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 ;) )
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)
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.
 |
| 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)
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.
