BsAs2009 - Day 3
Well, the words that come to mind for my evening today are ... total loss. Debbi wasn't feeling well so I went to Villa Malcom alone. I got there around 10:40, just as the class was wrapping up. I noticed a quite a few good dancers, which, no surprise, avoided my gaze systematically. I then saw a woman sitting down and I thought I recognized her from another milonga. I was wrong. Very wrong. That tanda probably sealed my fate for the evening. All good dancers there were in groups, none of them seemed interested in dancing with other people. I thought I caught a break when one of them accepted my invitation. It was an OK dance, nothing out of the ordinary, and maybe it would've helped, but somehow EVERYONE decided to dance that set, so there was no one left to see anything. That concluded my dancing until around 1am, when I threw the towel and walked to Viruta.
At La Viruta, there were maybe 10 dancers that were good or above, all of them hanging out with their friends. Since I didn't feel like waking in the middle of the pack and tap someone on the shoulder and cabaceo didn't seem to work at all, they were all out of reach. I thought I caught another break when one of the better dancers I saw at El Beso last night walked in and sat alone. I went and asked her, to my surprise she accepted and off we went. The problem is the music at La Viruta tonight was the most unpredictable crap I've ever heard played at a milonga ever. So after the first somewhat passable song, they played some Piazzola wannabe utter crap set which naturally, didn't inspire me in any way or form. The dance wasn't bad, it was just ... colorless. Either I was unable to engage her or she is not the type to "engage" during the dance. After that set, the music got even worse and 20 min later, at 3am they played Cumparsita, which ironically, despite being a version I don't like, was the best song I heard in the last 45 minutes.
So, 4h 20min, 3 tandas, one terrible, one ok and one ... flat. I am reasonably sure this was possibly the worst night I've had since I started tango, and I am including my first milonga I ever attended. On the up side, I can't see how it would get any worst, so, it should be better tomorrow.
8 comments:
Terrible being a good dancer and not getting any great dances for very little reason.... isn't it?
Well, I didn't get dances for a very good reason, no one knew if I was a good dancer or not.
i'm really enjoy reading these sorin, you should write more and tel debbi to write too.
welcome to buenos aires- you should go to berlin!
La Viruta is more for going with a group of friends. I don't think of it as a milonga as much as I look at it as a hang-out. I didn't go a lot, but I can tell you that it's best on Fridays & Saturdays *after* 3:30AM. Yes, a.m. BY about 4 or 4:30 a.m. they serve breakfast (great medialunas!) and it closes at about 6:30 or so. But go with a group for sure.
personally, i always had a tough time at villa malcolm... people are friendly socially, but i think it's very cliquey when it comes to giving dances to unknowns. i think i will only go back if i go with a group of friends as a pack, hehe.
i'm sorry about your experience tonight... i have a feeling it's much more difficult for unknown men in the beginning, on a virgin trip to bsas.
but it will get better!!! perhaps, at least for la viruta, it'll help to take the pre-milonga class? i think horacio godoy teaches there on thursdays! :-D
Yes, there is something very unwelcoming about "dance packs" or those who only dance among themselves - even if they don't "know" you. Think about it.
What about going out without expectations? That way you would free yourself for whatever outcome.
I think the less you measure and judge your dances (or partners), the better dances you will get! ;-)
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