WHAT IS TANGO MILONGUERO?
Milonguero has become the accepted label for a particular style of tango, danced in Buenos Aires and around the world, in which leader and follower remain in close embrace throughout their dance. It is a style adapted to a busy dance floor, so creatively using the space and synchronising with the music are key elements to successful tango milonguero. The dance is invented afresh each time two people agree to dance and moves are endlessly varied and recombined so that no two dances are ever the same. It is tango for the milonga (tango social party) and floorcraft (the ability to dance near other couples comfortably and respectfully) is recognized as a major skill.
SOME BACKGROUND
But this isn't what the word milonguero has always meant in Buenos Aires. Initially it was a term used to describe, not a style of tango, but a dancer. In this sense a true milonguero (masc) or milonguera (fem) is someone who has been dancing for decades at authentic milongas and has refined a form of tango that is totally and beautifully suited for the crowded floor. (Someone who has danced a lesser amount of time, but loves the tango, is called a tanguero or tanguera.) There has therefore been disagreement about use of the word milonguero as not all expert milongueros remain in close embrace throughout the dance. Moving from close to open hold to allow room for a multiplication of moves is very often manageable on the social floor. This form is frequently called Salon Tango ('salon' in this context means 'ballroom') so Salon Tango is also for social dancing - just not always in close embrace.
Stage tango is quite different from either milonguero or salon. It is more dynamic and constructed for an audience. A marvellous thing! But stage tango uses space in a way that doesn't work on a busy floor. Performance oriented dancers always tone down their tango and adopt either salon or milonguero in order to enjoy the milonga.
We all have different personalities. Some prefer close hold, some like the movement from open to close embrace and others were born for the stage. All are equally acceptable expressions of our individuality within the dance.
TANGO FLOORSPACE classes focus on milonguero style. Therefore balance, musicality, navigation and subtlety within close embrace are emphasised. And the way the tango feels is prioritised over the way the dance looks to an outside eye.
Milonguero has become the accepted label for a particular style of tango, danced in Buenos Aires and around the world, in which leader and follower remain in close embrace throughout their dance. It is a style adapted to a busy dance floor, so creatively using the space and synchronising with the music are key elements to successful tango milonguero. The dance is invented afresh each time two people agree to dance and moves are endlessly varied and recombined so that no two dances are ever the same. It is tango for the milonga (tango social party) and floorcraft (the ability to dance near other couples comfortably and respectfully) is recognized as a major skill.
SOME BACKGROUND
But this isn't what the word milonguero has always meant in Buenos Aires. Initially it was a term used to describe, not a style of tango, but a dancer. In this sense a true milonguero (masc) or milonguera (fem) is someone who has been dancing for decades at authentic milongas and has refined a form of tango that is totally and beautifully suited for the crowded floor. (Someone who has danced a lesser amount of time, but loves the tango, is called a tanguero or tanguera.) There has therefore been disagreement about use of the word milonguero as not all expert milongueros remain in close embrace throughout the dance. Moving from close to open hold to allow room for a multiplication of moves is very often manageable on the social floor. This form is frequently called Salon Tango ('salon' in this context means 'ballroom') so Salon Tango is also for social dancing - just not always in close embrace.
Stage tango is quite different from either milonguero or salon. It is more dynamic and constructed for an audience. A marvellous thing! But stage tango uses space in a way that doesn't work on a busy floor. Performance oriented dancers always tone down their tango and adopt either salon or milonguero in order to enjoy the milonga.
We all have different personalities. Some prefer close hold, some like the movement from open to close embrace and others were born for the stage. All are equally acceptable expressions of our individuality within the dance.
TANGO FLOORSPACE classes focus on milonguero style. Therefore balance, musicality, navigation and subtlety within close embrace are emphasised. And the way the tango feels is prioritised over the way the dance looks to an outside eye.