoes. (Do take the dancing shoes off you want to make a break!) "Display your determination and readiness"

DP's comment: in America's air-conditioned halls, a warm shawl over your shoulders doesn't mean that you aren't ready. A slumped posture usually does. BTW sometimes it's hard to tell if a tanguera is "ready" because the body language may be ambiguous, and so you try checking what kind of shoes she wears, but alas, her feet are tucked under a table :)

Also some festival-specific sage advice from the previous installment of the series (more questionable IMHO, but still interesting. I will leave it mostly without specific comments since I think that the advice below won't work equally well for everyone)

"At the best fishing spot"
FRWL Marathon, Moscow, 2015. Etango image

Be communicative; if you know more people, you'll dance more. You like somebody's way of dancing? Compliment them. You like DJs? Thumbs-up them. You like how it is organized? Tell it the organizers.

You don't know something about the place? How are things done? How to get there? Ask around; once people know that you're new to this festival, they won't just help you - they'll get you dances too.

You're too shy? Tango should help you overcome it.

Don't be too idiosyncratic with your clothing, keep an eye on the others' style. If your clothes are soaking wet, or rumpled, then it may be taken as a sign of disrespect. Use different shoes; once your feet get tired in one pair of shoes, they may be rescued by switching to another pair. There is a lot of "black magic" for the tired feet (creams and sprays, ice buckets, reiki, whatnot ... read and listen and find what works for you). 

(DP: For very long milongas, if I'm tired and things go downhill, I practice a "reboot" - a shower and a complete change of clothes ... you see, now it's a different me!)

(... skipping several recommendations which mostly parallel the ones already translated above)

Take care of your food and drink; don't eat heavy meals before milongas

(DP: too often, tangueros feel dog tired simply because they didn't drink enough water and didn't take enough electrolytes. Yes, we loose salt when dancing, and we loose energy with it! I swear by Cliff Cubes, an electrolyte-rich chews favored by distance runners)

Pace yourself! A day with too many classes followed by a night with too many milonga hours may deflate the  rest of your festival!

(DP: being able to take approximately one hour naps helps a lot; coming to a milonga a few hours late, but refreshed, may project an impression that you're tough and determined, and help you get the dances. But don't come to the last few hours of an all-nighter; it's like coming too late to a party when everybody's is already too drunk and you just can't fit in anymore)

Don't stay too far from the venues! It may seem like staying half an hour away isn't a big deal, but it can be a huge deal.