Milonga

We finally made it out for a tango, or two. My Spanish studio puts on events every now and again to get everyone together, and it just so happened that last week they went to the Milonga. It was close to our house and sounded like fun, so we tagged along. I am so glad we did because now I can say I know how to tango. Well, I know how to do one set of steps, but that works for me. Anyway, when you get there they put on a small tango show with the professionals and then introduce all of the instructors. After introductions they split up into classes from first timers to very advanced. We, of course, decided to join the first timers, or as I like to call it the tourists and uncoordinated. Luckily I had a good partner in Josh and we learned quickly. The lessons were entirely in Spanish, so much of the learning was through hand gestures and watching her feet. Once we got the basics down they had us practice, practice, practice. Around and around in a circle we went, switching partners along the way, so everyone could get a different perspective. I had a wide range of partners. My first was an older Indian gentleman from Washington DC who seemed to come out of nowhere and ask me to dance. He was very strong and serious, which I kind of liked, because he led me well. The next was young guy from Ireland. He was a stringy fellow and a bit afraid of women. Not the best situation. Eventually Josh and I found each other again and decided no more switching. We didn't want to play with the other kids. After the class finished the real Milonga started and all of the advanced level students made their way out to the floor, while the rest of us looked on and wished we could dance like that. Needless to say, the dance floor was much too intimidating so we spent the rest of the time drinking $15 peso bottles of wine with our German friends and Elvira, the Spanish school owner, all night. We much enjoyed.

After leaving that night, we all decided to meet back there again this Thursday for more lessons and another spin around the dance floor. So, we did, but this time we decided to get cocky and join the Intermediate class. I am glad we did, but talk about difficult. We found out much later that you are suppose to spend at least 2-3 classes with the beginners before moving up. Ooops. Oh well it worked out. Josh and I learned a few twists and went back to our bottle of wine. We were joined by two Swedish friends from Spanish class and Elvira. We ended up talking, drinking, and watching the others dance. The night flew by, and all of a sudden it was 1:30am and we were leaving. Well, not before I was asked to dance by a rather rugged looking Argentine. I was very hesitant because of my skill level and well, you never know these Argentines' intentions, but after much coursing from him and the Swedish girls I was up. He took me to the dance floor where he led me like a dream. Thanks to the few glasses of wine I had I was able to let go and let him lead me. We had a great time, but then the Argentine came out and he started saying things like, "if you didn't have a boyfriend you would go on a date with me right?" Ya, I quickly decided to get out of that situation, but I had a great time dancing. Its great being the woman in a partner dance like Tango, because really you just sit back and let yourself be led. It's fantastic.

Josh really enjoyed the Tango as well. He said it was "a masculine dance that doesn't make you feel fruity." There you have it folks. Tango is for everyone!