Milongueros don't dance steps!

Most social close-embrace dancers will tell you that they don’t know any steps and that they improvise freely. But everyone who watches from an objective perspective knows that this is rarely true.

I agree: Milongueros (no matter if they come from Argentina, Europe or elsewhere) usually dance movements that are well adapted to a crowded dance-floor. Milonguero steps very often are less complex than the figures that are memorised by dancers of other styles. They don’t require an opening of the embrace, they are easy to memorise and to combine with other short sequences in order to create a nice flow and to navigate. Milongueros won’t block the space because they have to finish a huge giro with boleo and they don’t run into the other couples because they have memorised a back step at the beginning of each pattern. This is super! 

But - let’s face it - Milongueros still dance steps.

A Milonguero might not have learned the 8-count-basic, but he will dance the Ocho Cortado and not vary it beyond a certain point. Try to get him to execute it on the left side or - even worse - without the typical quick-quick-slow in the traspié-positions. Or ask him to change into the crossed system without doing a side-step to the left or a quick-quick without the follower on the outer lane. Or challenge him to accelerate the walk with the right font step. 

95% of the experienced leaders will have difficulties doing that kind of stuff, because they are as caught up in steps as anyone else. I encounter these patterns and habits of close-embrace leaders during each class I teach and many of the tandas at Encuentros or traditional Milongas.

And don’t think that “followers” are free of automatisms: Try inviting an experienced Milonguera to do a front step with her right leg into your space in the parallel system. Try inviting her to walk a 1231 in Vals instead of a 12_1. Two years ago, we’ve been visiting the one European capital that is famous for its beautiful women with great embraces. The one where you can find more close-embrace social dancers than in the other European capitals. I had visited this city and some of its Milongas earlier, so my expectations where realistic. But poor Detlef almost started crying, because many of those elegant, beautiful ladies weren’t even capable of standing on their left foot for more than one second without having to change to their right one automatically. They were obviously not used to standing on their left foot!

So, let’s please admit: Milongueros dance steps and their partners are used to these patterns.

It this so bad?

Of course not.

Apart from the fact, that certain steps are an important part of tango-tradition, behavioural and movement-related patterns are helpful in all circumstances of life. They will allow you to cope with stressful or new situations, like navigating in a crowded ronda - provided they are danceable on a small scale. But Milonguero steps usually fit this requirement. In general, patterns offer security because they are predictable. A lot of people need that kind of security. 

We, Detlef and I, aren’t free of safety blankets either. Despite our 15-year-long work with basic principles and improvisation, we have still been socialised with traditional tango-steps. And it is hard to de-programme all of them. But this is ok, because there are moments, when we need to access them. They e.g. help us to function whilst doing a demo. We have of course never danced a choreography and Detlef knows in advance, which tangos I choose for theses occasion. But still: we rarely improvise, when a hundred eyes are staring at us. Not what I call improvisation at least. On the social dance-floor, I don’t know what will happen next, when Detlef invites me to pivot to the left on my right foot in the crossed system. In a demo, the chances are quite high, that an ocho or turn will follow. Detlef’s improvisational and communicative capacities in these moments are as limited as are my perceptive capabilities. Sure, there are demos during which we are super relaxed, invent stuff and communicate on a high level, but mostly we rely on field-tested movements. This is when some steps come in handy. And lots of walking of course... ;-)

Learning figures can also help to work on general principles: The 8-count-basic e.g. might teach you how to combine a lateral with a front- or back-step in a precise manner. The Ocho Cortado is great for practising the counter-body-movement. Steps as examples of how to link or communicate the basic elements can be helpful.

And there is another special reason, why female dancers (maybe unconsciously) like fixed patterns: they allow followers to decorate their steps without communicating actively. Because she can rely on her partner to suggest a movement with a specific timing, many a follower feels free to add an adorno. I rarely see (even very experienced ladies) decorating their steps when dancing with Detlef, as they are much too busy guessing what he will do in the next second. Not every woman likes this, but I am not particularly interested in adornos. When I do them, it is usually a sign, that I can (too) easily predict the movements of my partner. 

By the way: predictability and dependance on patterns does not correlate with the level of dancing. Even a brilliant tango-professional can be predictable. Some of his steps might be challenging out of technical reasons or I might not know the particular movement he is suggesting, so the level of stress might be higher at the start of a tanda with him. But I will usually be able to recognise recurring patterns after the first tango and therefore adapt my reactions - even if his leading is not quite as perfect as his elegance. With at typical Milonguero, the process of adaptation to unknown patterns (if there are any) will require even less time. This can be very reassuring and relaxing. I will close my eyes, get into a flow and cherish the embrace - if it is a nice one. ;-)

But: what I find really interesting, is dancing with someone who has got a beautiful embrace, dances socially and cannot be easily predicted, even if I know him or her very well. This applies to quite some of our students, in particular our Tango-Treacher-Trainees. Last Friday, Ramona surprised me by leading a cross on the other side. An hour later, Saso suggested a shift of weight in a turn instead of the usual side-step - amongst lots of other things with which he makes me smile. These people are real smart, so they might have discovered all of that without our help. But the fact is that we’ve been encouraging them for years to break up all patterns, to constantly better their communicative skills and to - in the rare cases when we analysed a step - try it on the other side and dance it with all kinds of rhythmic and movement-related variations. This is why these Milongueros really improvise in a Milonga. Which makes me proud. And as I am used to this level of improvisation, it does not create any stress. On the contrary: It strengthens the connection to my partners - even more when they are open to the suggestions that I make. A real conversation without patterns requires so much more sensitivity and empathy from both partners. For me, this is more rewarding than dancing the fanciest step.

But there is more to improvisation. It is about dancing to the music.

Most dancers - no matter if they are Milongueros, Villa-Urquiza-adepts or Millennium-Style-Nuevoists - memorise each step with a specific timing. I earlier mentioned the typical quick-quick-slows in the traspié-positions of the Ocho Cortado. Most Milongueros will even continue doing these, when I ask them to dance the movement in normal speed without any accelerations. They just don’t notice and I have to point it out to them. 

But how can you dance musically if you’ve got such strong automatisms? In very simple tangos, these habits will not do a lot of harm. Ok, you might dance an automatic 123_ in a moment that the music suggests 1_34. But as you can hear all 4 beats in the bass section of the orchestra, this is not a grave mistake. But in some tangos this might be just plain wrong, because (certain of) the 4 beats are not played by any instrument: So, will you dance an quick-quick-slow (123_) when the melody requires a triplet, syncopation, a 332 or a plain deceleration at the end of the phrase? Are you free to adapt your movement in such a moment? Will you make your partner laugh out of joy, because you shift weight from one foot to the other together in perfect harmony to the music? Or are you stuck in a pattern?

So, these are my two cents:

Test, if you are really free from limiting patterns. Check, if some steps help you or if they inhibit the connection to your partner or to the music. And if you want to dance or teach steps - I recommend to memorise them bare of any fixed rhythms. Only then, you’re free to dance to the music. And is this not what we all aspire to?

Now … if you are offended, because I have hurt your Milonguero pride, please read all the positive things I wrote about close-embrace social dancers in this and many other posts. But also try to understand: For me, social tango poses such extraordinary capacities to interpret music, to express feelings and to experience connection. I constantly update myself in a process of learning and fixed patterns just limit my pleasure on the long run. Sure, you might say, that's because I do that professionally. But I don't perceive myself as an artist or even as an exceptionally talented dancer. I believe that by breaking up steps and analysing habits, everyone can deepen his or her pleasure in this beautiful dance. This is why I teach, write books, produce DVDs, write this article and have been sticking to Tango for 20 years - despite the sleepless nights, the lack of retirement provisions and the fact that I haven’t had a holiday in years. 

Because it is worth it. ;-)

Beanpoles & Backbends

A couple of weeks ago, I was at a marathon-encuentro mixer. It was a well organised event in a beautiful city, I met a few (not many) old friends... but that‘s not what I want to write about.

This article is an instructional paper. I usually don‘t use this medium for teaching purposes. I teach in class or via my book+DVD. But the majority of people I want to reach with this information might not visit our (Detlef's and my) classes or buy our product and I don‘t want to criticise my partners during a Milonga. This is why I decided to broach the issue of „la postura“ in my blog, something that I've been wanting to do for a couple of years. Yesterday, a young lady encouraged me to do so. 
(Many, many more details about this topic can be found here.)

Anyway...

The above mentioned event was populated by lots of lovely, mostly young dancers, who come from a marathon background. They are inventive in their movements, have an interesting musicality and dance - as this is the custom nowadays - in a close(r) embrace. So you would think, that I must have enjoyed it a lot. I did, but there was also a problem: very often, my back started hurting. It did not hurt before dancing and it usually does not cause any problems at all. Yes, I am older than most of the young ladies at this event, but I am not yet that old and I do Yoga on a regular basis. I am not as bendy as a gymnast, but I manage well enough, thank you, sir!

So this post is about where I believe that the pain in my back came from.

Many marathony dancers used to dance in open embrace originally or have learned from teachers who still do or did so in the past. That is totally fine and we often also use open embrace in our classes out of pedagogical reasons. But, as we want to dance in a close embrace at a Milonga, we teach a posture, that will work out no matter which distance you choose. Please be aware, that many teachers who used to dance in open embrace don‘t. Although they might dance close embrace nowadays, they might not have updated their concept of a posture but stick to the original idea of the leader standing very upright, with the bodyweight distributed over the whole foot. Kind of an ideal everyday posture, like a perfectly upright beanpole. It might look like this:

Looks fine, doesn‘t it?
But if you use this posture in close embrace, you will "force" your partner to either lean on you or stick out her butt in order to create a chest contact and still have enough space for the feet. Because only few teachers nowadays encourage dancing „apilado“ (off axis, leaning) and most women feel uncomfortable weighing on their partners, many followers will instinctively choose option two. It allows them to keep their gravity centre above their feet. This posture might look like this:

Silly, eh?
When dancing with a partner in a close embrace, it might not look quite as crass and some even find it sexy. But I can tell you: it is not healthy. Dancing with a constant backbend compresses the vertebrae, uses a lot of muscular tension, inhibits natural dissociation and does actually interrupt the flow of the leading signals from top to down. If a communicative signal is supposed to „run through“ the axis, should it not remain unbroken?
Let us not speak about the long-terms downsides of such a posture. Many yoga teachers nowadays abstain from encouraging their students to aim for hyper-flexibility because they know about the risks of such a practise. So please keep in mind: You (or your lovely partner) will not be young forever, but you might still want to dance Tango without hurting.

Ok, everyone knows that the spine is naturally curved. Depending on your personal physique, you may see a more or less defined curve when standing upright and looking at yourself from the side. We don‘t want to work against that, e.g. by pulling the the hips downwards or even tilting them forwards. 

We just suggest that you stand straight, but shift the body weight a little more to your metatarsals. Not to the toes though, because we don‘t want to lose our balance and lean onto our partner. This little adaptation will allow you to dance in a close embrace and you will still have space for your feet. It might look like this:

The difference to the posture above is minimal, but it changes everything, because now both partners can stand upright: 
(Please don‘t tell me, that I stick out my butt as well. What you see are the natural curves of my spine and well... the rest of my body. The only way to get rid of those would be to go on a stricter diet.)

So, in my opinion, these are your options of dancing without forcing yourself or your partner into an unhealthy posture or dancing off-axis:

1. If you (as a leader) don‘t want to change your posture, because you are used to a certain form of stability by having part of your bodyweight above your heel: Fine. Keep your posture, but dance in a more open embrace. There is nothing wrong about it and it does not mean that you have to dance unsocially. You might take up a little more space in the ronda, but if you pay attention, everything will be ok. 
Look at the following video of Gustavo Naveira and Giselle Anne. Both of them stand very upright most of the time and open the embrace, when they need more space for their feet and legs. In any case, Giselle Anne does not have to stick out her behind. (Nevertheless: don‘t do all the stuff that they are dancing at a Milonga, please.)

2. Adapt your posture to allow for both partners to keep their spine upright. If you still don‘t know how, please work with specialised teachers.
Check out a dancing video that we made for our DVD. I have chosen it, because you can often see us from the side and the light allows for a good visibility. You can also watch an initially faulty posture changing to the better: Check out the first couple of seconds when we go into the embrace. In the beginning, Detlef is standing with his body weight a little bit too much towards his heels. His mistake! In order to create a connection, I then break my axis and lean my upper body towards him. I should not have done that, but maintained my posture and therefore show him how to position himself, as I tell our students. My mistake!
Fortunately (whilst already being in the embrace) Detlef also shifts his weight to the front of his feet and all of a sudden, my posture is good again. Both of our axes remain upright throughout most of the dance and we‘ve got enough space for our feet. (We don‘t claim to be perfect though.)

3. Grow a Milonguero belly! The belly will keep your partner further away, so that you have got enough space for the feet. If the follower is shorter than you (only then!), she will even find a nice soft spot to make contact to with her upper body without having to bend. 
Look at the following video by Tete - in particular the moment when he and Sylvia go into the embrace. By the way: Tete was a famous dancer and teacher who, like most Milongueros of that era answered „Tango de Salón“ when someone asked him, what style he danced. But that is yet another story...

So, cheers to the Milonguero belly!

Edit: 

Please note that I don't want to put all the blame on the leaders. There are many, many things that followers can do to put themselves into a disadvantageous position or to hurt the leaders. This post concentrates one one particular feature of the leader's posture and the consequences for the followers, because I have experienced this situation to a larger extent and I believe it to be a typical problem of recent developments.

If you want to work on the details of your posture and connection, I encourage you to buy our book+DVD. ;-)

Festivalitos & Encuentros Milongueros 2016

It is this time of the year again - dancers are waiting for me to post my recommendations for next year. But those who follow my blog know, that I find it harder and harder to compile this list.

This is why:
- There are many new events using the labels "Milonguero" and "Encuentro". I really cannot tell, which can hold what they promise.
- There are numerous new smaller events, that can surely be lovely, but seem to have a very local appeal. I hesitate to recommend them to international travellers.
- Most organisers don't keep me up-to-date. 
- Some established events events are disappearing and there are only very few Festivalitos left. Most events are now pure Encuentros.
- Some are changing their character by attracting another crowd. This can be good, but means that they actually should not be called Encuentros Milongueros anymore.
- I don't have the time and financial means to visit many events. So I cannot guarantee, that the "established" events are still up to a certain standard. I have to rely on third party informations.
- My personal taste has consolidated to a certain style of Encuentro: the ones without separate seating for men and women. I cannot really vouch for the other ones.
- In general, the meaning of the terms "Encuentro" and "Milonguero" are changing and being discussed a lot.
- The term "Festivalito" is often used more loosely to signify a small festival, without the features below. Nevertheless a "Festivalito Milonguero" should at least include features 3-7 in the list. 

You see that compiling a list of recommendations is becoming quite a challenge. 

I have nevertheless decided to post another listing of events that:
1. ask participants to pre-register for the whole event,
2. use role or gender-balance to ensure that everyone gets to dance,
3. will take at least 3 days and have separate Milongas,
4. present traditional music in tandas & cortinas,
5. encourage cabeceo & mirada,
6 encourage people to leave the dance-floor after one tanda to find a new partner,
7. are meant to attract people who want to dance in a close embrace in a civilised ronda.
Events, that have these features are in general called Encuentros or Festivalitos Milongueros. Festivalitos will usually also include a short demo of social tango as well as some classes that focus on social tango. There nevertheless will be no live-music or extended shows at these events. The Milongas are therefore reserved for dancing.

I am going to stick to events that are well-established, recommended to me by friends and and that attract an international crowd. For a more complete listing, please visit Gato Milongueiro's site.

This year, I am going to present my recommendations in three columns. 
- The Events that I will visit + the ones that I organise
- Established events without separate seating 
- Established events with separate seating 

EVENTS THAT I PLAN ON VISITING + EVENTS THAT I ORGANISE
Pasionara Milonguera, Côte D'Azur, France, January 22-24
Viento Norte (Tangokombinat Sección Norte), Eckernförde, Germany, March, 10-13
Abrazos (Tangokombinat UK), Devon, United Kingdom, May 6-8
Le Rendez-vous Milonguero de l'Essaim de Julie, France, May 14-16 (fully booked)
Pequeña (Tangokombinat), Saarbrücken, Germany, June 17-19 (fully booked)
Embrace Norway, Lillehammer, Norway, July 1-3 (fully booked)
Una Mirada, Bristol, UK, September 23-25
FCA (Tangokombinat), October (private event)

EVENTS WITHOUT SEPARATE SEATING AREAS FOR MEN & WOMEN

(In some cases, you might nevertheless be assigned to a seat/table)
Paquita, France, December 29/15 - January 3/16
Noches de invierno, Reichenau an der Rax, Austria, January 1-3
Ver-O-Mar, Porto, Portugal, January 15-17

Yo soy Milonguero, Crema, Italy, March 25-28 (very big, seating by country of origin)
Saarburg Festivalito, Saarburg, Germany, April 1-3 
La Colmena, Helsingborg, Sweden, April 22-2
Noches de Verano, Reichenau an der Rax, Austria, August 12-14
Encuentro Milonguero, Kehl, Germany, September 7-10
Encuentro Bavaria, Schliersee, Germany, 18-20 November
Abrazame, Barcelona, Spain, December (Encuentro-Marathon), 1st weekend December
Encuentro de Navidad, Kehl, Germany, December 7-10

EVENTS WITH SEPARATE SEATING AREAS FOR MEN & WOMEN
(In some cases with an additional area for couples or mixed groups)
Encontro Milongueiro A Promotora, Lisbon, Portugal, February 5-8
Juntos, France, January 15-17
MiLYONguero, Lyon, France, March 18-20
Les Cigales, France, May 5-8
1st Encuentro Porteño, Amsterdam, Netherlands, May 19-22 
Mirame, Montpellier, France, June 10-12
Festiv'à La Milonguita, Sisteron, France, June 23-26 
Stockholm in a close embrace, Stockholm, Sweden, Juli 29-31
La Franteña, France, August 11-15
Ensueños, Porto, Portugal, September 29 - October 2)
Yupie, France, October 14-16
Te Quiero Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal, 18-20 November 
Roma Milonguera, Roma, 18-20 November
Raduno Milonguero, Noci, Italia (Date not yet confirmed)
Roma Milonguera, Rom. Italy, November (Date not yet confirmed)

Great Expectations

Today, I am celebrating my 20-years-tango anniversary. 

This seems like a good opportunity to check, if I am happy with what I achieved in my tango life. At least this is how my post will start, but I could not prevent it from ending up in my usual rant. So, if you are looking for an unconditional praise of tango, better don't hold your breath. ;-)

On October, 28th in the year of 1995 - last century - a much younger Melina and her partner started participating in a tango practica, that a dancer from Berlin had started in their home town. Unfortunately this first encounter with tango was quite unsatisfying. Showing someone a step and then letting the students fool around, did not meet my expectations of learning a dance. Also back then, there weren‘t any milongas, so the whole thing was kind of pointless. Which is why after a year of dabbling, we stopped going to that practica.

But we did not forget Tango, went on practising our steps once in a while, somehow knowing that there must be more to it. Dreaming of something better...

In January 2000 we found that a small tango-community had developed without us noticing. Now there was a real school with milongas and workshops. So much better than before, although the classes still consisted of memorising steps. But now they were presented in a more professional way. Luckily we soon discovered another school in a neighbouring town. They danced in a close embrace, used Cabeceo and Cortinas, taught some tango technique (before showing the new step) and were friendly and welcoming. We had found our tango home.

You all know what happened soon: I got to know Detlef, we started danced together, we were asked to teach a pre-milonga class in another city, then more... We started giving regular classes in several towns, travelling a little, then more, gave up our normal professions, started working internationally... Our story is not unique, but I am quite proud with what we achieved. 

I had never fantasised about being a tango teacher. In the beginning, just wanted to dance nicely. After starting to teach, I just aimed to do a good job. Nothing more or less. And therefore all my expectations were exceeded in every possible way: Although we were neither argentine, nor young and attractive, although our dance is quite plainly, we not only managed to make a living from being tango professionals, but so much more. We have grown a solid reputation for our technical, musical and pedagogic approach and for organising or promoting quality events. We have even had a part in building an international community of close embrace dancers and friends. Without having to fake anything or to compromise our philosophy. Quality, reliability and authenticity have been my main guidelines in these last years. And I am really content with the outcome. When I go to a tango event nowadays, there is such an good chance, that I get nice dances in a pleasant environment. 

I am also happy about what I learned by teaching and organising. From my students, from the exchange with other dancers, in recent years through the research of music, our Tango-Teacher-Training (TTT) and the work on our book+DVD. I feel as if have been given a great gift: a profession in which I can help people to widen their horizons and offer them the opportunity to discover the joy of embracing to the music. It is wonderful to see the concentrated and happy faces in a class or a milonga. I don‘t need everyone to be a world champion or an image of myself, but if people after a class walk a little nicer or pay more attention to their partners and to the music, that‘s already a lot gained. I do my best, but I cannot produce miracles. 

The problem is: with my general approach of wanting to do everything as good as possible, I might have involuntarily contributed to a rise of expectations, that have gotten quite out of hand.

First of all, let me explain, that I am no perfectionist. By saying "I try to do everything as good as possible" you should pay attention to the second part of the sentence. "As good as possible" means: subject to one‘s capabilities, limitations and resources.
My job as a tango organiser/teacher/dj/manager/author requires that I complete a lot of different tasks in a limited time with very limited resources. When I write a promotional e-mail in 3-4 languages, my aim is to inform my customers about an upcoming even, not to gain a nobel price for literature. When doing a demo, I try to embody our pedagogical and philosophical principles, but I don‘t want to earn a championship. When organising an event, I want people to have a good time, but I don‘t promise a weekend in a luxury resort. When teaching a class, I do the same as any teacher at university or in another professional context should do, but I am neither a genius, not do I have a master degree in music, medicine or classical dance. I try to do as good as possible. 
In order to be perfect, I would need more time, help, intellect, talent, financial resources... and even then, I would fail, because nothing can ever be perfect. Mistakes or shortcomings will eventually happen. Usually they can be corrected or they are minor. But they will happen. 

The problem is: nowadays, many people expect everything to be perfect. And this is why great undertakings can fail completely in the eyes of the consumers. It is a well-known phenomenon. Which is why in politics, campaign managers aim to lower expectations for their candidates before a public discussion, so that they will be able to exceed them in reality. (Or at least that is what I learned from watching "Westwing".) In the world of finance, perfectly good winnings of a firm can result in a catastrophic fall of the stocks, because the market expected them to be even higher. 

And this is what happens in the tango world, at least when it comes to events, no matter if it is local Milongas or international Encuentros:
The consumer wants to dance every tanda and it has to be the snuggliest, most musical dance he or she has ever had. The floor has to be perfect, not too hard and not too soft, not too sticky and not too slippery. The lighting has do be perfect, neither too bright, nor too dark. The decoration, drinks and snacks have to be luscious. There has to be a hair dryer, deodorant and many other conveniences for your free use in the perfectly lit bathroom. The music has to come out of the most  expensive speakers arranged in the perfect manner to allow for a constant, unblemished sound experience. The DJ cannot afford to play one imperfect tanda and he will surely be a total loser, if he does not own a fancy external sound drive. Not to mention the catastrophe, if he or she - god forbid - uses MP3 instead of WAV or FLAC files. And of course: the event has to be exclusive and small, but YOU have to be admitted. If not, you are going to pout.

I could go on, but you certainly get the point. 

But it is even worse: this premium service has to come for a price not exceeding 5€ for a Milonga or 75€ for a whole Encuentro. And beware if an event is known to generate a profit at all. Shame on the organisers! They are supposed to do it for free. Out of the goodness of their hearts.

Get outta here!

What do you pay, when you go to the movies? What do you spend on a single pair of shoes? What do you pay for a weekend on the golf course? Do you begrudge your hairdresser his income? Or the pilot who flies the plane that you take to go to the Encuentro? Or the hotel owner?

Now I personally cannot complain, but most (not all) tango consumers have a much larger income than their tango teachers or organisers. I have rarely seen a tango professional with an own house, a fancy car or even with a pension plan. Those are rare animals. Most barely make a living. A tango professional can himself lucky, if he is doing ok, but he will never become rich or even well-off. At least not by european standards. So why do customers expect the luxury treatment?

Let us have a look back: When we started organising Tangokombinat Milongas, we used my old private Technics speakers that were barely powerful enough, but everyone was happy. We even used them during our first FCA during the Despedida. Later we started renting speakers for an increasing amount of money and spend hours of trying out or discussing how to set them up. Finally, Detlef bought a set of Tannoy speakers for thousands of €, because everything less fancy is regarded as stingy. And it is still not good enough for everyone. 

Another example: Because everyone hates plastic cups and what they are doing to the environment, we now use hand-painted personalised glasses. Better? Obviously not, because now but people complain about the fact, that glasses might break.

By trying to do better every year, constantly reacting to suggestions and the slightest critique of clients, we have created expectations, that we cannot fulfil any more. Because last year was top, this year has to be even better. If it is not, it is a flop.

It is not just our events. The first time that I noticed this effect, was a couple of years ago at another Festivalito. This was the second edition. The first edition was such a great success, that everyone complimented the organisers on their good work. The second time, some minor bugs had been sorted out, but the general format remained exactly the same. But now a big number of participants started complaining about the silliest things. The organiser was in tears when talking to me.

I am not an easy customer either: when I go some place, I want to get what I have payed for and what I have been promised. So, if something is called an Encuentro, I expect an equal number of followers and leaders, music in Tandas & Cortinas, a room that allows for Mirada & Cabeceo, enough seats for the majority of participants, dancers that have a general knowledge on how to move on a social dancefloor and a friendly organiser who gives the impression, that he/she likes what he/she is doing. Ok, so the floor has to be ok and one has to actually hear the music from the speakers. But that‘s it and I try to keep my expectations realistic. When I go to certain sort of French event, I usually don‘t expect a super pretty venue, because I know that they often use the free "salle polyvalente" of a village. When I go to an Italian encuentro, I don‘t expect every DJs to match my taste perfectly, because I know that many of them prefer a very energetic style. But then, I don‘t have to dance every tanda. I don‘t expect flowers on the tables, a choice of excellent wines or a crowd of tango professionals only. And when I attend a local Milonga, I don‘t expect the same conditions than at an international Encuentro. 

When I book at room at a local motel, I don‘t expect the Ritz. When I go to Mac Donald‘s I don‘t expect haute cuisine.

If I don‘t like an event because it does not meet my basic expectations and if I think that the shortcomings can be changed without too much of an effort or going against the organisers general philosophy, I might offer to give a feedback. In the USA, it will sometimes occur that an organiser asks for feedback. (We - Detlef and I - are used to asking for Feedback from day one of our tango "career".) I will in any case give an honest, but productive feedback, whilst focussing on the important things, the stuff, that really matters. If I am very unhappy with an event and I don't think that there is a chance that the setup is changed, I'd rather not go there anymore. But then I will certainly not rave about it on Facebook at the same time. (Exaggerated flattery being another annoying topic, that I won‘t go into now.) 

I behave in that way, because I know what it takes to organise an event and that not everything can be to my taste. And because I don‘t need it to be perfect. I can compromise without being unhappy all the time. And I have to say: mostly, things are good out there. Or at least much better, than they used to be. I know, because If have seen, how it started. 

Ok, now that may sound a little like: "eat your soup children, in wartime, we would have been happy to have such a feast". But we all know, that always wanting to get more for a cheaper price is one of the defining problems of modern society. As in Tango.

What I want to say is: You are entitled to quality, if you invest time and money for something. Every organiser or teacher should aim for it as well and keep on questioning  if what he or she is doing is still up to his standards. One should do so, because there are still a lot of things worth improvement in our tango world. But please keep your expectations realistic and don‘t ask for unachievable perfection. Because then, you'll never be happy with what you do or get.

One last thing: Why don‘t tangueros in general have the same expectations, apply the same crieria when it comes to instruction? I don't want to say, that only we know how to teach, but sometimes I get a little upset, when after years of meticulous class preparations, musical research, well-structured workshops, professional behaviour, projections and written class handouts... why have I not managed to raise expectations in this field? How can students still rave about teachers that show a fancy step and then spend the rest of their time doing moves with their partners. 20 years ago, I expected more. Why don‘t others as well? I guess I have to be even more patient and realistic. And continue offering my Tango-Teacher-Training. ;-)

So... I should stop now.

But my tango journey has not yet come to an end. I hope I live to see the next 20 years of development and won‘t be disappointed by it. I will certainly do my best to keep it on track.


The venue of our first regular Milonga in 2003:

The venue of our latest event in 2015:

Photo by Thorsten Janes

Quo Vadis Encuentro Milonguero III

Much has been happening in the Encuentro and Festivalito world. And I have to admit, that I am not very happy with the development. Although I love that the idea of social tango and Encuentros is spreading, it actually gets harder for me to find one that I really like. 

Why is that?

Division
As I have already referred to in an earlier post, two sorts of Encuentros are starting to drift apart: the ones who promote separate seating for men and women and the other ones who allow everyone to choose their seats freely or assign gender-mixed places. I have basically stopped attending events with separate seating, as I feel more and more uncomfortable in this setting. Therefore I have lost contact to many lovely people, because they prefer Encuentros with separate seating. I have not been to any italian or french Encuentro since early 2014. That‘s so sad!

Mélange
Many of the mixed-seating encuentros nowadays attract marathon dancers and from what I hear, many marathons start displaying typical „encuentro features“, like invitation by Mirada & Cabeceo, dancing only one tanda... So the differences between the more „informal“ Encuentros and Marathons seem to disappear. That is generally good, but not entirely as many of the "maratoneros“ still use a quite different (more asymmetrical and in my opinion less cuddly) embrace and unfortunately still tend to make bigger or less foreseeable moves. I really don't want to say, that the "milongueros" are the better dancers, but most of them used to dance in a way, that was better suited for a crowded dancefloor. In an environment where everything is a little more chaotic, those skills tend to be forgotten as well. Everyone will feel more stressed. That makes the risk of getting not-so-pleasant dances at an Encuentro greater. Which is not good from my perspective.

Diffusion
But there is more. There are more. Encuentros, that is. It seems to me, that in 2015 dozens of new ones popped up. I hear of a new Encuentro almost every week. Some of them attract a more local crowd, which is fine, because then, the local communities profit from the development. 
But many new Encuentros are organised by people who have not been part of the „Milonguero movement“ before. They therefore attract another kind of dancer or might even just „stick“ the label „Encuentro“ to an event, that has got none of the defining features. There are even Encuentro-Marathon-Festivals! This is why you have to start doing research in order to check if you‘ll actually get an „Encuentro Milonguero“ when you sign up for one. 
Another outcome: Because of the greater competition, dancers have got more choices. That's of course good and the waiting lists get shorter. But you might end up being alone amongst people you don‘t know because all your friends are at another event. It‘s great to get to know new people, but one aspect of the Encuentros used to be to meet friends from all over the world. 
Even established organisers cannot fill up their events so easily as before and have started admitting participants who don‘t have the skills to share the space in the ronda without disturbing the other couples, without actually offering them the opportunity to acquire these skills. (Think floorcraft introductions before an Encuentro.) This is why it often feels less „safe“ on the dancefloor.

Elimination
Whilst Encuentros are spreading out, the typical Festivalito (which includes teaching) becomes extinct or have been transformed into genuine Encuentros. This reflects the needs of a majority of visitors, who want to concentrate on the dancing during these events and take classes on other occasions. Unfortunately, normal workshop-weekends are also offered more seldomly, as many organisers switched to offering strictly-dancing events. So nowadays, there are actually less opportunities to learn. And as Tango means life-long-learning... What do you think happens, if people stop learning? I have already referred to the downsides of this development in another post.

Because all of these imponderabilia, I am thinking of downsizing my list of Encuentros/Festivalitos 2015 dramatically. I might only list the ones that I am visiting in 2016 (which are very few!) or have visited in the last 2 years and have actually enjoyed. But then, many organisers will feel offended. Oh dear... This is why I might even decide to not post any recommendations at all. I'll have to think about it...

Stay posted!

Life in 2015 - personal, promotional and potentially boring post

Here I am again. Or let's say: here I am finally. My last post was in January this year, far too long ago. I really wanted to write more, but I did not find the time. Really.

This is why.

My original plan for 2015 was to work less, which is why Detlef and I did not accept as many invitations as in the past years: we scheduled two-thirds of our usual workload of workshops and festivals. I wanted to finally have time to lead a normal life, think about possible post-tango-occupations, make plans for new projects and - on the side - write a book and produce a film: Caminar Abrazados.

Yeah, right...

I of course underestimated the work on the book and DVD a lot and ended up working more than before: Writing the script, organising the set and co-workers, filming, preparing and supervising the editing process, writing the book, choosing photos, drawing charts and graphics, discussing text and layout with my co-workers, preparing the printing and publication with our editor, publicity, setting up the new website and shop, then managing the sales... All of this was quite a feat besides managing the regular teaching and tours from my desk, as well as actually traveling and teaching. I don‘t recall one single day in the last eight months without work. Add many nights in front of the computer or lying in bed, trying to solve problems in the head. Now I am catching up with work that had to be postponed: We even had to delay the start of our next teacher training (TTT), as I did not get around to set the dates and start the promotion earlier. So the next group will start in early 2016. Until then, we also plan on publishing the german and french editions of the Caminar Abrazados. 

I guess that 2015 will end as crazy as it started.

When it comes to work.

Because, apart from work, I am actually leading a very normal non-tango-life with my non-tango-boyfriend: spending lots of time at home in front of my computer, working out, cooking (or mostly: eating meals that have been cooked for me), watching TV-series, meeting non-tango-friends. Sounds quite ordinary, doesn‘t it?

Well, it is not. Fate decided to give me a talented photographer as partner, whom I got involved into our Tango business right away. So Thorsten Janes took over the filming, photographing, editing and layout of Caminar Abrazados, which meant that he became part of my work-life as well. He occasionally accompanies us on our teaching gigs or to an Encuentro. He even got his first engagement as the official photographer of a Tango event, the lovely Festivalito Rural in Slovenia. So, although he does not dance Tango, my sweetheart got to know everything about it, most of my tango friends, lots of Milongas and events. Which sounds potentially complicated, but is surprisingly easy. He obviously gets along fine and as an artist likes watching the dancers or talking to people. Just recently, I went to bed before the end of a Milonga and he stayed. I don‘t know what to make of that. ;-)

You can tell that a lot has changed in my life. Although I am surrounded by Tango every day - writing, thinking, analysing, listening to, organising Tango - I am much less exposed to teaching and even less to dancing. As you know, I almost never visit Milongas in my hometown and dance quite little during teaching engagements - mostly to keep up my working capacities or because I am the DJ. That is fairly normal for me, but in other years, there were still more opportunities to really dance, as I was visiting events for fun or teaching at Festivalitos, where I - despite the fatigue - dance quite a lot. But this year, as a result of the project, I did also not have the time/energy/financial-means to drive to Milongas in the region or visit Encuentros, so I ended up practically not dancing in 2015. This year, I have been dancing on five (5!) occasions, all of them being Encuentros/Festivalitos, four of them being teaching engagements. It's a shame. (And I possibly should not write about this, as it will encourage people to doubt my qualification as a teacher.)

The first Tangos on each of these occasions felt very weird, because I feared that I might have unlearned dancing. Turns out it is like driving a bike: you get into it very quickly after a few steps. Although my partners might have felt differently about that. They claimed that everything was fine, but maybe they were just being polite. 

In any case, I never thought that I would say this: I miss dancing. Last week, Detlef went to the Festivalito Porteño in Romania. I stayed at home and envied him a lot, knowing that the rest of the year will not pose many more occasions to dance. I reckon two or three.

This has to change in 2016! I don‘t know how, but I will have to try and visit some more international Encuentros or milongas in our greater region or move to a city where I can actually visit local milongas.

I also would like to find some more time to write my blog. There are several articles in my head that want to be written. 

But in order to be able to do so, I have to do some more work. Back to it now.