What is an Alternative Milonga?

An Alternative Milonga is an alternative to the Traditional Milonga. Its difference is defined by the music played for dancing, although there are other correlated differences. A succinct definition of the Alternative Milonga is provided by a tango group in Humboldt County, California:

What’s an Alternative Milonga?! Well, it’s a tango social dance event where neotango, nuevo tango and contemporary tango music is played as well as some music not usually associated with tango.

The Music of the Traditional Milonga

A Traditional Milonga is a milonga where the traditional codes and customs of milongas in Buenos Aires are observed  [Do Milongas Exist outside Argentina? (The Milonga Codes Revisited)]. One characteristic feature of Traditional Milongas is the music played for dancing tango, which can be (and often is) classified as:

(1) Traditional Tango: This includes classic tango music from the 1930s, 40s, and 50s designed for dancing tango (e.g., from the tango orchestras of Biagi, Calo, Canaro, D’Agostino, D’Arienzo, De Angelis, Di Sarli, Donato, Fresedo, Laurenz, Pugliese, Rodriguez, Tanturi, and Troilo). At Traditional Milongas, a small proportion (one or two tandas at most) of music from more modern tango orchestras whose recordings play in the style of orchestras from the Golden Age (e.g., Villasboas) may also be played, although this is atypical (Music Played at Milongas / Tango Social Dance Venues). In theory, this could include music from contemporary Argentine tango orchestras that play in style of tango orchestras from the Golden Age – e.g., Color Tango (Pugliese), Gente de Tango (Di Sarli), Los Reyes del Tango (D’Arienzo), and San Souci (Calo); these orchestras may play ‘en vivo’ occasionally at milongas in Buenos Aires, although the recordings of these orchestras are rarely played at a Traditional Milonga.

A Traditional Milonga in Buenos Aires will also have several sets of music that are not tango music, e.g., Tropical (mostly cumbia, some merengue or salsa), Jazz (generally American Dixieland style jazz), Rock-and-Roll (generally 1950s American rock-and-roll), and Argentine folk music (mostly Chacarera, although Paso Doble also is played sometimes). With the exception of Paso Doble, to which many dancers dance a milonga style dance, tango is not danced to these other kinds of music; rather, each genre of music has a more or less prescribed type of dancing that is clearly not tango dancing in its form. These sets of other kinds of music comprise less than 30% of the music played at a Traditional Milonga [Do Milongas Exist outside Argentina? (The Milonga Codes Revisited)]; there are also other social dance venues in Buenos Aires where tango-milonga-vals music comprises 50% or less of the music played for dancing; these are typically called ‘bailes’. At these bailes, the music played for dancing tango is still Traditional Tango music.

The Music that Characterizes an Alternative Milonga (Tango Alternative Music)

An Alternative Milonga may or may not play Traditional Tango music (see below). The alternatives to Traditional Tango music that are played at an Alternative Milonga are selected from one or more of the following music genres:

(2) Modern Tango: This includes music from ‘Post-Golden Age’ tango orchestras, such as the Pugliese orchestra after 1960, and the orchestras of Florindo Sassone, Los Solistas de Juan D’Arienzo and Hector Varela. These orchestras play a style of music that is recognizable as tango, but may either lack a clear constant tempo that facilitates dancing (e.g., Pugliese), or the tempo is too fast (Los Solistas) or the arrangements are so lush with other instrumentation that the rhythm is not clearly discernable (e.g., Sassone, Varela). Modern tango music could, in theory, include contemporary Argentine tango orchestras that play in style of tango orchestras from the Golden Age – e.g., Color Tango (Pugliese), Gente de Tango (Di Sarli), Los Reyes del Tango (D’Arienzo), and San Souci (Calo) – but (despite one’s preferences) this would not have the desired effect of offering an ‘alternative’ musical ambience for dancing. (The exception in the just mentioned orchestras would be music from Color Tango where they play in the style of the Pugliese after 1960, or play compositions of Piazzolla.) In contrast, modern tango ensembles that alter the rhythm, tempo, and instrumentation used by tango orchestras from the Golden Age, playing a mix of standard tango melodies and modern compositions more effectively meet the spirit of providing an ambience that is an alternative to classic tango music [e.g., Argentine: El Arranque, Fernandez Fierro, Carla Pugliese, (Nuevo) Quinteto Real (and other tango ensembles led by Horacio Salgan), Sexteto Mayor, Hugo Diaz (Harmonica), Trio Hugo Diaz (Uruguayan), La Tubatango; Non-Argentine: Conjunto Berretin, Mandragora Tango Orchestra, Quartango, Quintango, Sexteto Canyengue, Tango Lorca, Trio Garufa]. Music from these orchestras may or may not have a constant rhythm at a tempo suitable for dancing tango.

(3) Nuevo Tango: Although often used in a broader sense (e.g., Wikipedia), this classification is intended to apply here only to the self-labeled nuevo tango music of Astor Piazzolla from 1955 onward, a musical form containing elements of tango, European classical music, and jazz, and other orchestras playing in this style. Although some critics of tango music would claim that the music of Piazzolla is not tango, today virtually everyone with expertise in tango music would classify Piazzolla’s music as tango, albeit a different type of tango music, which Piazzolla himself did not compose for the purpose of eliciting dancing or meeting the needs of tango dancers (Goren, 2001; see also Google Books). Music played for dancing tango at an Alternative Milonga may include recordings of Piazzolla ensembles or the compositions of Piazzolla recorded by other musical groups, or music played by other orchestras that are in the style of Piazzolla, although not composed by him. Compositions of Piazzolla commonly played at Alternative Milongas include ‘Libertango’, ‘Oblivion’, and ‘Verano Porteño’.

(4) Tango Extranjero: This is tango music from other cultures such as Finland [see Finnish Tango (Tango Finlandia)], Turkey, and central and eastern Europe. This music has a tango rhythm, but generally lacks the bandoneon (typically substituted with the accordion, or may incorporate neither the bandoneon nor the accordion), and may include drums to provide rhythm. The beat may also be emphasized more in Tango Extranjero, so that it may sound staccato, a characteristic absent in the smoother tango music from Argentina (including Traditional Tango, Modern Tango, and Nuevo Tango). Notably, the music of Ballroom Tango, also foreign to Argentine culture, is not used for dancing at Alternative Milongas.

(5) Tango Fusion: This is music with some elements of tango (rhythm, melodies, and instrumentation) mixed with other musical genres. This includes such artists as Uruguayan Juan Carlos Caceres (whose music is a mixture of tango, other Latin American and African influences, as well as North American jazz), and tango-jazz fusion artists such as Pablo Aslan and Bernardo Monk. The jazz-influenced music of Horacio Salgan may also be classified as Tango Fusion, although it deviates less from Traditional Tango than the music of the other musicians mentioned here.

(6) Electrotango: This genre of music is characterized by the incorporation of tango instrumentation (i.e., the bandoneon) into various forms of electronic dance music (e.g., disco, house, techno, trance), at times using Traditional Tango melodies as a foundation, with the possible inclusion of snippets of Traditional Tango music and references to aspects of tango culture in the lyrics. Occasionally, electrotango incorporates a somewhat discernible tango rhythm (e.g., the milonga rhythm incorporated into some recordings of Otros Aires, or ‘Mi Corazon’ by Bajofondo) as part of a multi-rhythmic base, but generally electrotango music lacks the walking rhythm of Traditional Tango music. Even when a tango rhythm is present, it is typically subordinate to the more predominant rhythm(s) of electronic dance music. Popular electrotango artists included in playlists at Alternative Milongas include Gotan Project, Tanghetto, Narcotango (Carlos Libedinsky), Jaime Wilensky, Bajofondo, and Otros Aires.

(7) Non-tango: This is music that lacks the rhythm, melody, and characteristic instrumentation of tango. Non-tango music played at Alternative Milongas to elicit tango dancing varies widely, but popular artists played for such purposes include Tom Waits, Kevin Johansen, Lhasa de Sela, and Goran Begovic, as well as selected music from various genres of ‘world music’ such as samba, fado, klezmer, rembetika, flamenco and gypsy music. In practice and in theory, non-tango music played at an Alternative Milonga to elicit tango dancing could (and might) include other musical genres such as (European) classical music, jazz, new age, blues, rock-and-roll, and hip-hop.

The term ‘Neo-tango’ is commonly used as a classification for some of the music played at Alternative Milongas. It usually includes the categories of Electrotango, Tango Fusion and Non-tango listed above (Neo-tango website; Sharna Fabiano; Stephen Brown). A more inclusive term – Tango Alternative music – is designated here to include all musical genres that typically could be played as an alternative to Traditional Tango music at an Alternative Milonga.

Lists of Tango Alternative music recommended for dancing tango are provided by Sharna Fabiano, Veronika Fischer, Django Tango and TangoTales, as well as in this Tango-L post. Some recordings of Tango Alternative Music are accessible for direct playback at Tango Oasis.

Dancing to Tango Alternative Music

Here are some recordings of exhibitions of dancing labeled as tango by self-identified tango instructors, using various genres of Tango Alternative music:

(1) Homer & Cristina Ladas: ‘Oblivion’ (composition by Astor Piazzolla) [nuevo tango]

(2) Chicho Frumboli & Juana Sepulveda: ‘Borges y Paraguay’ by Bajo Fondo [electrotango]

(3) Rebecca Shulman & Nick Jones: (composition by Erik Satie) [classical music]

(4) Daniela Pucci & Luis Bianchi: [new age]

(5) Norberto “El Pulpo” Esbres & Luiza Paes [rock]

(6) Nick Jones & Diana Cruz: Lightnin’ Hopkins [blues]

(7) Dancing to Eminem [hip-hop])

There appears to be an association of dancing steps characteristic of Tango Nuevo to Tango Alternative Music.

Here are some recordings of actual dancing at Alternative Milongas in the United States: Portland, Oregon, Seattle, Washington, Denver, Colorado, and Boston, Massachusetts.

How much Tango Alternative Music classifies a Tango Social Dance Event as an Alternative Milonga?

Clearly, a tango social event that plays only Tango Alternative music to elicit tango dancing is an Alternative Milonga, and tango social dance events of this type have existed at various tango festivals (e.g., Denver Tango Festival, Albuquerque Tango Festival, San Diego Tango Festival). There are also regular Alternative Milongas within local tango communities that play only Tango Alternative music, such as that in Washington DC, where one can

… dance to such great artists as Beyonce, Lady GaGa, Usher, Michael Jackson, the Bee Gees, Frank Sinatra, Whitney Houston, the Black Eyed Peas, Bono, Nat King & Natalie Cole, Bon Jovi, Jennifer Lopez, Celine Dion, Ricky Martin, Katey Perry, Glee, Cher, James Brown, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Martha Washington, ‘The Divine Miss M’ (Bette Midler), Jennifer Hudson, ABBA, Michael Buble’, The Four Seasons, Josh Groban, Enrique Iglesias and many, many more. In the future we may also include by request, popular Middle Eastern and Bollywood dance music.

However, most Alternative Milongas play a mixture of Traditional Tango and Tango Alternative, with the proportion of each musical genre being variable. For example, the website for the Boston Alternative Milonga states:

Some of our DJs incorporate traditional tango music into their sets to varying degrees. It depends on the DJ that week and the reason why DJs differ from one milonga to the next is because we want to represent a range of tastes and traditional/alternative ratios. Sometimes there won’t be any traditional tango music though.

For this reason, Alternative Milongas generally do not list the proportion of music that is Tango Alternative.

However, for some tango social dance events playing Tango Alternative music, the proportion of Tango Alternative music to be played is clearly stated. (See: Tango Nuevo Festival Montreal). The well known CELLspace Alternative Milonga in San Francisco ‘is an on-going educational endeavor to provide a balanced 50/50 mixed music night for beginner and more experienced tango dancers to enjoy alike’; which is interpreted here as meaning 50% Traditional Tango music and 50% Tango Alternative music for dancing tango. Tango Pulse milongas in Massachusetts play 70% Traditional Tango and 30% Tango Alternative.  The ¡TangoNeoSi! milonga in Bramshaw, Hampshire, England has “95% neotango tracks and 5% traditional tango tracks”. Notably, Django Tango includes ‘Siete palabras’ by the Leopoldo Federico orchestra and ‘Por una cabeza’ by the Tango Project as ‘traditional tango’, something no reputable DJ in Buenos Aires would do. Thus, it cannot be verified that the same classification of music into ‘traditional’ and ‘alternative’ categories is used at these events as is presented above.

Nevertheless, most tango social dance events advertised as Alternative Milongas do not specify the proportion of Tango Alternative music played (e.g., Eugene OR; Los Angeles; San Diego), nor can the proportion of Tango Alternative music in each subgenre (Modern Tango, Nuevo Tango, Tango Extranjero, Tango Fusion, Electrotango, Non-tango) be anticipated.

It is also quite common for a tango social dance event to be advertised simply as a ‘milonga’, without specifying whether or not Tango Alternative music is to be played. It is even possible within North America for a tango social dance event to be advertised as a Traditional Milonga, at which one ‘tanda’ of Tango Alternative music per hour may be played. In actuality, although it is the norm for milongas in Buenos Aires to play only Traditional Tango music for dancing tango, in North America and Europe today it is difficult to find a tango social dance event advertised as a ‘milonga’ that plays only (i.e, 100%) Traditional Tango music for dancing tango.

Thus, if a dancer seeks a Tango Alternative music environment for dancing, there is some uncertainty regarding the proportion of Tango Alternative music played. Likewise, if a dancer seeks a music environment where only Traditional Tango is played for dancing tango, outside Argentina there is little guarantee that such an environment can be encountered at an event advertised as a ‘milonga’, although this dancer should at least to be able to make the decision to avoid tango social dance venues that are advertised as Alternative Milongas.

Regarding the proportion of Tango Alternative music that qualifies a tango social dance event as an Alternative Milonga, one could follow the CELLspace model and set at criterion at 50% of more Tango Alternative. Given that in Buenos Aires, to be classified as a milonga a social dance event needs to play at least 70% tango music [Do Milongas Exist outside Argentina? (The Milonga Codes Revisited)], perhaps a criterion of 30% or more Tango Alternative music could classify an event as an Alternative Milonga. However, since Traditional Milongas in Buenos Aires play only Traditional Tango music, one could also argue that one requirement for classifying any tango social dance event as a Traditional Milonga is that the music played for dancing tango is 100% Traditional Tango, and thus any tango social dance event playing any Tango Alternative music for dancing tango is a candidate to be classified as an Alternative Milonga.

The Alternative Milonga and Tango Alternative Music in Buenos Aires

At some Informal Milongas and Practicas Nuevas in Buenos Aires (e.g., La Viruta, La Catedral, La Marshall, Practica X, practicas at Villa Malcolm) it is possible to hear some Tango Alternative music and observe dancers using movements characteristic of tango in dancing to this music. However, as far as can be determined from personal observation and conversation with porteños who dance tango, as well as written reports (The Tango Practica, the Practica Nueva, and the Tango Dance Party in Buenos Aires), all of this Tango Alternative music falls into the categories of Modern Tango, Nuevo Tango (Piazzolla), Tango Fusion, and Electrotango, whereas Tango Extranjero and Non-Tango music are not played for dancing tango. Notably, this Tango Alternative music appears to be almost entirely that recorded or played live by Argentine (or Uruguayan) musicians. However, even at Informal Milongas and Practicas Nuevas in Buenos Aires, the overwhelming majority of music played for dancing tango is Traditional Tango music. There have been several experiments at introducing the Alternative Milonga environment in Buenos Aires, i.e., an event where the majority of the music played for dancing tango is Tango Alternative music. It appears that these few events have been hosted by foreigners. Helen Halldorsdottir (‘La Vikinga’) from Iceland has been credited with organizing one of the first Alternative Milongas in Buenos Aires. The chronicles of a failed Alternative Milonga – Otros Buenos Aires – are reported on its website. Thus, the Alternative Milonga and the playing of Tango Alternative music are not a characteristic part of the tango social dance culture in Buenos Aires as they are in many tango communities outside Argentina.

The Origin of the Alternative Milonga

It is clear that the concept of the Alternative Milonga did not originate in Buenos Aires. It is not immediately apparent where and when the first Alternative Milonga appeared, and undoubtedly it was not called an ‘alternative milonga’ at the outset. However, there are some clues regarding its origins and early appearance. During the 1990s, as Argentine Tango was expanding its foothold in North America and Traditional Tango music was not as readily available as it is today, and few DJs were cognizant of the structure of the milonga music program in Buenos Aires (Music Played at Milongas / Tango Social Dance Venues), it was not unusual for DJs at tango social events advertised as milongas in North America to play tango music of Argentine origin or American imitations thereof that were available for purchase in local music stores. Thus, one could observe tango dancing to music such as tango show music (e.g., soundtrack from Tango Argentino), Astor Piazzolla, Hugo Diaz (harmonica), and the Tango Project, none of which was played in milongas in Buenos Aires at that time (and rarely today as well). This departure from Traditional Tango music was due to naivete, not a conscious effort to create an alternative tango aural environment.

However, the birth of Tango Alternative music as a preferred aural environment for the employment of movements associated with tango dancing quite clearly has its origins at the time of release of Gotan Project’s electrotango ‘La Revancha del Tango’ CD in 2001. The association of hip hop / techno / trance / house musical elements with musical instrumentation including a bandoneon, an instrument associated almost exclusively with tango, as well as verbal references to ‘tango’ and ‘Buenos Aires’ created what would soon become a new genre of music labeled as ‘electrotango’, The music of Gotan Project immediately became popular for dancing at events advertised as ‘milongas’ outside Argentina, most notably in North America and Europe. The Paris based ensemble and its commercial success soon stimulated Argentine progeny within this musical genre, the most notable of which have been Tanghetto, Bajofondo, Carlos Libedinsky, Jaime Wilensky and Otros Aires.

As a major influence in the establishment of Alternative Milongas, Homer Ladas started the CELLspace Alternative Milonga in San Francisco in July 2003. An Alternative Milonga had been added to the Denver Tango Festivals in 2004 (Memorial Day; Labor Day). This video appears to be from an Alternative Milonga at the 2004 Portland Tango Festival. In recent years the Alternative Milonga has become a standard part of tango festivals throughout North America. Sometimes all milongas at a tango festival include at least some Tango Alternative music intended for dancing tango.

The Rationale for Tango Alternative Music and the Alternative Milonga

Tango Alternative music for dancing tango is played sparingly at a few Informal Milongas and Practicas Nuevas in Buenos Aires. In Buenos Aires there has been no lasting tango social dance event that could be classified as an Alternative Milonga. In contrast, Tango Alternative music for dancing tango comprises, at the very least, some small proportion of music played for dancing tango at the majority of tango social dance events outside Argentina, and there are numerous tango social dance events advertised or classifiable as Alternative Milongas where 50% or more of the music played for dancing tango is Tango Alternative music. Why is there this tendency to deviate from the Buenos Aires standards of music selection in so many tango communities outside Argentina?

The rationale for playing Tango Alternative music for dancing tango is apparent from the commentary of promoters of Tango Alternative music as a medium for utilizing movements associated with tango dancing. Reproduced here are some explanatory statements supporting the playing of Tango Alternative music at tango social dance events, excerpted from a 2003 article by Sharna Fabiano entitled ‘The Rise of Neo Tango music’:

- One of the most exciting changes is a new genre of experimental tango music. Young dancers especially are dancing tango to non-Argentine music, and at the same time, contemporary tango musicians are collaborating with electronic musicians to create a hybrid sound. I call this new genre “neo tango”…

… although classical tango must and should be preserved, our era is different from the Golden Age of tango in Buenos Aires (1930s-50s). We have different musical instruments and technologies, different social venues, and different styles of dress. All of these things inspire today’s tango dancers and musicians to play and improvise in new ways.

- Creeping into the souls of enthusiasts around the globe, the tango is searching for a contemporary cultural context…. This is why modern music is so essential to effectively renew the spirit of the tango.

- This hybrid tango music strikes a chord with mass audiences, and its vibration has the potential to generate not only small gatherings of aficionados, but an international social and artistic movement.

- Until now, many have assumed that there was a natural ceiling on the growth of tango communities, perhaps because traditional music and traditional atmosphere only appeal to a small segment of today’s population. The manifestation of neo tango music in the tango world pushes against that ceiling. Young people especially are drawn by the eclectic sound and by the fun and experimental atmosphere that typically accompanies it.

- And so the contemporary tango music library is growing, and with it the allure of tango for a key portion of the 20- and 30-something demographic. The songs have the tango’s unmistakable ‘walking beat’ and the edge of the new millennia in their melodies.

Veronika Fischer from Augsburg, Germany comments:

Most people enjoy non-tango in the style they normally listen to (jazz or blues…), and non-tango is a great way of getting beginners to dance: they usually know one or the other pop-/rocksong, and find the beat more easily than in traditional tango which needs a certain amount of practice. Also, advanced dancers enjoy non-tango for the variety, and for the fact that those pieces allow to vary the dancing style.

Steve Morall from Bramshaw, Hampshire, England, in reference to non-Tango music with lyrics in English, states:

All over the world, Tango Argentino is enjoying a renaissance as an exciting and passionate partner dance and is attracting huge numbers of people to dance. As it popularity grows outside its birthplace, traditional tango music is perhaps not so well received and understood by people of other cultures. It can be too complex for a novice dancer to interpret. For dancers without a spanish-speaking heritage, the heart felt lyrics have no meaning, and a novice tango dancer will struggle with the rhythmic complexity of classic tango. In the last few years, neotango has emerged as non-argentinian tango dancers sought to express themselves with music from their own culture.

Andrew, a DJ at a Tango Alternative music practica in Portland OR points out that for people who enjoy dancing tango but don’t like Traditional Tango music, creating a predominantly Tango Alternative music environment for dancing tango, with some ‘traditional music’ played as well, gets these dancers accustomed to Traditional Tango music, which increases the likelihood that these dancers will attend other milongas, thereby “expanding the pool of dancers for traditional milongas’. (Later in this Tango-L post, some examples of traditional tango are given, and include the following: Color Tango, El Arranque, Los Reyes del Tango, Hugo Diaz on harmonica, the Hugo Diaz Trio, Sexteto Mayor, Los Coso de al Lao, La Chicana, Horacio Salgan, Florindo Sassone, music from the Forever Tango show; at best, these are modern orchestras playing in a traditional style, and most do not even meet these criteria.) Andrew also notes that “the infectious fun … that often gets infused from nontango sets comes back into tangos, and they seem a little less serious and staid.”

To summarize, Traditional Tango music does not appeal to a wide audience. Greater acceptance of tango dancing can be achieved by playing music for dancing that is more familiar to those raised outside the Argentine Tango culture. This redressing of tango within a contemporary cultural context makes it more relevant to dancers worldwide and has led to the successful propagation of tango outside Argentina.

To paraphrase, releasing Argentine Tango from the restriction of maintaining ties to its Argentine cultural heritage and history by infusing it with music from other cultures has made tango palatable for dancers unwilling or unable to understand tango as a cultural phenomenon of Argentine origin, thereby increasing its market share worldwide.

Perhaps one should ask whether the promoters of Tango Alternative culture are more accurately classified as supporters of creative artistic expression or successful entrepreneurs.

The Resistance to Tango Alternative Music

Despite the apparently appealing arguments for propagation of a tango culture that deviates significantly from its Argentine cultural origins, there do exist some tango dancers worldwide who find this cultural transformation unappealing and unacceptable.

At the simplest level, objections to playing Tango Alternative music at milongas are summarized in the following statements:

- Tango can only be danced to tango music. The music defines the dance. The music and the dance are inseparable.

The elegant simplicity of this argument is demonstrated by comparison with other dances. Can a dance be called a ‘waltz’ if the 1-2-3 rhythm of waltz is not present? Can contra dance be danced to the music of Erik Satie? Can salsa be danced to the music of James Taylor? To answer ‘yes’ to these questions would bring deserved ridicule from members of the ballroom dance, contra dance, and salsa dance communities. Nevertheless, executing steps associated with tango dancing with the music of Tom Waits playing in the background is lauded as ‘experimentation’ and ‘creativity’. The tango dance cannot be separated from tango music. If the music is not tango, the dance is not tango. It is as simple as that. When viewed within this logical structure, the assertion that tango can be danced to non-tango music is inherently and blatantly absurd.

- Tango dancing is part of a culture that defines the dance.

In Argentina, at the milongas tango is danced to Traditional Tango music, even at the Informal Milongas and Practicas Nuevas. (Non-tango music is not used for tango dancing at tango social dance events in Buenos Aires.) One is not dancing Argentine Tango unless one accepts the characteristics of the dance defined by the Argentine culture that generated it.

Even if one believes that it is possible to dance tango within a social environment to any kind of music other than Traditional Tango music, one is not dancing Argentine Tango, but some cultural artifact created by a non-Argentine culture. This is recognized in Ballroom Tango and Finnish Tango; these dance genres are not claimed to be ‘Argentine Tango’. Since the milonga is a cultural product of the Argentine Tango culture, calling any event a ‘milonga’ in which tango is danced to music other than Traditional Tango music is a misrepresentation of the Argentine Tango culture and a misappropriation of the term ‘milonga’ [Do Milongas Exist outside Argentina? (The Milonga Codes Revisited)].

- Playing Tango Alternative music to attract people to tango dancing attracts people who like Tango Alternative music and provides no guarantee that these people will eventually like Traditional Tango for dancing.

Since tango is a difficult dance to learn and there is a low beginner retention rate, tango communities are in a constant state of recruitment, so this institutionalizes the playing of Tango Alternative music as a core modus operandi of tango communities outside Argentina. Instead of Tango Alternative music becoming a bridge to Traditional Tango it becomes a somewhat equal or perhaps even dominant partner in the palate of selectable music for dancing. This acceptance of Tango Alternative music as a medium for expression of movements associated with tango reinforces the notion that tango music is not required for dancing tango.

Objections to playing Tango Alternative music for dancing tango have been expressed by other tango dancers.

Argentine Oliver Kolker, tango dancer and instructor, in a blog post called ‘Dancing to Non Tango Music’ states:

In my personal life I very much enjoy listening to Gotan Project. Do I connect with the music to dance to it? NO. But that is me. I don’t connect and, in my case, I know why. Because for me tango emanates from the music, with its roots attached to the meter and beats of the main harmony of Tango. … I feel uncomfortable moving, embracing, and walking to a different type of Music that is not Tango….

It is simply a cultural thing. I’ve sometimes heard people in NYC say “I hate Tango Music, but I love the Dance.” It may be because they appreciate the movement without comprehending the music. To me this is baffling being that I believe the dance, itself, springs from the music.

Likewise, from a post entitled ‘The Signature of Tango’ on the ‘In Search of Tango’ blog:

Classical tango music is the signature of tango. It is created and developed with tango and for tango. People recognize it and associate it with the dance when they hear it. There is a sentimental attachment between the two. In reality tango dance and classical tango music are two aspects of one thing called Argentine tango, inseparable as body and soul. The fact that tango can be danced to other musics doesn’t mean it can remain intact when so danced. One may dance tango to the music of Beijing opera, but that will not be tango. Alternative music from different cultural background does not have the same rhythmic structure and sentimental richness of the classical tango music, which is passionate, multi-layered, manifold, changeful, deep and moody, allowing the freedom to interpret and improvise. Any music sharing the same rhythmic structure and sentimental richness will be recognized as tango and not alternative music. By definition, alternative music is the music that lacks the structural and sentimental depth of tango, and therefore is not the best music for tango dancing. It only appeals to beginners deficient in good taste and musicality or weird dudes seeking novelty, and those who choose to pander to their taste in order to make money.

Alternative Nomenclature for the Milonga Alternative

Given that playing Traditional Tango music for dancing tango is a core characteristic of tango social dance venues in Buenos Aires, not only for the Traditional Milonga, but also for the Informal Milonga and Practica Nueva, and that playing non-Tango music for dancing tango is essentially nonexistent at tango social dance events in Buenos Aires, the labeling of events where a significant part of the music played for dancing tango is not Traditional Tango music (or sometimes tango music of any kind) as an ‘Alternative Milonga’ is an oxymoron, whereas in fact a tango social dance event of this type would be labeled more appropriately as an ‘alternative to a milonga’ or a ‘milonga alternative’. However, even the inclusion of the term ‘milonga’ within the same phrase as the term ‘alternative’ provides some legitimacy to such an event as being representative of Argentine Tango culture, whereas in fact there is gross misrepresentation. Thus, different terminology would be appropriate for labeling such events. Perhaps the most direct and unambiguous terminology would be ‘Tango Alternative Music Dance’, but this verbosity would place significant constraints upon those texting or using Twitter to promote an event of this type; thus, a more concise verbal construction would be preferable. The term ‘bilonga’ has been used to describe an Alternative Milonga in Eugene OR, but this terminology is not widespread. However, a more widespread substitute terminology for the Alternative Milonga used in Europe is ‘neolonga’ (Vienna; Munich; Nottingham, England).

In not explicitly incorporating the term ‘milonga’, ‘neolonga’ is a preferred alternative to ‘alternative milonga’ and its usage is encouraged in North America to further differentiate this type of dance event from a Milonga, where movements associated with tango are danced to tango music, as is the custom in Buenos Aires.

Further development of the Neolonga concept is provided by the Tanguerilla enterprise based in Bremen, Germany, that travels to provide the following service to tango dancers:

the neolonga »tanguerilla« merges lights, neotango.beats and roomfilling, 360° videoprojections to a fascinating audiovisual tango production for couples, solo-dancers und non-dancers. you will become an acting, integrated part of the virtual environment.

An example of this type of neolonga is provided in this video. This cultural adaptation of the milonga concept is quite different from the environment of a Buenos Aires milonga.

Summary and Conclusion

In Traditional Milongas in Buenos Aires, only Traditional Tango music (classic tango from the Golden Age and modern tango music in the same style) are played for dancing tango. In Informal Milongas and Practicas Nuevas the overwhelming majority of music played for dancing tango is also Traditional Tango, with a small percentage of Modern Tango, Nuevo Tango (Piazzolla), Tango Fusion, or Electrotango possible. Non-tango music is not played to elicit tango dancing in Buenos Aires tango social dance venues.

Outside Argentina, particularly in North America and Europe, Tango Alternative music (Modern Tango, Nuevo Tango, Tango Fusion, Electrotango, Tango Extranjero, and Non-tango) is more commonly played to elicit tango dancing. Some tango social dance events, called Alternative Milongas (mostly North America) or neolongas (more common in Europe) play a significant proportion of Tango Alternative music, perhaps 50% or more, for the purpose of eliciting tango dancing. This trend is relatively recent (existing less than 10 years) and can be traced to the success of the electrotango ensemble Gotan Project, which stimulated further development of electrotango musical ensembles, as well as a widened interest in Tango Alternative music in general.

The playing of Tango Alternative music is associated with dancing Tango Nuevo. It is also associated with a more casual style of dress at tango social dance events. These changes in the characteristics of tango social dance venues are favored by younger dancers.

The successful propagation of Tango Alternative music in general and the Alternative Milonga in particular, especially in North America and Europe, is attributed to the greater palatability of Tango Alternative music for dancers who have not found the Traditional Tango music to their liking, at least not initially. Thus, the employment of movements associated with tango to Tango Alternative music has become an integral part of tango culture outside Argentina. This reinforces the belief that tango music is not needed for dancing tango and the use of Tango Alternative music as bait for attracting new dancers serves to attract dancers who do not like Traditional Tango music.

Since in Buenos Aires milongas do not play Non-tango music for dancing tango and no tango social dance event plays a majority of Tango Alternative music, the term Alternative Milonga is an oxymoron and should be replaced by another term. The term ‘neolonga’ is used in Europe for social dance events of this type and using this terminology would clarify the distinction between the Traditional Milonga where Traditional Tango music is played for dancing tango, as is done in Buenos Aires, from the foreign cultural creation – an event where movements associated with tango dancing are used when non-tango music is playing in the background.

References in Print

Gorin, Natalio (2001)- Astor Piazzolla: A Memoir. Translated, annotated, and expanded by Fernando Gonzalez. Amadeus Press. Portland, Oregon.

In the Golden Age of Tango, there was clear distinction between milongas and practicas.

The practica was tango practice among men, dancing with other men, typically held in a community center. It involved learning movements and experimentation. It was a learning environment and preparation for dancing with women at the milonga (The Tango Practica, the Practica Nueva and the Tango Dance Party in Buenos Aires). Even experienced men attended practicas, as role models for less experienced men. Instruction was one-on-one, with an experienced man leading a less experienced man in the woman’s role. In most or possibly nearly all cases, there was no designated lead instructor, no formal structured lessons; there was no payment to an instructor for transmission of tango knowledge.

The milonga was the social environment in which men and women met each other and danced tango together. The milonga had defined codes of behavior, which were similar to the codes observed in milongas in Buenos Aires today (Codes and Customs of the Milongas of Buenos Aires: The Basics). There were two somewhat distinct kinds of milongas – La Milonga del Centro (the downtown milonga) and La Milonga del Barrio (the neighborhood milonga): [Tango de Salon: The Tango of the Milonga (Part II of ‘Tango Styles, Genres and Individual Expression’)]. In the club de barrio, many of the people attending a milonga knew each other from the neighborhood. Several generations of family members might attend. Young single women were accompanied by chaperones, usually mothers or older female family members. The downtown milongas, typically held in a confiteria in the early 1950s, were places where men and women met after work for dance and possible romance (See Tango Chamuyo).

In both downtown and neighborhood milongas, there were observed customs for the milonga – the structuring of recorded music into tandas with cortinas, spatial segregation of men and women, use of the cabeceo for dance invitation, brief conversation at the beginning of a tango prior to dancing, the formation of a ronda, clearing the floor during the cortina, respect for the space of other dancers on the floor and prohibition of exhibitionist moves. Dancing couples consisted of men leading and women following. Milonga attendees wore appropriate dress – suits, white shirts, and ties for men and dresses for women.

One of the main differences between milongas of the Golden Age and contemporary milongas was that in the Golden Age, except for the confiterias (which were too small), it was common for live music to be provided for dancing, usually with a tango orchestra and also an orchestra that played other dance music, with (American style) jazz being particularly popular.

The Practica and the Milonga after the Tango Renissance

After the tango renaissance in the mid 1980s, the traditional all-male practica was not revived to any significant degree. Instead, practicas with both sexes present started to appear. They became more formal in structure, with a specific designated instructor or instructors and, in many (perhaps most) cases, payment for instruction. Tango instruction in general became more formalized, with group classes organized in community centers and eventually tango academies, a rarity in the Golden Age. The practica became more the place for practicing what was learned in structured group classes and less the primary venue for learning tango. Learning tango became more of a group activity, where learning was through observation of an instructor and less of a direct one-on-one learning experience with an experienced dancer as had existed in the Golden Age.

Milongas increased in number after the tango revival – during the late 1980s and throughout the 1990s. During this period, there were some notable differences from the milongas of the Golden Age. For the most part, dancing to live tango music had disappeared. Attire became somewhat more casual. The age range of milonga attendees was more limited, with dancers under 40 comprising a much smaller proportion of dancers. Although there were fewer young women attending milongas, those who attended no longer needed to be accompanied by a chaperone.

However, several constants remained in the milonga – spatial segregation of men and women, the cabeceo as the accepted method for dance invitation, men leading and women following, dancing to classic tango music from the Golden Age, the structure of recorded music into tandas with cortinas, brief conversation at the beginning of a tango prior to dancing, formation of a ronda, respecting the space of other dancers on the floor, absence of exhibitionist movements, and clearing the floor during the cortina.

Practicas and Milongas in Buenos Aires in the 21st Century

The first decade of the 21st century has resulted in significant changes in the milongas and practicas of Buenos Aires. There have been several recent developments that have been the driving forces for these changes.

(1) Tango Nuevo: Developed by Gustavo Naveira, Fabian Salas, Chicho Frumboli and others during the 1990s, this analytic approach to the study of tango movements (Tango Nuevo: Definition of the Dance) has gained popularity and attracted new people to dancing tango. It has created a new style of dancing (Is Tango Nuevo compatible with Tango de Salon at the same Milonga?).

(2) Gender Neutral Tango: Increased tolerance towards open expression of homosexuality in Buenos Aires has provided, in part, the impetus for establishing tango social dance venues where partners of the same sex could dance openly with acceptance. Accompanying this, in part independent of sexual orientation, has been a movement promoting gender neutral tango, in which the sex of the participant is freed of traditional gender roles in tango such that, in a social context, women could be leaders and men could be followers and partners of the same sex could dance with each other. (See Queer Tango / Gay Tango / Gender Neutral Tango: Alternatives to Traditional Gender Roles in Tango)

(3) Tango Tourism: The devaluation of the Argentine peso in January 2002 (from equivalency with the US dollar to 3 pesos to the dollar) made Argentina an economically attractive option for tourists. Since then tango tourism to Buenos Aires has increased significantly, and the proportion of foreigners in milongas has grown. Tango Nuevo and Gender Neutral Tango have provided attractive new options for tango tourists seeking tango social dance venues in Buenos Aires.

(4) Youth Tango Involvement: In the last 10 years the number of young porteños (in their 20s and 30s) learning to dance tango has increased. This is due to a large degree to the attractiveness of Tango Nuevo to young people. Part of the influx of young dancers to tango in Buenos Aires also has been due to young foreigners attracted both to Tango Nuevo and to the Youth Tango scene in Buenos Aires.

(5) Relative Economic Stability: In the last decade (since the 2002 peso devaluation) there has been relatively steady economic growth in Argentina. The increased stability has provided more disposable income for Argentines which could be spent on tango activities, although increasing inflation in recent years has limited this to some degree. The relative economic stability in Argentina in the past decade is a stark contrast to the economic instability that characterized most of the latter part of the 20th century (Wikipedia).

These changes have also shaped the tango landscape in Buenos Aires, mainly by expanding it, by creating new venues with new characteristics.

The advent of Tango Nuevo required a new tango environment, one with expansive space that allowed experimentation, one that did not require conformity to traditional milonga customs (Is Tango Nuevo compatible with Tango de Salon at the same Milonga?). Thus was born the Practica Nueva, a practice space for Tango Nuevo. The longest lasting representatives of this type of venue for dancing tango are Practica X and the practicas El Motivo and Tango Cool! at Villa Malcolm (link). These Practicas Nuevas were designed to be different from Milongas, as stated in Andres Amarilla’s Guide to Tango Nuevo in Buenos Aires, written in 2006:

What do we mean by the “nuevo tango scene” in Buenos Aires?

One of the best things about dancing tango in Buenos Aires is the variety of “scenes” to choose from. If you go to Club Sunderland on a Saturday night, for instance, you’ll see that everyone is dancing in a close embrace and more than 75 couples may be crowded on the floor. Although some younger dancers go to Sunderland, most of the attendees at this milonga are over 50. Both the music and the dancing are firmly grounded in tradition. It would be totally inappropriate to open the embrace here or to lead moves like ganchos or boleos, which require more space. Rather, it’s best to relish the opportunity to dance on the same floor with—and in the same style as—these extraordinary dancers, many of whom have been dancing for decades.

More and more, however, young dancers in Buenos Aires are interested in dancing in environments where there is space to dance in open embrace and to try new steps. If you walk into Villa Malcolm on a Friday night, for instance, you’ll see about 50 couples—mostly in their 20s and 30s—flying around the dance floor. One pair will be trying to make their new “colgada-then volcada-straight into two ganchos” combination work, while another pair may be incorporating lifts taken straight from contact improvisation into their tango. If you talk to these dancers, some will say they are dancing “tango nuevo”; others will say that they are simply dancing tango. Since these kinds of movement and exploration are often called nuevo tango, we have adopted that terminology for this guide.

In Buenos Aires, nuevo tango is generally danced in practicas, as opposed to milongas (although there are a couple of milongas aimed at the nuevo tango dancers). The practica scene in Buenos Aires has exploded in the last two years. Whereas in 2004, there were only a couple of practicas each week, now you can choose among two or more different practicas on some nights. If you want to see the famous younger dancers when they’re in town (people like Chicho, Cecelia Gonzalez, Eugenia Parilla, Ezequiel Farfaro, etc.), you’re more likely to catch them in one of the practicas than in the milongas.

Milongas in general have experienced significant growth in Buenos Aires in the last decade. For the most part, this growth has occurred while maintaining the culture of the milonga, the customs that define it [Do Milongas Exist outside Argentina? (The Milonga Codes Revisited)]. Nevertheless, a changing sociocultural environment has led to the creation of new tango social dance venues that have deviated from the Traditional Milongas (i.e., those that maintain milonga traditions) to varying degrees.

The first of these to appear on the tango scene were the youth-oriented Informal Milongas – La Viruta (founded in 1994), the outdoor milonga La Glorieta (founded in 1996) and La Catedral (founded in 1998). Developing along another non-traditional line, the first gay milonga in Buenos Aires – La Marshall – was founded in 2002. These tango social dance events, labeled as ‘milongas’, were not designed to follow closely traditional milonga customs. For example, separate seating of men and women, use of the cabeceo for dance invitation, couples comprised only of a man as leader and a woman as follower, prohibition of exhibitionist elements in dancing, playing only classic tango music from the Golden Age, and structuring of music into tandas with cortinas were some milonga customs that were no longer universally or even partially observed. However, until recently these have been special niche milongas designed for a particular type of clientele.

Increased tango tourism has also altered the tango landscape. This, in itself, could be the subject of a blog post, so only a brief description of this phenomenon can be made here. The impact of tourists on the environment of tango social dance venues has been variable. In some cases, tango tourists have attempted to blend into the traditional milonga environment. However, there are also some milongas that have become particularly popular with tourists (e.g., Niño Bien, Porteño y Bailarin, Confiteria Ideal, Parakultural, the outdoor Milonga del Indio in Plaza Dorrego) that have retained some of the most salient milonga traditions (most notably, the classic tango music played for dancing tango, structured into tandas with cortinas; formation of a circulating ronda; clearing the floor during the cortina), while relaxing some other milonga traditions (clearly separated seating sections for men and women, universal use of the cabeceo for dance invitation, keeping the feet on the floor while dancing, prohibition of exhibitionist movements). Tango tourists have also attended Informal Milongas and Practicas Nuevas in significant numbers. It is reasonable to assume that tango tourists select tango social dance venues to attend based on their own cultural preferences and recognize to some degree the differing cultural environments. Thus, tourist support for cultural alternatives to Traditional Milongas has, to a significant degree, shaped the evolution of the tango social environment in Buenos Aires.

The Most Recent Developments in the Social Tango Scene in Buenos Aires

When Andres Amarilla wrote in 2006 about the Tango Nuevo scene in Buenos Aires, there were about one half dozen Informal or Gay Milongas in Buenos Aires (La Viruta, La Catedral, La Marshall and the outdoor milongas La Glorieta and La Milonga del Indio), i.e., tango social dance venues that were labeled as ‘milongas’ but did not follow the traditional milonga codes. In the last 5 years there has been considerable change in Buenos Aires with respect to the characteristics of tango venues labeled as practicas and milongas. The primary driving forces for these changes have been Tango Nuevo and Youth Tango Involvement, with maintained Tango Tourism and Relative Economic Stability playing a supporting role.

An early harbinger of this change was apparent in the changing character of the Practicas Nuevas, although the claim to milonga status of La Viruta and La Catedral may have actually established the model. In the Golden Age, practicas were not designed to be social events (although they undoubtedly cemented social relationships among men). Naveira, Salas, and Frumboli, in their Tango Investigation Group originally conceived of Tango Nuevo as a pedagogical tool for understanding tango, a method for exploring its structure, and expanding upon its possibilities for movement. The early Practicas Nuevas (Practica X and those at Club Villa Malcolm) implemented this approach in that, in the tradition of practicas, there were prominent instructional and practice components. An important difference was that instead of being preparation for the milongas, as was the purpose of Golden Age practicas, the Practicas Nuevas were an end unto themselves because the need for space for experimentation, expansive use of space, and lack of formation of a ronda are incompatible with the customs of the milongas (Is Tango Nuevo compatible with Tango de Salon at the same Milonga?).

Over time, social interaction has increased in prominence at Practicas Nuevas, although a formal structure for social interaction among strangers (i.e., use of the cabeceo for dance invitation) has not been adopted to any significant degree and the informal social tango social dance venues (Practicas Nuevas, Informal Milongas, and the like) have been described as being not being particularly open for interaction among dancers who don’t already know each other (see Blake, 2010: pp. 143-146), in contrast to the Traditional Milongas. With the growth in popularity of these informal tango social dance venues among the ever growing number of young tango dancers (both Argentine and foreign), the roles of education and experimentation in the informal practicas has decreased relative to the social dancing aspect, so that someone entering an informal practica an hour after the lesson has been completed may not recognize it as a practica (i.e., with a learning and practice component) but rather as a tango social dance event lacking the characteristic customs of the traditional milonga (i.e., gender segregated seating sections, cabeceo, tandas with cortinas, lack of exhibition elements in dancing).

Nevertheless, although becoming more social in nature, what the organizers of the Practicas Nuevas have not done to any significant degree (one exception being Soho Tango at Villa Malcolm on Thursdays) is to make the bold tradition defying move of labeling their noticeably more social events that do not observe milonga codes as ‘milongas’, as have the organizers of La Viruta, La Glorieta, La Milonga del Indio, La Catedral, and La Marshall.

However, in the past few years numerous other youth-oriented tango social events not following traditional milonga codes have arisen and been advertised as ‘milongas’. Many of these so-called ‘milongas’ have come and gone within a few months, but some have persisted. One Informal Milonga that has persisted for several years and attracted many dancers is Milonga10 Saturdays in Club Fulgor de Villa Crespo. Associated with this is Praktika8, held at the same location on Tuesdays. These youth-oriented tango events at Club Fulgor are not specifically associated with Tango Nuevo; in fact, Carlos & Rosa Perez, who are identified with Tango Estilo Villa Urquiza, are recognized as important influences for the instruction given at this practica (link). Currently the term ‘Praktika8’ is only loosely associated with the Tuesday tango event at Club Fulgor, which is now also called Milonga10. Tango Queer, a gay-friendly tango venue supporting Gender Neutral Tango in general, was listed in Andres Amarrilla’s 2006 Guide to Nuevo Tango as a practica, but this Tuesday night event that deviates from traditional milonga customs is now advertised as a ‘milonga’. Additional tango events not adhering strictly to traditional milonga codes that are advertised (e.g. by La Milonga Argentina or by El Tangauta) as ‘milongas’ include (Mondays) Bendita Milonga (review), (Tuesdays) Zona Tango Milonga (website) (video), (Wednesdays) Maldita Milonga (review), (Thursdays) Soho Tango (website) (video) El Gardel de Medellin (website) (video), (Saturdays) La Independencia (website) (video), and (Sundays) Loca! (website). None of these Informal Milongas existed 5 years ago. It is difficult to predict whether they will be in existence 5 years from now and, for those that survive, what their characteristics will be.

Although there has been growth in the informal social tango scene in Buenos Aires within the last 5 years, it does not appear that this has come at the expense of the traditional milonga component of social tango dancing in Buenos Aires (although this is subjective and awaits a formal analysis, if possible). Even though many aging dancers are no longer dancing, there are new attendees at Traditional Milongas. Many of these are tourists (and even some foreigners who have moved to Buenos Aires). Traditional tango is not dying in Buenos Aires, although even in Traditional Milongas, adherence to milonga customs are becoming more relaxed, particularly when interacting with tourists.

Implications and Consequences of the Propagation of Informal Tango Social Dance Venues in Buenos Aires

During the Golden Age and at the start to the Tango Renaissance in the late 1980s and early 1990s, using the term ‘Traditional Milonga’ would have been redundant, because observance of milonga codes was customary at events advertised as ‘milongas’ in Buenos Aires. The only significant distinction to be made was between La Milonga del Centro and La Milonga del Barrio [Tango de Salon: The Tango of the Milonga (Part II of ‘Tango Styles, Genres and Individual Expression’)], which differed mainly in social structure in that the later was a gathering of families, friends and neighborhood acquaintances, and the former was a locale where men and women who usually did not know each other well outside of the milonga met to dance tango and explore relationship possibilities.

Even with the advent in the 1990s of the youth-oriented tango social dance venues La Viruta, La Glorieta, and La Catedral, and the outdoor La Milonga del Indio, as well as the opening of gay-friendly La Marshall in 2002, all of which have been advertised as ‘milongas’, these have been special niche tango social dance venues, until recently outliers among more than 100 milongas in Buenos Aires in terms of observance of the traditional milonga codes. Even though the first Tango Nuevo oriented practicas at Club Villa Malcolm, as well as Practica X, added a significant social dancing component to tango instruction and practice (the variable tango style Cochabamba 444 practica also has had that), the organizers of these events did not lay claim to the ‘milonga’ classification, so that 5 years ago in Buenos Aires, calling a tango social dance event a ‘milonga’ indicated with near certainty that milonga customs would be observed.

The extensive self-labeling of informal tango social dance events as ‘milongas’ that has occurred in the last 5 years has not changed the customs in the Traditional Milongas to a significant degree (although influx of culturally uninformed tourists may relax milonga codes to some extent). Calling an event that does not follow traditional milonga codes a ‘milonga’ does not change milonga codes, it just creates a new category of milonga, one that does not follow traditional tango culture. Also, what has changed is not the number of Traditional Milongas, but the proportion of milongas that can be classified and advertised as ‘traditional’ versus ‘informal’, a labeling distinction that was not necessary in the past because non-traditional events did not classify themselves as ‘milongas’. Thus, today in Buenos Aires, there are Traditional Milongas and Informal Milongas. (See Blake, 2010).

The current coexistence of two very different types of tango social events with different customs and different demographics is not a point of confusion for most porteños who dance tango, because they are part of the tango culture and learn through friends the characteristics of the two different classes of tango venues (or at least of the one type of tango social dance venue in which they choose to participate). However, since tango dancers are separated by age to a significant degree and the younger dancers are developing their own tango subculture in which traditional milonga codes are not observed and often not learned, one can only speculate what lies in store for the future of tango culture in Buenos Aires; i.e., will younger dancers switch to attending Traditional Milongas as they age and maintain the traditional milonga customs, or will the informal tango social dance venues just increase in average age, or even segregate by age, as the current cohort of young dancers ages, without a significant change in the informal atmosphere? Time will tell.

The spread of the informal tango social dance subculture does have significant implications for the global tango community. Milonga codes serve an important function in regulating social interaction and dancing etiquette in the crowded milongas of Buenos Aires, where strangers meet to engage in an intimate dance. There is also the cultural history embodied in tango music that shapes the character of the dance. To dance Tango Argentino is not merely an exercise in producing movements associated with tango dancing on a social dance floor. Tango Argentino as a dance has an associated culture, not only contained in its music, but also in the codes observed in the social dance environment. A complete appreciation of Tango Argentino as a cultural entity requires an immersion in the dance, the music, and the customs associated with the social environment in which tango is danced. Modification of tango to coincide with the cultural perspectives of the foreign host culture removes the Argentine culture from the dance, making it, at best, a hybrid of Argentine and foreign culture or, at worst, a complete transformation to lose its identification with the culture of origin, for example, as has been accomplished with Ballroom Tango.

The rise to greater prominence of informal tango social dance venues in Buenos Aires also complicates the transmission of Tango Argentino in its traditional cultural form to a foreign audience. It is no small task to teach culturally naïve foreigners that tango is more than a dance, that it is defined by the music associated with it, and that it only becomes comprehensible as a unique cultural phenomenon when understood within the context of the culture it which it has evolved. Until recently, it was possible to represent Tango Argentino in its traditional cultural form as that which was practiced virtually universally in the milongas of Buenos Aires. However currently, with the relaxation of traditional customs, the informal tango social dance venues in Buenos Aires, as the videos referenced above indicate, resemble closely the tango social dance events in foreign cultures. Tango tourists travelling to Buenos Aires who attend only informal tango social dance events (and it is possible to do this every night of the week) can return to their culture of origin and report that tango in Buenos Aires is similar to what exists at home, perhaps only with more people and more skilled dancers, so therefore no revision of the foreign culture modified tango social environment is necessary. Travelling Argentine instructors who do not teach tango culture, including socially appropriate styles of dancing, only reinforce further the ignorance regarding traditional tango culture.

The causes, implications, and consequence of this bias in cultural transmission will frequently be the focus of discussion in future Tango Voice posts (See inaugural Tango Voice post 2 years ago: Radio Free North America / The Voice of Tango Argentino).

Reference in Print

Blake, Sally. Happy Tango. Pirotta Press, Warrington UK, 2010.

Definition of the Milonga

In its simplest, most inclusive definition, a ‘milonga’ is ‘a place or an event where tango is danced’. (See also ToTango.) Other definitions are more specific in identifying the type of music played. Steven Brown states: ‘A milonga refers to the event where tangos, milongas and waltzes are danced.’

The music played for dancing is central to the identification of a social dance event as a milonga. By law in Buenos Aires (passed in December 2006), to be advertised as a ‘milonga’, certain criteria for music need to be met (Tango-L):

Características específicas. Son parte fundamental de la estructura de las milongas la tanda de tango, milonga o vals, la tanda de otros ritmos, la cortina y la actuación o número vivo.

A efectos de esta ley se entiende por tanda el conjunto de cuatro o cinco piezas bailables del mismo ritmo pertenecientes a una misma orquesta o a varias de similar estilo.

La cortina es el intervalo entre tandas en una milonga. Indica próximo cambio de ritmo o de orquesta y descanso a los bailarines.

La actuación o número vivo puede estar a cargo de un grupo musical u orquesta que ejecutan su repertorio para que el público baile. También puede consistir en la exhibición de una o varias parejas, de ritmos afines con el tango, para lo cual se deja la pista libre.

La oferta musical de cada jornada deberá ser al menos un 70% de ritmos de tango, milonga y vals.

This is translated by tanguero porteño Alberto Gesualdi (with grammatical and syntactical revisions by Tango Voice) as:

Specific characteristics. There are fundamental parts of the structure of the milongas – the tanda of tango, milonga and vals, the tanda of other rhythms, the cortina, and the live performance or live show.

To the extent of this law, it is understood that the tanda is a group of four or five danceable pieces of the same rhythm, belonging to one orchestra, or to different orchestras with similar style.

The cortina is the interval between tandas within a milonga. It indicates a coming change of rhythm or orchestra and a rest for the dancers.

The live performance or show could be made by a musical group or an orchestra that performs its repertoire for people to dance. It also could consist of the exhibition of one or many dancing couples, with rhythms related to tango, for which purpose the dance floor has to be left free.

The musical offering for each night will have to be no less than 70% rhythms of tango, milonga and vals.

Thus, to be advertised as a milonga in Buenos Aires, according to this law, at least 70% of the music must be tango, milonga, and vals. [Note: In practice in Buenos Aires milongas, tandas typically consist of 4 pieces (almost always true for tango) or 3 pieces (usually true for milonga); tandas of vals may have 3 or 4 pieces, with 4 valses being more common.) Almost all tango (milonga and vals) music played for dancing is classic tango music from about 1930 to 1959, with occasional music played from more recent orchestras that play in the traditional style. (Music Played at Milongas / Tango Social Dance Venues)

The Codes and Customs Defining a Milonga (Top 50 List)

Although the music played for dancing is a defining criterion for a milonga in Buenos Aires, it is only one of numerous criteria characterizing a milonga. A milonga in Buenos Aires is recognizable by the adherence to certain codes and the practice of certain customs (Codes and Customs of the Milongas of Buenos Aires: The Basics). A more inclusive list of milonga codes and customs is given below. For more details on milonga codes and customs, consult Tango Chamuyo and this La Nacion article.

A. Physical Environment
1. The dance floor should be rectangular or square (4-sided).
2. Tables used for seating should be rectangular or square (4-sided), so that one side of the table (usually the long side) is placed perpendicular to the floor, to define the edge of the dance floor. Seats at a table are positioned so that dancers face the dance floor.
3. There are separate seating sections for men, women, and couples. The men-only and women-only seating sections are closest to the dance floor and in full view of each other.
4. Dancers who regularly attend a milonga have a place at a table reserved for them. Others who contact the milonga host in advance may reserve a place at a table.
5. Lighting is sufficient so that men and women may clearly see each other across the dance floor.

B. The Business Environment
6. There is an admission charge to the milonga, paid at the entrance.
7. Food and beverages are provided, brought to the table by waiters and waitresses. There is a minimum consumption requirement.
8. The duration of a milonga is between 3.5 hours (‘La Bruja’ Wednesday at El Beso in Congreso) and 8 hours (‘Entre Tango y Tango’ Friday at Centro Region Leonesa in Constitucion; ‘Cachirulo’ Saturday at Club Villa Malcolm in Palermo) (B.A. Tango, September 2011).

C. General Social Etiquette, Personal Hygiene, and Appearance
9. Upon entering a milonga, the attendee is greeted by the host. The verbal greeting may be accompanied by a hug and a kiss on the cheek, without regard to the sex of the host and attendee.
10. Milonga attendees are seated by the milonga host or assistant.
11. A couple in a relationship who attends the same milonga and intends to sit separately should enter the milonga separately.
12. People attending a milonga should have good personal hygiene as one would have from bathing, brushing teeth, and applying deodorant before leaving from home.
13. People attending a milonga should wear clothing suitable for evening wear or a business environment. This includes suits or jackets and dress shirts with a tie and dress pants for men, and dresses or a blouse with a skirt or dress pants for women. Shirts should be tucked into pants, not left hanging loose outside the pants. These clothes should be clean in appearance and smell. Clean, untattered dance appropriate shoes should be worn, with leather soles. Forbidden are jeans, t-shirts, shorts, bulky pants such as cargo pants, hats or other headgear, and sandals or sports shoes.
14. Do not change shoes at the table. Women should change shoes in the washroom. Men wear their dance shoes entering the milonga.
15. Cell phones are turned off or placed into vibrate-only mode at a milonga. If in the latter condition, cell phones do not accompany dancers onto the pista.

In a 21st century environment, dress codes are more relaxed in Buenos Aires than they were during the Golden Age, when suits, white dress shirts and ties were obligatory for men, and dresses for women. Since some matinee milongas attract people who have just left work, it is not possible to bathe before leaving for a milonga. However, these attendees are usually office workers who dress appropriately for a business environment (some even change clothes for the milonga) and who do not sweat excessively during work.

D. Music
16. The musical program is structured into tandas of 3 or 4 pieces, separated by cortinas of non-tango music. For tandas of tango, the pieces in a tanda are recordings from the same orchestra.
17. The cortina is long enough to allow all dancers to leave the floor.
18. The tango music played is classic tango music from the Golden Age of tango, or (rarely) more recent recordings from orchestras playing in the style of Golden Age orchestras.
19. The last tango played at a milonga is “La cumparsita”.
20. At least 70% of the musical program is classic tango music. There may be additional tandas of jazz, tropical Latin (cumbia, salsa and merengue), rock, and Argentine folkloric music.
21. Milonga attendees do not approach the DJ to request specific music to play. The DJ does not invite requests.

E. Dance Invitation and Partnership
22. A dancing couple consists of a man in the role of leader, and a woman in the role of follower.
23. It is inappropriate to approach the table where a person is seated in order to invite that person to dance. The cabeceo is used to invite someone to dance (For details on the cabeceo see Codes and Customs of the Milongas of Buenos Aires: The Basics and Very Tango).
24. The cabeceo is signaled only between the men-only and the women-only seating sections.
25. The cabeceo is initiated after the start of the tanda, when the rhythm of the music is identifiable, or at the start of a subsequent piece in the tanda, before couples start dancing.
26. The man approaches the woman’s table only after she has accepted his invitation to dance through the cabeceo; he waits at the edge of the dance floor near her table for the woman to join him.
27. The woman does not rise from the table until the man has reached the area of the floor nearest her table.
28. The man signals the initiation of the embrace by opening his arms into the embrace position and the woman initiates the contact.
29. While dancing, with the exception of the sacada or arrastre directed by the man’s leg or foot at a woman’s leg or foot, the only permissible contact between partners is that which is part of the embrace. Touching a partner’s face, hands, arms, torso, hips, or legs with the hands is inappropriate.
30. A couple converses a brief period (approximately 30-45 seconds) before dancing at the beginning of the second to the last pieces in a tanda. The resumption of dance by all couples on the floor after conversing is nearly simultaneous.
31. The embrace is broken during the period of conversation. Neither partner touches the other during this period. If there is affection between partners, this is an indication that they are together as a couple for the duration of the milonga.
32. When a man asks a woman to meet for coffee after a milonga, this is an invitation to have sex.
33. If a couple makes arrangements to meet after the milonga, they leave the milonga separately, meeting outside of the milonga on the corner or at a nearby café.
34. Do not talk while dancing.
35. A couple dances until the end of the tanda before leaving the floor. However, it is permissible to end the partnership before the end of the tanda if one partner has made the other feel uncomfortable, either through rough dancing or inappropriate contact. This partner abandonment will be noted by milonga attendees and will influence their choices in dance invitation.
36. Saying ‘gracias’ (‘thank you’) at the end of piece before the end of a tanda signifies the person (man or woman) does not wish to dance until the end of the tanda with that partner.
37. At the end of the tanda, the man escorts the woman back to edge of the floor where she entered after accepting his invitation to dance.
38. A couple dancing two consecutive tandas together signal that they are together. A man and woman sitting separately but dancing several (about 3 or more) tandas together will be identified as being together for the duration of the milonga and will not be invited to dance by other dancers at that milonga.
39. A man and a woman attending a milonga and sitting together at the same table dance only with each other. They will not invite others to dance and they will not be invited by others to dance.

F. Floor Courtesy
40. Do not enter onto the pista to dance unless your knowledge of tango is sufficient to provide a comfortable dance for your partner and you know how to use the space on the floor.
41. Dancers with limited navigational skills should dance in the center of the floor. Only dancers with good navigational skills should enter the circulating ronda in the outer lane of the floor.
42. Do not enter onto the pista during a tanda while others are dancing if you are not dancing. Wait until the cortina to walk across the floor to go to the restroom or leave the milonga, if necessary. Under no circumstances should you stand in front of a table adjacent to the pista to engage in conversation during a tanda.
43. After acceptance of a dance invitation through the use of the cabeceo, a man should not walk across the floor in the path of oncoming dancers to meet a woman to dance with him. At the start of the tanda, when the floor is clear, it is permissible to walk directly across the floor to the woman’s table, likewise at the start of a piece when dancers are conversing and not dancing.
44. Couples join a ronda that circulates counterclockwise around the floor and maintain their position relative to other couples in the ronda. A man should allow some space for the couple in front of him to turn; on the other hand, he should not allow too much space in front of him in the circulating ronda so that it does not progress.
45. When entering into a moving ronda, there must be sufficient space to enter without risking a collision or disrupting the flow of the ronda. If these conditions are met but a couple is approaching the entry point, the man at the edge of the floor makes eye contact with the nearest approaching man to indicate his imminent entry into the ronda.
46. In his navigation, a man protects a woman from collision with other couples on the floor. Under crowded floor conditions, successful navigation consists of keeping the woman’s back oriented towards the tables as much as possible.
47. In dancing, movements are kept compact with feet on the floor and close to the body so as not to collide with or make contact with other dancers on the floor.
48. Exhibition movements that attract attention because of their conspicuousness are prohibited. This includes high boleos, ganchos and enganches, volcadas, colgadas, soltadas, quebradas, lifts and drops.
49. Teaching is not permitted on the dance floor.
50. Couples leave the floor at end of tanda, during the cortina.

Note (for #42). In most milongas, there is an aisle behind the tables to use to walk around the salon. However, at Plaza Bohemia (when at Maipu 444), Chique (Casa de Galicia), and La Nacional, for example, there have been some tables placed adjacent to the pista that do not have aisles behind them. At these milongas, walking across the floor to and from these tables should be reserved for the cortina.

Certain exceptions to these codes exist in Buenos Aires milongas. In some milongas (e.g., at Club Gricel, Boedo Tango, and Parakultural at Salon Canning) some men will walk up and down the aisles to invite women to dance. These are also milongas where seating sections are not as clearly defined, with tables of all men and all women interspersed throughout the front rows (near the dance floor). A Milonga del Barrio, sometimes attended only by couples on Saturday evening, will not in this case have separate seating sections for men, women and couples. The chairs at a table may be oriented across the table (for conversation) rather than at the dance floor. In this situation, the cabeceo will not be used to invite someone to dance because a man and woman coming to the milonga together (with rare exceptions) only dance with each other.

There are several tango social dance events in Buenos Aires that are advertised as ‘milongas’ where these codes are not enforced and customs are not practiced:

- The gay-friendly milongas La Marshall and Tango Queer practice gender neutral partner pairing (i.e., adherence to traditional roles of man as leader and woman as follower is not required), do not have separate seating sections for men and women, and the cabeceo is generally not used for dance invitations. The different sociocultural environment in these tango social dance venues has been discussed in detail previously (Gay Friendly / Gender Neutral Tango Social Dancing in Buenos Aires) (Queer Tango / Gay Tango / Gender Neutral Tango: Alternatives to Traditional Gender Roles in Tango).

- The ‘outdoor milongas’ La Glorieta in Belgrano and El Indio’s Sunday evening milonga in Plaza Dorrego in San Telmo do not provide tables and chairs for seating. There is no onsite food and beverage service at La Glorieta. At Plaza Dorrego, seating adjacent to the milonga is provided by restaurants that sell food and beverages. The outdoor milonga La Calesita in Nuñez provides tables and chairs for seating, but food and beverage is available for purchase only at the bar. In none of these milongas are there separate seating sections for men, women and couples, and generally the cabeceo is not used in dance invitation.

Thus, the ‘gay-friendly’ and outdoor milongas are not milongas in the traditional sense.

- There is a class of tango social dance venues that are generally (but not always) advertised as ‘practicas’ where various milonga codes and customs are not observed (The Tango Practica, the Practica Nueva and the Tango Dance Party in Buenos Aires); most of the attendees are young adults. La Viruta in Palermo and La Catedral in Almagro are long-standing youth-oriented tango social dance venues sometimes classified as ‘milongas’. There are certain practicas where Tango Nuevo is taught where social dancing occurs after the (early) teaching portion of the event; representative examples of these are Practica X at Viejo Correo in Caballito and El Motivo and Tango Cool at Club Villa Malcolm in Palermo. At these practicas (sometimes called ‘informal milongas’) there are no separate seating sections for men, women, and couples and the cabeceo is generally not used for dance invitation. The music may be played in sets of the same rhythm by the same orchestra, but may lack cortinas; thus, clearing the floor may not be regulated. Music other than classic tango music from the Golden Age (e.g., Piazzolla, Pugliese after 1960, electrotango) may be played for dancing tango. There may not be a clearly defined ronda. Dancers often make expansive off-the-floor and showy movements. These tango social dance events are not milongas in the traditional sense because, in general, milonga codes are not observed.

General Characteristics of Tango Social Dance Events in North America (and elsewhere outside Argentina)

In Buenos Aires, when one goes to a milonga, it is expected that there will be separate seating sections for men and women, and that dance invitations will occur through use of the cabeceo. This is the custom. This is so widespread that exceptions were noted above. In contrast, there are very few tango social events outside Argentina where there are separate seating sections for men and women, so few that they are worthy of mention. A notable exception is the regular La Milonga Las Chinitas in Hong Kong, which makes a point of observing milonga codes. At the 2005 Labor Day Denver Milonguero Tango Festival, the Saturday night milonga was designed with separate seating sections for men and women, encouraging the use of the cabeceo. Reports from attendees were that this experiment was not very successful and it apparently has not been tried since that initial attempt. At the 2011 Seoul Tango Festival the ‘Sunday Singles Milonga’ also had separate seating sections for men and women and encouraged the use of the cabeceo. Other reports of milongas outside Argentina with separate seating sections for men and women and use of the cabeceo for dance invitation have been difficult to find, although attempts at observing these traditions have undoubtedly been made (See Movement Invites Movement). Many milonga attendees outside Argentina are resistant to the segregation of men and women, preferring to sit in mixed-sex groups (My Tango Diaries).

The advantages of the cabeceo in allowing mutual consent in selecting dance partners and in preventing unnecessary movement across the dance floor in a crowded milonga have been discussed repeatedly. Two particularly good and different discussions of the cabeceo are provided by Very Tango and In Search of Tango. However, in milongas worldwide outside Argentina, the cabeceo is used intermittently, mainly by those who have been to Buenos Aires. This is primarily because most tango instructors do not teach the art of the cabeceo. However, there also appears to be a resistance to using it, in part because many tango dancers from different cultures around the world are uncomfortable with making eye contact with another person for even a moderately prolonged period.

In the absence of these core characteristic of milongas in Buenos Aires, it is questionable whether any tango social event outside Argentina can be validity advertised as a ‘milonga’.

In Search of the Traditional Milonga in North America

If observance of milonga codes were to occur anywhere in North America, the most likely place would be at milongas held at festivals that emphasize the teaching and practice of traditional tango (Tango de Salon), i.e., the tango of the milongas of Buenos Aires. Examined here are recordings of dancing at milongas at 3 tango festivals (reviewed in chronological order) where observance of milonga codes would be most likely to be found.

- Atlanta Tango Festival

This festival used to be called the ‘Atlanta Tango Social’. At its inception it invited many of the same instructors as the Denver Tango Festival (see below), and was known for social tango dancing. A review of one of these festivals (2009) is provided by Alex Tango Fuego.

A video of a milonga from the Atlanta Tango Festival, apparently from 2008, indicates no apparent milonga code violations due to implementation of exhibition moves. In this video, floorcraft in general was at least consistent with Buenos Aires milonga codes. (In contrast, Alex Tango Fuego noted floorcraft violations in his review of this festival in 2009.) However, there were a few milonga courtesy violations apparent from this video. A man is seen walking up to a woman at her table to invite her to dance. Another man is seen leading a woman off of the floor in the middle of a piece (obviously before the end of the tanda) walking against the movement of the ronda. Several men are wearing their shirts hanging loose outside their pants. One woman is seen dancing in bare feet and another woman is seen dancing in boots.

- Chicago Mini Tango Festival

The Chicago Mini Tango Festival has been the only tango festival in North America that has repeatedly hosted milongueros for teaching tango. Included have been Pedro ‘Tete’ Rusconi (2007), Roberto ‘Pocho’ Carreras (2008), Ruben Harymbat (2008 & 2009), Alberto Dassieu (2010), Ricardo ‘El Pibe Sarandi’ Maceiras (2010), and Blas Catrenau (2011) (link). Emphasized is the teaching of ‘Argentine tango social dance, including the movement, the musicality, the navigation, embrace and etiquette so you can attend and enjoy milongas on your own’. This festival webpage also provides a list of Buenos Aires milonga codes.

The reality of dancing at milongas at this festival is somewhat different. This short video of a milonga at the 2010 festival reveals the following violations of Buenos Aires milonga codes. Seating is by placement of chairs without tables at the edge of the dance floor. Women are observed lifting their feet off the floor on several occasions. Exhibition moves such as ganchos, enganches, volcadas and soltadas are observed. At the beginning of the tango, dancers converse, but resume dancing at different times. Some dancers have milonga inappropriate attire such as jeans, t-shirts, hats, headbands, and sport shoes. Several men are wearing their shirts hanging loose outside their pants.

- Denver Tango Festival

This festival is described on its website as:

A Tango festival by Dancers; For Dancers….. We produce tango festivals that emphasize social dancing and good floor craft. These festivals are designed for people who love the style of Argentine tango popular in the milongas of Buenos Aires: close, subtle & romantic!

A video of this festival in 2011 paints a somewhat different picture. For the most part, dancers maintain their position in the ronda and keep their feet on the floor and do not execute exhibition movements. Nevertheless, there are numerous high boleos and other off-the-floor movements used by some women throughout the recorded period. Ganchos and volcadas are used on several occasions. A few couples are seen either switching between lanes or not joining the ronda at all. Most dancers separate from contact and converse a short time at the start of each piece after the first in a tanda, but unlike Buenos Aires MIlongas, they start dancing again at various different times. Floor courtesy is violated numerous times by people who are not dancing walking along the edge of the floor while others are dancing. During each cortina, some couples remain on the floor; several women are seen leaving the floor unescorted. In one case, a man is seen abruptly exiting the floor, leaving a woman standing alone on the floor.

Scenes from the Generic North American Milonga (Top 25 Milonga Code Violations)

In general, very few of the Buenos Aires milonga codes and customs listed above are observed in North American milongas. Provided below is a description of common characteristics of milongas in North America (and elsewhere outside Argentina) that dancers have found to be the most objectionable violations of milonga codes, as based on repeated complaints made by dancers in tango blogs and internet discussion forums.

Physical Environment:

1. There are no tables, only chairs or even sofas facing the dance floor, positioned so that one’s feet can extend onto the pista, creating a hazard for dancers on the floor.
2. Tables adjacent to the dance floor are not rectangular (perhaps circular), creating a poorly defined boundary for the dance floor.
3. Dance floors have an irregular (non-rectangular) shape, sometimes with changes in width, causing bottlenecks in the progression of the ronda.
4. There is insufficient lighting for effective use of the cabeceo.

General Social Etiquette, Personal Hygiene, and Appearance

5. Some dancers come to a milonga without bathing, applying deodorant, and brushing teeth.
6. Some dancers come to a milonga in jeans, t-shirts, shorts, and sports shoes. Some dancers wear clothes that smell badly and need to be washed.

Music

7. Music for dancing is sometimes not structured into tandas with cortinas. Thus, dancers are continually entering and leaving the floor.
8. If cortinas are used they are often too short for all dancers to leave the dance floor, resulting in a logjam of dancers entering and leaving the floor simultaneously.
9. It is very rare to attend a milonga where ALL of the music to which tango is danced is classic tango music from the Golden Age. Even some milongas advertised as ‘traditional’ will play a tanda or two of Piazzolla or ‘electrotango’ music. At many milongas, a large proportion of the music played is outside the realm of classic tango music. This includes Piazzolla, electrotango, recordings of modern tango orchestras that do not maintain a clear and constant rhythm for dancing, and non-tango music played for dancing tango.
10. Dancers make requests to the DJ for specific music to be played for dancing. Some milonga DJs take requests for music, sometimes even encouraging them.

Dance Invitation and Partnership:

11. Men commonly walk up to the table where a woman is sitting and ask her to dance, often by extending an arm, touching, or even grabbing the hand of the woman. (Women are also sometimes guilty of inviting men to dance in this way.) Women feel obligated to dance with the man inviting her or, if they say “no”, they feel obligated to sit out the tanda.
12. Men often initiate a dance invitation during a cortina, before the tanda begins, identifying the rhythm and the orchestra. Thus, one may see a couple enter onto the dance floor standing, waiting for the music in the tanda to begin.
13. Women are sometimes seen leading other women as followers.
14. Some dancers talk while dancing.
15. Some couples leave the floor before the end of the tanda.
16. Men often do not escort women back to their seats at the end of the tanda.

Floor Courtesy:

17. People who do not know how to dance well enter onto the pista and dance, perhaps making their partner uncomfortable or becoming a navigational hazard for other dancers on the floor.
18. People walk onto the dance floor to travel to the rest room, obtain food or drink, or socialize at another table. Sometimes people congregate in front of a table and socialize, creating an obstacle for dancers.
19. Dancers enter a crowded dance floor in front of oncoming traffic without looking in that direction.
20. One couple may pass another in the circulating ronda if the latter is perceived to be moving too slowly. On the other hand, some couples remain stationary on the pista and do not move within the ronda. A significant proportion of dancers like these gives the appearance of the absence of a ronda. (See Berlin Tango Festival).
21. Some dancers are navigational hazards to others, making large movements in unpredictable directions.
22. Some dancers lift their feet high off the floor, or attract attention to themselves in other ways with exhibitionist movements such as ganchos, volcadas, colgadas, high boleos, and incessant use of sacadas.
23. Some dancers teach on the dance floor, even to the point of stopping dancing and demonstrating steps.
24. A cell phone rings and a dancer leaves his/her partner on the floor to check the cell phone left at the table.
25. Some couples dance to music of the cortina, or just remain on the dance floor during the cortina.

Some tango social dance events advertised as ‘milongas’ in North America have many or nearly all of these violations of milonga codes. Given that a rectangular pista bounded by tables may be absent, dance invitation is by verbal request, music other than classic tango music is played for dancing tango, teaching is executed on the dance floor, and navigation and floor courtesy is compromised, it would be more appropriate to classify all or nearly all tango social dance events in North America as ‘social practicas’ by Buenos Aires standards (The Tango Practica, the Practica Nueva and the Tango Dance Party in Buenos Aires). Most milongas in North America are more similar to La Viruta and La Catedral than they are to El Beso and Lo de Celia.

Conclusion

Thus, to answer the question ‘Do milongas exist outside Argentina?’, if a milonga is ‘a place where tango is danced’, indeed, there are thousands of these. However, if a milonga is identifiable by the observance of the codes and customs of the milongas of Buenos Aires, there are few, if any, milongas outside Argentina. The practices observed in tango social dance events outside Argentina would classify all or nearly all of them as ‘practicas’ (perhaps ‘social practicas’) or ‘tango dance parties’. If any concession can be made to the concept of a milonga as an environment where specific codes are observed, it would be to classify almost all milongas outside Argentina as ‘informal milongas’, terminology that is in current use (La Nacion). Whether milongas exist that can be called ‘traditional milongas’ is a matter of discussion, something that will be addressed in a future post.

A. The Practica in the Golden Age

Probably the most extensive written description in English of the characteristics of practicas in the Golden Age of Tango (mid 1930s – mid 1950s) is that provided by Christine Denniston (biosketch) (2007, web article).

The practica, usually held in a community center or ‘club de barrio’, was where men learned and improved their tango dancing with other men. This was due in large part to the societal norms during this period that generally prevented women of good reputation from freely associating with men outside of a highly structured social environment. Women typically learned tango at home with family members (as did many men).

At the all-male practica, a man new to tango would start as a follower for a period of about a year before becoming a leader. At some point thereafter, after a man had reached a satisfactory level of development, one of the more experienced men would invite him to go to a milonga. Even after attending milongas regularly, he would still go to practicas to experiment, to try out new combinations. Unlike the milonga, where making mistakes was costly, the classic practica de tango was a safe place to take risks and make mistakes. It was an environmental for learning and improving. However, it was also a group activity, in which more experienced men taught less experienced men, without there necessarily being a specific lead instructor.

Although details do not appear to be readily available, it is reasonable (and almost logically obvious) to assume (perhaps by absence of mentioning) that practicas lacked certain features (customs) characteristic of milongas, such as separate ‘seating’ sections for leaders and followers, use of the cabeceo to invite someone to dance, structuring of music into tandas and cortinas, and perhaps even a defined ronda for dancing. The code of dress for practicas was also more relaxed, in contrast to the expectation of men wearing suits, white shirts, and ties to attend a milonga.

A more brief but similar description is provided by Argentinian Sergio Segura, a tango historian, under the heading ‘Same-Sex Tango History’.

Interviews by Monica Paz of milongueros Walter Dominguez, Osvaldo Centeno, Omar Ruberto, Ricardo Franquelo, Rodolfo Diperna, Raul Capelli all mention all-male tango practicas as part of their own tango history.

B. The Practica in Contemporary Buenos Aires

There are 68 tango practicas in Buenos Aires listed in the July – September 2011 issue of B.A. Tango; 58 of these are listed as preceded by a lesson. However, when only 1.5 – 2 hours is set aside for a lesson (typically ‘all levels’) plus ‘practica’ (as listed in B.A. Tango) this is just a lesson followed by some practice time. The September 2011 issue of La Milonga Argentina lists 32 additional practicas not listed in B.A. Tango, with very little overlap between the two publications. El Tangauta lists 22 additional practicas; i.e., there are a minimum of 122 advertised practicas per week in Buenos Aires.

Each Buenos Aires practica has its own personality, determined to a large degree by the organizer. However, as far as can be determined, the traditional all male practica no longer exists in Buenos Aires. Nevertheless there are some more or less common characteristics of contemporary Buenos Aires practicas that differentiate them from milongas.

The conventional contemporary Buenos Aires practica, usually preceded by a lesson, consists of both men and women dancers (usually, but not always with men leading and women following), practicing their tango skills, often incorporating movements that have been learned recently or are still in the developmental stage of learning. This is possible in large part because the floor density is typically lower than at a milonga. Partners are often familiar individuals, often someone with whom particular movements are being learned together in a more structured learning environment, such as a class or workshop. It is not unusual to practice dancing with only one partner during a practica. There may be a ronda, although this is not always strictly observed, in that dancers may stop and discuss aspects of their practice. Often this discussion involves an instructor, either actively intervening or summoned. Typically there is a single instructor or an instructor couple that supervises the practica; sometimes there is a team of instructors with an identifiable chief instructor. If there exist practicas in Buenos Aires without this instructional hierarchy, they are probably not listed in the aforementioned tango publications.

There are chairs for seating, although tables may be absent. Attendees seat themselves. There are no designated seating sections for men, women, and couples, and the cabeceo is not normally used to invite someone to dance. It is possible that gender roles may not be clearly defined in the assumption of leading and following roles. Dress is casual. Food and drink are typically available, although the variety may be limited compared to a milonga. Table service provided by waiters and waitresses is not typical.

The music at practicas may be structured into tandas with cortinas or it may lack these qualities. Even if there are tandas with cortinas, terminating dancing with someone before the end of a tanda (or even a song) is not generally considered impolite, nor is remaining on the floor during a cortina, should it exist. The custom of conversing a half minute or so before starting to dance at the beginning of a song may or may not be observed. Thus many of the codes and customs of the milonga are not observed.

Description of some practicas in Buenos Aires will reveal some of the variation that exists among contemporary Buenos Aires practicas, as well as some common patterns.

1. Practica at Sunderland Club

An example of a contemporary conventional practica in Buenos Aires is that held by Carlos Perez and Rosa Forte, Monday and Wednesday evenings at Sunderland Club (Tango Pilgrim report) (Terpsichoral report) (video) in the Barrio of Villa Urquiza. (Note this is not the basketball court where La Milonga del Mundo is held every Saturday night.) Perez and Forte and recognized as instructors of ‘Tango Estilo Villa Urquiza’ (Tango Estilo del Barrio). The practica begins with about 45-60 minutes of solo technique exercises, with men and women separated, followed by dance practice with active instructor participation. The music is structured into tandas with cortinas. The average age of the dancers is younger at the Sunderland practica than at the Saturday milonga. The level of dancing at the Sunderland practica is high. The total duration of the practica is approximately 2 hours.

2. La Practica de la Academia Tango Milonguero

Another conventional practica is that is currently held Mondays by La Academia de Tango Milonguero at El Beso in Congreso. The 2 hour practica is preceded by a 2 hour lesson in Tango Milonguero at the beginner to intermediate level given by the instructional staff at La Academia Tango Milonguero. There is a separate admission for the lesson and the practica. The practica itself is considerably more casual than the traditional milongas held at El Beso. The instructional staff is available for consultation, but does not actively intervene during the dance practice. (Active direct intervention occurs during the lesson.) The level of dancing is variable. Gender role reversal is permitted. The music is divided into tandas with cortinas, but does not generally follow the TTV TTM format characteristic of music programs in Buenos Aires milongas. Occasionally there are demonstrations given at this practica, something that is rare at milongas at El Beso.

3. PracticiMilonguero

A somewhat unique type of milonga is the PractiMilonguero hosted by Monica Paz (currently Tuesdays at El Beso, prior to the Cachirulo milonga), where milonga codes are taught and practiced with the context of tandas with cortinas, with instruction occurring between tandas. Milongueros are regularly interviewed and taped at this practica, with the interviews placed on YouTube and made accessible from the practica website. Admission is free.

4. Practica at Cochabamba 444

The Practica at Club General Belgrano at Cochabamba 444 in San Telmo, currently on Thursday and Friday, has been running continuously since the early 1990s. There is a 1.5 hour lesson prior to the practica, and the practica itself lasts about 4 hours (video). Admission is free with donations solicited (‘a la gorra’, or ‘pass the hat’). Over the years, this practica has been supervised by well-known tango instructors such as Pepito Avellaneda, Mingo & Ester Pugliese, Gustavo Naveira & Olga Besio (link1) (link2). The style of dancing has reflected the instructors hosting the practica.

In an El Tangauta interview, the current instructor on Fridays, Alfredo Garcia, describes some of the characteristics of the Cochabamba 444 practica. The atmosphere is casual and friendly, and someone coming alone is likely to dance. [The cabeceo is not used to invite someone to dance. (Tango in her Eyes report)] According to Garcia, Tango Nuevo is not danced at this practica. There are many beginner level dancers, mostly young; many foreigners visit. The music played is mostly classic tango music (before 1950) plus (very rarely) Piazzolla, but no electrotango; there are tandas, but no cortinas.

5. Practica X

Practica X, organized by Pablo Inza, Rail Masciocchi, and Gabriel Bortnik, has been a popular practica for dancers of Tango Nuevo for several years. It is popular among young dancers and among tourists. The practica lasts 4 hours, and is preceded by a lesson of approximately 1.5 hrs. Exhibitions are common at Practica X.

When Practica X was in a large hall (Sitio Palermo) in Palermo, there was plenty of room to practice and moving in a ronda was not obligatory (video 1) (video 2). After a visit to Practica X in December 2009, Shahrukh Merchant reported some of the features of Practica X. The music played was structured into tandas, but without cortinas; thus, movement of couples off of the floor did not follow a predictable pattern. About 90% of the recorded music was classic tango music from the Golden Age. A live orchestra (Los Reyes del Tango, which plays in the style of the 1950s D’Arienzo orchestra) was playing that evening. About 80% of the dancers were dancing what could be classified as Tango Milonguero, about 20% Tango Nuevo. As floor density increased, navigational hazards were apparent. There was no apparent instructor summoning or intervention during the practica. From this description Practica X has the characteristics of a milonga without the milonga traditions of arranged seating, use of the cabeceo, cortinas for the music, and respect for the space of other dancers on the pista.

In August 2010, Practica X moved to Viejo Correo in Caballito, a locale where traditional milongas have been held for years. The dance floor is much smaller there and the higher floor density has increased the risk of navigational hazards (Yet Another Dance Addict report) Here is a video of Practica X at Viejo Correo. This video reveals a higher proportion of Tango Nuevo dancing than reported by Merchant for the larger Palermo location.

6. Other Popular Practicas

Practicas where Tango Nuevo is typically taught and practiced are held at Club Villa Malcolm in Palermo on Mondays (El Motivo, with instructors Luciana Valle, Valencia Batiuk & Dina Martinez) and Fridays [TangoCool! (website) (video) with instructor Gabriel Glagovsky]. Pedro Benavente (El Indio), whose range of tango styles is diverse, is the instructor at the TangoLab practica in La Catedral in Almagro on Mondays and Thursdays. There are classes prior to these practicas. These practicas are frequented primarily by younger dancers. They regularly have exhibitions and sometimes have live music.

C. The Tango Practica: The Environment for Learning

Both in the Golden Age and in contemporary Buenos Aires, the tango practica has had a significant instructional component. Most practicas in Buenos Aires today are preceded by (or begin with) group guided instruction. The practica has also been an environment for experimentation, for trying out new things that have not been perfected enough for use in the milonga. Whereas making mistakes at milongas may be costly, at practicas making mistakes is the first step to tango improvement. The practica is the environment for learning, to prepare the tanguero for the milonga.

In contemporary Buenos Aires, the practica has become highly visible in the Tango Nuevo community (as indicated by conspicuousness of advertising and dedicated websites). Meredith Klein has commented on the importance of the practica to the development of Tango Nuevo. The need for space for experimentation and the relaxation of milonga codes, particularly that relating to maintaining a circulating ronda, makes the practica a suitable environment for Tango Nuevo, whereas in contrast Tango Nuevo is maladapted for the milonga. (See also Andres Amarilla’s ‘Guide to Tango Nuevo in Buenos Aires’.)

D. The Practica Nueva as a Social Environment

The traditional practica (during the Golden Age) was not designed to be a social event. However, to varying degrees, the contemporary practica is also a social event, more relaxed than the traditional milonga in dress, seating arrangements, invitations to dance, and mixing among people for social interaction in general. In particular, the Practica Nueva (where Tango Nuevo is taught and practiced) is a social tango environment, a tango dance party without the restrictive codes of the milongas. The transformation of the environment of the Practica Nueva typically occurs over the course the evening, from the formal lesson to the informal practice event with instructor involvement, and it usually progresses to a tango dance party. The Practica Nueva provides many of the same social amenities as the milonga, without the structure and strictness of milonga codes. It is an environment that is attractive to young people, a place where they can learn tango, practice, and interact socially with friends and meet new people.

E. The Tango Dance Party as a Milonga Alternative in Buenos Aires

With each passing year, more and more tango social dance venues labeled as ‘milongas’ appear, in which the traditional milonga codes are relaxed or virtually absent. These informal ‘milongas’ are, for the most part, tango social dance venues for young people; in the relaxation of milongas codes, they are similar to the social dancing time at practicas, so much so that today the boundary between practicas and milongas has become more difficult to define. The longest running informal milonga of this type is La Viruta in Palermo, founded in 1994 (video); paradoxically, La Viruta advertises its social dance as ‘una auténtica milonga porteña’ (‘an authentic Buenos Aires milonga’), while listing it on its schedule as a ‘practica’. (El Tangauta includes La Viruta under both its milonga and practica listings, while B.A. Tango lists La Viruta only under its milonga listing.) Another long-standing informal milonga in Buenos Aires is La Catedral (video) in Almagro, known for its camp warehouse-like environment (report). Other popular youth-oriented tango social dance venues in Buenos Aires advertised as milongas include Praktika8-Milonga10 (video) in Villa Crespo, and Loca! in Palermo. All of these informal milongas are preceded by tango lessons. Within all of these informal tango dance venues (practicas nuevas and informal milongas), various tango styles (tango nuevo, tango estilo del barrio, tango estilo del centro) may all be danced simultaneously on the same pista. Whether this mixing of styles and indistinct separation of venues by name and style represents a view of the future of tango evolution in Buenos Aires, or is merely an evolutionary experiment, remains to be seen. However, at this moment it is primarily a niche occupied by young Argentines and tourists (also mostly young, but including a wider age range).

F. Perspective and Summary

At least since the Golden Age of tango (1940s), the practica has been the training ground for the milonga. The practica is a place for experimentation, with making mistakes permissible, but not all that is practiced at the practica is ready for use at the milonga, because at the milonga observed mistakes can lead to the refusal of dance invitations. In contrast to the practica, the milonga is a strict environment, where selection of dance partners is controlled by observation and acceptance implemented through the cabeceo. The practica also does not require adherence to certain customs of the milonga – the observance of the ronda, the structure of music into tandas with cortinas, and separate seating sections for men, women, and couples. Although contemporary milongas in Buenos Aires do not enforce a strict dress code of women wearing dresses or skirts and men wearing suits with ties, contemporary practicas have an even more relaxed dress code, usually permitting zapatillas (sports shoes), jeans or cargo pants, and tee shirts.

Within the last decade or so, as a new genre of tango – Tango Nuevo – has evolved and gained popularity, the practica, with its allowance of experimentation and availability of more space for movement, has provided a public home for the practice of Tango Nuevo. Because Tango Nuevo is maladapted for the milonga, in the absence of this outlet for a social environment for the dance, the Practica Nueva has evolved into a social event, without the adoption of the codes of the milonga. Informal milongas lacking the strict milonga codes (such as La Viruta and La Catedral), mostly frequented by young dancers, have risen in parallel with the Practica Nueva; these venues labeled as ‘milongas’ were already existing social environments for dancing tango without the enforcement of milonga codes. Today the distinction between the Practica Nueva and the informal milonga has blurred, as all styles of tango have been incorporated into this venue class (The Social Practica or Tango Dance Party), so that the Practica Nueva as a distinct class of tango social dance venue may already be an inappropriate appellation in the moment the term has been coined; Practica X, El Motivo, and TangoCool! may still be the most popular places to dance Tango Nuevo socially, but these events are no longer exclusively and at times not evenly primarily Tango Nuevo enclaves. The blurring of the lines of distinction between ‘milonga’ and ‘practica’ may also indicate or even necessitate a change in how the term ‘milonga’ is defined within the Buenos Aires tango community. Now, for accuracy in communication, it may become necessary to formalize the term ‘una milonga tradicional’ (‘a traditional milonga’), which has been used somewhat informally (e.g., Blake, 2010), to describe and classify correctly a tango social dance venue that maintains the traditional milonga codes.

G. Bibliography

Blake, Sally (2010) – Happy Tango. SallyCat’s Guide to Dancing in Buenos Aires. Pirotta Press, Warrington, United Kingdom. (See also Update Blog)

Denniston, Christine (2007) – The Meaning of Tango. The Story of the Argentinian Dance. Portico Books. London.

Lots of time is spent discussing and arguing in English over various terminology in tango–especially by Americans, and especially on the internet via tango blogs or tango mailing lists.

What style is danced: nuevo, apilado, orillero, Villa Urquiza, del centro, club, milonguero, de salon? To me it’s like the monks in the Middle Ages arguing over how many angels can dance on the head of a pin.

When students are learning a new move, the men often ask, what is the name for this? The tangueros of Buenos Aires don’t worry about the names of things–is it ocho cortado, ocho milonguero, or ocho arrepentido? What is important is only how you dance the movement, call it what you like.

Indeed, tangueros porteños do not spend any significant amount of time talking about the named movements when discussing tango. It is because the focus in the social dance (Tango de Salon) is not in the a priori construction of specific sequences of named steps, but in the connection with one’s partner, the music, and moving in harmony with other dancers on the pista. Thus, discussion about tango at the milonga often focuses on the partner, the music, and the dancers on the pista.

Nevertheless, terms for tango movements such as salida, cruzada, ocho adelante, ocho atras, giro, boleo, etc., have been used by tangueros in Buenos Aires for decades, perhaps some terms for even a century. Sometimes there are equivalent terms for the same movement [e.g., giro (turn) = molinete (pinwheel), arrastre (drag) = barrida (sweep), ocho cortado = ocho milonguero]. Tangueros porteños understand and are capable of using this terminology when needed, even if the need is rare.

In genres of tango different from Tango de Salon, such as Tango Escenario and Tango Nuevo, where there is more focus on specific movements and specific sequence building, using the vocabulary of tango movements becomes more important.

Terminology has a specific purpose – to communicate precisely and concisely regarding a phenomenon discussed. Thus, tango terminology has its place, and the experienced tanguero is competent in using the terminology when needed, even if it is not needed often. There are times when the labeling of movements is important, particularly when learning to dance; once one is a competent dancer, this terminology is rarely necessary, unless one is a tango teacher. Although tangueros outside Argentina are more likely to retain tango terminology in their tango discussions, it is because there are a higher proportion of people involved in tango who are in the beginning stages of learning, where clear and concise terminology is beneficial for communication. Terminology, definition, and classification are not inherently bad; it is a natural part of organizing and communicating information. A problem occurs when there is an obsession with terminology for its own sake and an inability to move beyond definition and classification and apply this language within a broader context, e.g., the context of the physical and sociocultural environment, i.e., the niche in which tango is danced.

Specifically with respect to tango stylistic variation, tangueros porteños generally do not label tango by its style; the only distinction that has been made for decades, when necessary for clarity, is that between Tango de Salon and Tango Escenario (Stage Tango / Show Tango / Exhibition Tango / Tango Fantasia / Tango for Export). However, when choosing a venue for tango social dancing, tangueros porteños know what tango stylistic variations and what codes of behavior are acceptable and characteristic of each tango venue (i.e., the characteristics of the environmental niche). If one wishes to dance a style of tango that is generally labeled as Tango Nuevo, one would not go to a milonga at Lo de Celia Tango Club, for example, with the expectation of finding others who dance in a way that is characteristic of Tango Nuevo; instead a porteño with those interests would go to Villa Malcolm (except for Cachirulo on Saturdays) or to Practica X (now at Viejo Correo). If one wanted to dance with a partner of the same sex, one would not expect to find that accepted at Club Gricel; instead a porteño with that interest would go to the Tango Queer or La Marshall milongas (Gay Friendly / Gender Neutral Tango Social Dancing in Buenos Aires). If one looks in Buenos Aires Tango magazine (probably the most extensive Buenos Aires milonga listing), milongas are not listed as ‘nuevo’ or ‘gay’ or ‘traditional’. However, given that there is variation among tango social dance venues in styles of dancing tango and in the codes of behavior practiced at different venues, some precise vocabulary is needed to communicate concisely to those without specific knowledge (e.g., tango tourists) the characteristics of an environment or the manner in which people dance. It is verbose to say that “If one wishes to dance a maintained closed embrace with the feet kept on the floor, with only tango music from the 1930s, 40s, and 50s designed for dancing grouped into tandas of rhythmically similar music, in a location where men and women have different seating sections and invite a partner to dance using the cabeceo, and where the floor is cleared during the cortina, one should go to a milonga at El Beso”. It would strain the patience of the listener less to say that “If one wishes to dance Tango Milonguero at a traditional milonga, go to El Beso”.

Whereas tangueros porteños are generally aware of the tango stylistic differences at different tango venues in Buenos Aires, outside Argentina there is considerable confusion created by a tango landscape generally free of classificatory labels. In the advertisement of tango events, there is typically no attempt made to differentiate tango along stylistic dimensions. The result is that the types of tango demonstrated in this first video, in this second video, and in this third video are often labeled only as ‘tango’, without any specific frame of reference (i.e., stylistic or genre label). Likewise, tango social dance venues are rarely identified with respect to the kind of music played for dancing tango, so that no distinction is made between events where this kind of music is played versus this other kind of music. The failure to make distinctions is in part a reflection of the One Tango philosophy, which fails to recognize that different variants of tango are reflections of adaptation to different physical and sociocultural environments (Tango Styles, Genres, and Individual Expression: Part I – A Rational for Classification by Niche Adaptation).

For the person with extensive tango experience, the failure to define and label an event or locale by its position within the range of tango stylistic variation may typically result only in the loss of a little bit of time and money in attending an (unlabelled) event that fails to meet the dancer’s (informed) expectations. However, for the naïve newcomer to tango, sometimes years of dedication to tango and thousands of dollars can be invested in learning and participating in something called ‘Argentine Tango’ without the participant becoming informed of how different styles of tango are learned and practiced at the cultural source, i.e., Buenos Aires. Thus, without the use of precise and concise tango terminology, the tango danced and the music danced to are often devoid of its cultural and historical context. To some, this divorce from its cultural roots is not important, but to those from foreign cultures who have dedicated time and money to understand the cultural milieu in which tango is danced in Buenos Aires, the conflation of tango styles and musical genres in the heterogeneous mix (or perhaps even biased representation) that is characteristic of tango events outside Argentina, a reflection of the often promoted One Tango philosophy, limits or even prohibits the enjoyment of events organized under the banner of ‘tango’.

When viewed without this context, tango terminology, rather than being a distraction, becomes a conduit to a better understanding of tango.

During the latter part of the Golden Age, a different style of tango was evolving in the milongas in the central (“downtown”) part of the Buenos Aires. In the smaller and more crowded confiterias and night clubs where tango was danced, a more compact tango evolved. In this style of tango and its descendant forms, the embrace is maintained in the closed position throughout the dance, usually in a posture with a slight forward lean. Movements are smaller, with less ornamentation, and although turns are used, they are often interrupted with a change of direction, thus, the widespread use of the ocho cortado that serves this purpose. Movement is also varied with the rhythmic variation of the music by the alternation of slower and rapid movements (‘slows’ and ‘quicks’). In the 1950s this style of tango was referred to as petitero, caquero, confiteria style, or tango del centro. Today this style of tango is most commonly referred to as ‘tango (estilo) milonguero’ in Buenos Aires and ‘milonguero style tango’ outside Buenos Aires (Salon Style Tango, Milonguero Style Tango, and Tango de Salon in Buenos Aires and in North America), terminology attributed to tango instructor Susana Miller (Denniston), who has popularized her interpretation of this style of tango in Buenos Aires and throughout the world. The terminology ‘estilo milonguero’ refers to the milongueros who created this style of tango dancing in the milongas in downtown Buenos Aires. There is also an occasional reference to this style of tango as ‘Almagro style’, referencing the club where Miller taught tango in the early 1990s. At times the term ‘tango apilado’, referring to the forward postural lean of this style, is used as a synonym for Tango Milonguero, although the fallacy in the focus upon this characteristic of the dance has been discussed previously (Is Tango Apilado equivalent to Tango Milonguero?). An example of this style of tango is shown in this demonstration by Osvaldo Centeno & Ana Maria Shapira. An example of a milonga where almost everyone is dancing Tango Milonguero is shown in this recording of ‘La milonga del los consagrados’ at El Centro Region Leonesa in the barrio of Constitucion, near downtown Buenos Aires.

The Primary Problem with the Tango Milonguero Label

One problem with applying the Tango Milonguero label is that not all milongueros (people who have devoted a significant part of their lives to dancing tango in the milongas of Buenos Aires) dance a similar style of tango. This is certainly true at the individual level in that each milonguero has his own characteristic way of dancing, his own individual expression of tango. Nevertheless, there are certain traits that many dancers in the milongas of Buenos Aires have in common, and it is the existence of distinct clusters of dancers with similar definable traits that identify a style of tango (Tango Styles, Genres, and Individual Expression). The label Tango Milonguero has been applied to one cluster of stylistic variation of tango, the style of tango that evolved in the milongas in downtown Buenos Aires in the early 1950s. However, what the term ‘milonguero’ attached to this label implies is that the style of tango represented (taught, demonstrated, or identified) by this term defines the way milongueros as a group dance. This objection has been raised previously by Christine Denniston. What Tango Milonguero as a defined style of tango does not include as its practitioners are men who have devoted a significant part of their lives to tango (thus, milongueros) who dance the style of tango that developed in the outer barrios of Buenos Aires during the Golden Age (i.e., Tango Estilo del Barrio). Thus, the term Tango Milonguero is exclusionary in failing to include within its definition the style of tango danced by milongueros such as Gerardo Portalea, Ricardo Ponce (El Chino Perico), Miguel Balmaceda, and Puppy Castello, whose styles of tango are representative of Tango Estilo del Barrio. In addition, as will be discussed below, what has generally been defined as Tango Milonguero does not encompass the entire range of stylistic variation danced by milongueros in the downtown milongas of Buenos Aires in the 1950s. The fact that there have existed milongueros whose style of dancing does not fit within the range of characteristics defined for Tango Milonguero brings into question the validity of the label for the defined style of tango it represents and terminology less misleading than Tango Milonguero needs to be sought.

Tango Estilo del Centro as an Alternative Label for the Downtown Style of Tango

Although high milonga floor density was a primary determinant in the development of the compact maintained close embrace stylistic variant of tango that has been labeled as Tango Milonguero (with the anonymity of the singles scene in downtown Buenos Aires milongas being a contributing factor) (Tango de Salon: The Tango of the Milonga), in the 1950s stylistic differences in dancing tango were largely associated with geography. The term Tango Estilo del Barrio reflects the fact that the more ‘open’ style of tango of the 1950s (embrace may open, movements more spacious) developed in the neighborhood clubs. Likewise it would seem logical to label the style of tango that developed in downtown Buenos Aires in the 1950s as ‘Tango Estilo del Centro’. This name was used to some degree historically to label this style of tango (Tango-L post). In a recent YouTube video (no longer available) of Horacio Godoy teaching in Moscow, he also used the term ‘tango del centro’ to describe this tango style.

One obstacle in using ‘Tango Estilo del Centro’ as an alternative term for ‘Tango Milonguero’ is that performer and tango instructor Daniel Lapadula already has been using this label for marketing his interpretation of the downtown style of tango. Lapadula’s website offers video clips of segments from his ‘Tango Estilo del Centro’ instructional DVD as well as some exhibitions he has given at various venues. A more intensive examination of the DVD reveals that the style of tango taught is not what is usually defined as Tango Milonguero. There is a forward postural lean and an extended arm position in the embrace that is characteristic of Tango Milonguero, but there is a ‘V-form’ to the embrace with the open side (man’s left) opened somewhat and contact maintained only on the closed side of the embrace (man’s right); the woman is offset to the man’s right and faces inward towards his face, unlike the orientation of the woman’s face over the man’s right shoulder with cheek-to-cheek contact characteristic of Tango Milonguero. The dance itself improvises on the rhythm of the music with frequent use of rock steps and alternation of quicks and slows, which is similar to Tango Milonguero.

Lapadula’s perspective on his version of Tango Estilo del Centro vis-à-vis Tango Milonguero is evident from the following interview posted on his website:

(A. F.):¿Cuál sería la diferencia entre el “del centro” y el “milonguero”?

(D. L.) : En realidad, quien lo llamó estilo milonguero, lo hizo mal. Porque el milonguero, es el tipo que va a las milongas. El estilo que quisieron imponer como milonguero, si recorrés y sos de conocer la noche, te vas a dar cuenta de que, de mil personas que estamos reciclando todas las milongas, quizás un cinco por ciento baila milonguero, si llega. Se globalizó el nombre. A distintas formas de enseñar se las llamó milonguero. Milonguero es lo que en un principio hizo Cacho Dante, Teté y Susana Miller. Buscaron un cierre plano de hombre y mujer apilados, pero totalmente apilados. Entonces al no tener espacios no espacios de salida laterales, o caminatas por fuera. Entonces buscaban pasos, lineales, pero en base a esa figura. A no tener espacios para el movimiento. Entonces no hay pivote, porque el pivote no permitiría mantener la línea paralela. Sin juzgar, juzgar no me interesa, yo soy quién soy y llegué a dónde llegué, no me interesa lo que hagan los demás; poniendo eso como pauta, por lógica te diría que, primero, el abrazo es desigual, porque un lado está abrazado y el otro está abierto o en resistencia. Entonces, si hay algo que no está cuadrado, como simétrico, no se puede bailar simétrico.

This is translated as follows:

Interviewer: What would be the difference between ‘el centro’ and ‘milonguero’?

Lapadula: In reality, whoever called it ‘milonguero style’, made a mistake, because the milonguero is the guy who goes to the milongas. The style that they want to impose as ‘milonguero’, if you go around at night and count, of 1000 people cycling through all the milongas, perhaps 5 percent dance milonguero, if it’s even there. The name has been globalized. There were different forms of teaching that were called milonguero. Milonguero is that which Cacho Dante, Tete, and Susana Miller did in the beginning. They sought to include men and women dancing apilado, but totally apilado, with no space to go to the side or walk outside. Then they were looking for linear steps but, at its foundations, a figure. But not having space for movement, there is no pivot, because the pivot would not permit maintaining the parallel alignment. Without judging (I am not interested in judging), I am who I am and I have arrived at where I have arrived, I am not interested in what the others may do; with that standard, logically I would like to say that, first, the embrace is asymmetric, because one side is closed and the other is open, or in opposition. Then, if there is something that is not aligned, as in symmetric, it is not possible to dance symmetrically.

Thus, Lapadula argues against the validity of the ‘milonguero style’ on two main grounds – first, that is not prevalent in the downtown milongas. However, an examination of a recording of dancing in Lo de Celia, a traditional milonga where the downtown style of tango predominates, will reveal that the embrace that characterizes Tango Milonguero predominates. Only one couple (at around 1:55, identifiable by the woman wearing the red blouse) has an embrace similar to that used by Lapadula & co-instructor Dolores de Amo in their instructional DVD. Lapadula’s second reason for dismissing Tango Estilo Milonguero is that the embrace is symmetric. Certainly thousands of dancers have not found this to be illogical and it is indeed the preferred embrace among dancers at milongas in Buenos Aires today. This does not negate the validity of dancing with a partially opened embrace; it is a stylistic preference that can be functional. However, Lapadula’s arguments against the Tango Milonguero embrace are no more than a personal opinion.

A different opinion on the degree of offset of the embrace is provided by Denniston:

The thing that makes this style exciting is the connection within the couple and the musicality of the dancers. Quite quickly I started to notice people finding ways of manipulating the close embrace in order to maintain an emotional distance from their partners. Most particularly I noticed people not dancing directly in front of each other, but with the follower away to the leader’s right. This was certainly not my experience of dancing with people who had danced this style in the 1950s. They always were directly in front of me, as were almost all the dancers I danced with who had been dancing in the Golden Age, whatever the style.

A demonstration by Lapadula & de Amo from the instructional DVD is a reasonable representation of a type of tango that could occur in a crowded milonga in Buenos Aires today. However, in some respects the movements demonstrated in this DVD do not appear to be adapted to navigation in crowded downtown Buenos Aires milongas. Although the relatively compact movements and frequent changes of direction, including liberal use of the ocho cortado, would appear to function in this respect, most movements are demonstrated with an assumed linear forward progression of couple in the ronda, which is not characteristic of crowded (or even not so crowded) downtown Buenos Aires milongas, where the man basically navigates much of the time keeping the woman’s back to the outer edge of the floor, with progression in the direction of movement of the counterclockwise circulating ronda occurring primarily due to sideways left movements of the man and only occasional forward movement in the direction of the ronda (Milongueros Dancing Tango in the Milongas of Buenos Aires). Lapadula’s Tango Estilo del Centro also violates milonga codes at times in the inclusion of such movements as quebradas, ganchos, and puentes (Codes and Customs of the Milongas of Buenos Aires: The Basics), which are more characteristic of Tango Escenario (Stage Tango / Show Tango / Exhibition Tango / Tango Fantasia / Tango for Export). Another demonstration from the instructional DVD incorporates these fantasia elements while also opening the embrace during turns, in contradiction to the claim in the first instructional segment of the DVD that the embrace is never opened in Tango Estilo del Centro. Thus, Lapadula’s Tango Estilo del Centro at times represents the tango danced in the crowded milongas of downtown Buenos Aires and at times does not. Lapadula appears to be the only tango instructor using Tango Estilo del Centro as a label for this style of tango.

The Relationship of Club-Style Tango to Tango Estilo del Centro

Given the characteristic traits of Lapadula’s Tango Estilo del Centro, Stephen Brown’s commentary on ‘club style tango’ is interesting:

Club-Style Tango.
Club-style tango has the rhythmic sensibilities of milonguero-style tango, but it uses a more upright posture, separate axes and close embrace of the Villa Urquiza style of tango. Club-style tango is danced with an upright posture with the two dancers maintaining separate axes while embracing closely in an offset V. The couple loosens their embrace slightly on their turns to allow the woman to rotate more freely and pivot without requiring much independent movement between her hips and torso. If the woman rotates her hips through the turns independently of her upper torso, the embrace need not be loosened as much.… Club-style tango uses the ocho cortado and other rhythmic figures that are found in milonguero-style tango. Possibly a rhythmic variation of the Villa Urquiza style of tango, some people regard club-style tango as a mish mash of styles rather than a separate style. Club style tango can also identified as Tango Estilo del Centro, referring to its current use in the central area of Buenos Aires….

How Are the Milonguero and Club Styles Related?
As described above, the styles are very similar. Club-style tango was danced in some of the clubs de barrios during the 1950s, while milongueros were dancing somewhat different styles in central Buenos Aires. These facts suggest that milonguero- and club-style tango may have developed at about the same time. Eduardo Arquimbau, a leading dancer of club-style tango, claims that several of the better-known milonguero-style dancers took lessons in club-style tango from him during the 1950s. His claim has led some to raise the possibility that club-style tango may have played an important role in the development of milonguero-style tango.

Except for the element of upright posture, Brown’s description of ‘club style tango’ is similar in many respects to the Tango Estilo del Centro portrayed by Lapadula. Brown implies that ‘club-style tango’ developed in los clubes de barrio (i.e., in the outer barrios) and that Tango Estilo del Centro (and possibly Tango Milonguero) may be derivatives that developed in downtown Buenos Aires.

Eduardo Arquimbau’s perspective as someone who danced in the milongas of Buenos Aires during the 1950s is significant here. Linda Valentino of Los Angeles reports that:

… Eduardo is also one of the great milongueros of his generation – the guys who grew up dancing in the milongas of the early-mid 1950s. He is one of the teachers most responsible for the worldwide popularity of the “club” style tango (or milonguero style, confiteria style, close embrace, apilado – whatever your preferred term is).… This style is very rhythmic, very close, and VERY FUN.

This web page continues with Valentino’s report (and translation) of Arquimbau’s words:

Tango of the ‘50s (what we variously refer to as club, milonguero, apilado, close embrace, etc.) is danced without separation, using the “contra-tiempos” and lots of “playing” with the rhythms. It does not pause and does not use a lot of complicated figures and adornos.

A demonstration given by Gloria & Eduardo Arquimbau after a workshop on ‘club-style tango’ (from a privately circulated recording) reveals that with its maintained closed embrace in a forward leaning posture, and compact movements improvising on rhythmic variation in the music and employing rocks steps and the ocho cortado, the style of tango demonstrated falls within the range of variation typically described for Tango Milonguero (Salon Style Tango, Milonguero Style Tango and Tango de Salon in Buenos Aires and in North America). A recording of a similar demonstration of tango (without mention of style represented) at another workshop shows similar characteristics. (Note that in the milonga demonstration in this recording Gloria turns her head inward towards Eduardo’s face, which is not characteristic of Tango Milonguero, as usually defined.) These recordings of tango demonstrations by Gloria & Eduardo, specifically referred to in the first demonstration as ‘club-style tango’ are somewhat different from the club-style tango described by Brown and different from the Tango Estilo del Centro danced by Lapadula.

Tango Estilo del Centro as an Umbrella Term for all Downtown Tango Styles

The high floor density in downtown Buenos Aires milongas during the early 1950s was highly influential in the evolution of tango stylistic variations where movement was compact with rapid, rhythm based changes of direction (i.e., rock steps and the ocho cortado), and the embrace was maintained in the closed position throughout the dance. In the milongas of Buenos Aires today, most dancers have these traits as the foundation of their dance, as is evident in the recordings of La Milonga del Los Consagrados and Lo de Celia Tango Club referenced above. Yet there is still variation around this core set of traits, particularly in the nature of the embrace, in that there is a range of variation in the degree of postural lean (from upright to balanced forward), degree of offset (from centrally aligned to offset to the right), the angle of the contact (shoulders parallel to a ‘V-frame), the orientation of the woman’s head (from over the man’s right shoulder to directed inward towards his face), the degree of extension of arms around the partner (e.g., from woman’s arm on man’s biceps to draping over his right shoulder to cross the midline of his back), and the height of the man’s arms reaching around the woman’s back (from at the shoulder level to below the shoulder level).

Tango Milonguero (as it is usually defined by its promoters and adherents) occupies a particular sector in this range of variation – forward lean, centrally aligned, shoulders parallel, woman’s head oriented over the man’s right shoulder with her left arm draped over the top of his shoulders, man’s arms reaching across the woman’s back at the height of her shoulder blades. This is the most common stylistic variant of tango danced in the milongas of Buenos Aires today, as is seen in this video of a milonga at Lo de Celia Tango Club, a traditional milonga near downtown Buenos Aires.

In another sector of this range of stylistic variation is a second set of traits seen at times in the milongas of Buenos Aires today – upright posture, offset to the right, V-frame, woman’s head directed inward toward the mans’ face with her left arm contacting the man’s upper arm or extending slightly beyond to contact the right side of his back below the shoulder blade, and the man’s arm holding the woman’s back below the shoulders. This second point on the range of stylistic variation is close to Brown’s description of ‘club-style tango’. Add a forward lean to the posture and a more complete and higher extension of the arms around the partner and this is Lapadula’s Tango Estilo del Centro (assuming the ganchos, puentes, and quebradas are dropped).

Given that there are small differences between these points on the continuum, as well as dancers whose traits fill in the space in between these points, these minor stylistic variations are still part of a cluster of related traits, one that is distinctly different from the smoother style (i.e., accenting rhythmic variations less), with more pauses and liberal use of adornments, that opens the embrace for turns, that is labeled here as Tango Estilo del Barrio. The question raised here is what is an appropriate name for this style of tango that evolved in the downtown milongas of Buenos Aires during the 1950s? The Tango Milonguero label is misleading because not all milongueros have danced this way, and also because as usually promoted, Tango Milonguero includes only a part (albeit the most common contemporary variant) of the range of variation in the downtown-derived style. Brown’s description of ‘club-style tango’ is another less common part of contemporary variation, and it is different from Arquimbau’s ‘club-style tango’ (which appears to be essentially Tango Milonguero), so ‘club-style tango’ is not a good choice as a label for this cluster of related stylistic traits.

It is suggested here that the entire cluster of tango stylistic variation characterized by compact, rhythm-based movements in a maintained closed embrace, an evolutionary descendent (with perhaps some undetectable and unverifiable changes) from the style of tango that developed in the milongas of downtown Buenos Aires in the 1950s be called, very simply, Tango Estilo del Centro. This label pays tribute to its origins and complements the labeling of the style of the outer barrios in the 1950s as Tango Estilo del Barrio. This is a distinction made, perhaps only informally, by porteños in differentiating between these distinctly different styles of Tango de Salon by their geographic origin. Labels such as Tango Estilo Villa Urquiza and Tango Milonguero are terms coined later, in the Tango Renaissance period of the 1990s, and have been shown above to be inaccurate and misleading.

There are several obstacles to the proposition that Tango Estilo del Centro replace Tango Milonguero as a label for the compact, rhythmic, maintained closed embrace style of Tango de Salon. Perhaps the least formidable is that Lapadula has been using this label for some years. Since his appropriation of this term has not led to a propagation of other instructors teaching the Lapadula syllabus using this label, there is not a long and widespread tradition of use of this terminology with which to contend. The expansion of the term Tango Estilo del Centro to include the entire cluster of related downtown-derived tango stylistic variation (at the very least the variations demonstrated and/or described by Lapadula, Brown, Arquimbau, and Miller) seems to be both fair and logical.

The greatest obstacle to replacing the terminology Tango Milonguero with Tango Estilo del Centro is the widespread use of the label Tango Milonguero. The term Tango Milonguero has expanded beyond the disciples of Susana Miller and La Academia Tango Milonguero to include numerous other instructors, as a perusal of Buenos Aires tango periodicals Buenos Aires Tango, El Tanguata, and Diostango will reveal. Perhaps it is not that important what name is used, as long as people understand what stylistic variation is included under a label. However, as long as styles of tango danced by some milongueros from the past and present eras do not fall into the cluster of stylistic variation defined as Tango Milonguero, the appropriateness of this label needs to be questioned. Perhaps with repeated use Tango Estilo del Centro will become a preferred alternative to Tango Milonguero.

Future Tango Voice posts will continue to use the label Tango Milonguero to refer specifically to the sector of related stylistic traits that are characteristic of this variant, as defined above. Henceforth, the label Tango Estilo del Centro will refer to the larger cluster of stylistic variation that characterizes the tango that developed in the downtown milongas of Buenos Aires in the early 1950s and its contemporary descendants, including Tango Milonguero.

Tango Milonguero is characterized by a maintained close embrace, a forward lean in the posture, smaller steps, and improvisation on the rhythmic variation of tango music (Tango Milonguero: Improvised Expression of Music through Movement in a Shared Embrace). The forward lean typically has been interpreted as an identifying characteristic of Tango Milonguero (or ‘milonguero style tango’). For example, Stephen Brown begins his description of ‘milonguero-style tango’ with:

Milonguero-style tango is typically danced with a slightly leaning posture that typically joins the torsos of the two dancers from the tummy through the solar plexus (in an embrace that Argentines call apilado) to create a merged axis while allowing a little bit of distance between the couple’s feet.  The embrace is also typically closed with the woman’s right shoulder as close to her partner’s left shoulder as her left shoulder is to his right, and the woman’s left arm is often draped behind the man’s neck.  Some practitioners of this style suggest that each dancer lean against their partner.  Others say that the lean is more of an illusion in which each partner maintains their own balance, but leans forward just enough to complete the embrace.

Emphasizing the postural lean characteristic of Tango Milonguero, the term ‘tango apilado’ has often been used as a synonym for Tango (Estilo) Milonguero. [See also Braverman.] ‘Apilado’ is the past participle of the verb ‘apilar’ which is translated as meaning ‘to pile up; … to put into a pile’. The application in tango is that one person’s body is ‘piled up’ on another person’s body.

As an example of this equation, Yvonne Meissner, a tango instructor in the Netherlands with extensive experience in dancing Tango Milonguero, treats ‘milonguero style’ and ‘tango salon in the apilado manner’ as equivalent terms (link):

In 1993, a performing group of authentic milongueros came to Holland and taught what they called the Milonguero Style, which, for them, was just a general term for Tango Salon, but because they danced with a close embrace, Milonguero Style became the term for this ‘Buenos Aires’ way of dancing. Tango Salon in the Apilado manner is the same as Milonguero Style i.e. with the couple dancing in a close embrace. The term Apilado can be interpreted loosely as “put yourself forward” for the leader or “lean towards the leader” for the follower, which describes the kind of close embrace used by the milongueros from the centre of Buenos Aires. As the dancers lean towards each other (more or less according to preference) they share a third axis, creating, vertically from the heels, a /\ formation in which the apex of the /\ corresponds to the upper part of both bodies where the couple are in contact. In addition the follower embraces the leader by putting her left arm around his neck towards his left shoulder.

The equivalence of tango apilado to Tango Milonguero also has been attributed to Susana Miller:

Susana Miller is the preeminent teacher of Argentine Tango in the Milonguero Style, a term she coined to introduce tango apilado to students around the world. Milonguero Style is a synthesis of Susana’s studies over the years of the unique dancing styles of the older milongueros…. Tango Milonguero/Apilado is a rich and complex form of subtle body signals that profoundly respects tango’s rhythms while emphasizing musicality, the connection between partners, and a compact choreography that creatively employs the limited space of the social dance floor.… Susana’s exploration of apilado dancing is a huge contribution to passing on this popular form of social tango.

This attribution is supported in the translated interview of Miller from El Tanguata:

In the salon the couple dances for their own enjoyment, and not for show…. The man offers his musical consciousness to the woman, and she follows him as if she was his shirt. Her creativity flows through her interpretation of the manner of enjoying in her body, and giving back what the man proposes…. The vocabulary that this dancing elite communicates with permits a view, a gaze at the meaning of this dance: “to walk the tango”. “apilarse”, “to sleep the woman”, “to move her”, “to dance her”.

However, the term ‘apilado’ to describe the postural orientation in Tango Milonguero is traceable further to milonguero Pedro ‘Tete’ Rusconi, whom Miller assisted in teaching tango:

‘Tete’ referred to his method of embrace as apilado, (piled up, or pressed together) because of this, milonguero style is sometimes called apilado.

Inconsistencies in the Application of the Term ‘Apilado’

Maria Plazaola, with Susana Miller one of the co-directors of La Academia Tango Milonguero in Buenos Aires states:

When we speak of the “milonguero style” we’re speaking about a particular “apilado” type of social dancing in which the axes are projected slightly forward but in which each person maintains his or her own axis and there’s not a shared axis. Only occasionally is there an option for the man to create a situation in which the lean is deepened, generating a shared axis. The embrace is never modified during the dance.

Janis Kenyon, an American tanguera who has resided in Buenos Aires since 1999 also comments:

Milonguero style is danced in a close embrace that is not altered during the dance. You both have your weight over your feet and maintain your own balance. There is body contact from the head to the waist area. I don’t agree that a woman has to lean on her partner in this style. Perhaps some have come to this conclusion after observing men with extra weight around the middle dancing with slender women who need to change their body position to adjust to his shape. In order for her to maintain a straight back, she needs to bring her feet away from her partner and change the angle of her body position. But for the majority of men I dance with in Buenos Aires, this is not necessary. In fact, if you lean on some men, they may ask you to stand up and dance on your own two feet rather than leaning forward on them.

Since the term ‘apilado’ has been attributed to milonguero Pedro ‘Tete’ Rusconi, an examination of his dancing with his last partner Silvia Ceriani will indicate the degree of lean in his posture (Video 1) (Video 2) (Video 3); although there are a few moments where Tete creates a situation where Silvia leans forward and he supports her axis, Tete and Silvia each maintain their own axis throughout the dances. The same can be said for the demonstrations given by milongueros Ricardo Vidort & Myriam Pincen, ‘El Flaco’ Dany Garcia & Silvina Valz, Pedro Sanchez & Eva Garlez, and Ruben Harymbat & Enriqueta Kleinman, all representatives of the downtown style Tango Milonguero. This postural orientation (maintaining one’s own axis) also characterizes the demonstration of Eduardo Aguirre & Yvonne Meissner that is specifically labeled as ‘Tango Apilado’. Even though the forward-leaning ‘apilado’ posture characteristic of Tango Milonuero is claimed to function to allow space between partners’ feet while dancing in a closed embrace, it is remarkable that throughout these demonstrations, the feet of the partners are rarely more than one foot length apart. It is the man’s movement of the chest prior to moving the feet forward and the woman’s extension backward that provide the space for walking.

A contrasting view of the ‘apilado’ posture in Tango Milonguero is presented by Eran Braverman:

Apilado (sometimes called Milonguero, Almagro, Cafe or Confiteria) means piled up in Spanish, in which the dancers have an especially strong lean against each other. It is a style beautifully crafted by the maestro Carlos Gavito. Apilado / Milonguero has the following attributes:

 The lead and follower lean against each much more than usual.
 Both dancers are leaning forward with their axes on the edge of balance, particularly the follower – there is variation allowed in the strength of the lean, but it is sufficient such that if one partner is removed, the other will fall. The lean is preserved throughout the dance, with constant contact.
 The apilado is a prerequisite for the volcada.
 Both lead and follower are highly responsible for maintaining their own axis and balance.

It should be noted that ‘if one partner is removed, the other will fall’ versus ‘both leader and follower are highly responsible for maintaining their own axis and balance’ are contradictory statements. Also, although the apilado posture is a prerequisite for the volcada, the volcada is not a characteristic movement of Tango Milonguero [Tango Estilo Milonguero Nuevo (Nuevo Milonguero)].

Igor Polk also defines the apilado posture as one where partners do not support their own axis:

What is Apilado? Apilado is the position in Argentine Tango where partners lean against each other. The amount of lean can vary, it can be very large and small, but lean is always present in such a way that if a partner is removed, another one will fall down. Apilado position is used in several close embrace styles, and in elements in other Argentine Tango styles.… Apilado is one of the styles of Close Embrace Tango.… There are other close embrace styles of Argentine Tango which do not use Apilado.

Thus, Polk differentiates Tango Apilado, in which each dancer supports the other’s balance, from other stylistic variations of tango utilizing a maintained closed embrace. It is not clear which of Polk’s ‘6 close embrace styles’ most resembles the Tango Milonguero (with a self-supported axis) danced in the milongas of Buenos Aires, but a Tango Voice reader has noted that Polk considers ‘milonguero-style’ a simplified form of the ‘nuevo close embrace’ style. It would be interesting to learn what milongueros dancing in the milongas of Buenos Aires would think of this classification.

Polk provides an example of Tango Apilado in this video. Note that the distance between partners’ feet (an indication of the degree of lean) tends to be greater that in the videos of milongueros dancing referenced above.

Tango Apilado as a Product of the Stage

Braverman identifies Carlos Gavito as a major influence in the development of the ‘Apilado / Milonguero’ style of tango. Although Gavito was a more than competent social tango dancer, it is his creative developments in the genre of Tango Escenario for which he is most remembered. One of the characteristic movements used by Gavito in his stage performances was the puente (‘bridge’), in which he created an off-balance forward lean of the woman, whose weight he supported. This was often done as part of the calesita (‘carousel’), in which the woman is pivoted while stationary. (See also comment by Charles Roques). These movements are demonstrated in the following performance in a tango show by Carlos Gavito & Maria Plazaola. The apilado posture is readily apparent in the degree of lean (there is no doubt that Gavito is supporting Plazaola’s axis), and reinforced by the large distance between their feet. In another performance by Gavito & Plazaola it is noteworthy although the puente is created several times during the demonstration, an extended closed embrace (with arm positions characteristic of Tango Milonguero) is maintained throughout the dance. The maintained close embrace might lead some to consider this performance a representation of social tango (Tango de Salon). What one needs to consider is that Gavito was in this case in the role of a performer of Tango Escenario, the tango for the stage, and what is represented in this performance is a dramatization and thus exaggeration (albeit appropriate for the context) of Tango Milonguero. However, it is not Tango Milonguero as danced in the milongas of Buenos Aires. In the videos of milongueros dancing Tango Milonguero referenced above, the extreme off-axis lean demonstrated by Gavito is not seen. The demonstration of Gavito & Plazaola is also not Tango Milonguero (or more generally, Tango de Salon) because the extended pauses can create a stoppage of the flow of the ronda in the milonga, thus violating the codes of the milonga; although some pauses may be used even in Tango Milonguero, they are typically momentary (one or two beats) and not expansive in use of space. (See Milongueros Dancing Tango in the Milongas of Buenos Aires).

Failure to differentiate Tango Milonguero from a dramatized version of Tango Milonguero that may be portrayed on the stage can lead to miscommunication by tango instructors to their students. This can be seen readily in the description provided by San Francisco Bay area tango instructors Jonathan Yamauchi & Olivia Levitt, who teach “slow and sensual tango movements in the Gavito’s salon milonguero apilado style — which is the most sensual and intimate style of close embrace Argentine tango.” A video of one of their performances, labeled as ‘Nuevo Milonguero-Apilado style tango’, rich with off axis postures and movements, is clearly neither Tango Milonguero in the narrow sense nor Tango de Salon in the broader sense. [See also: Tango Estilo Milonguero Nuevo (Nuevo Milonguero)].

Tango Apilado is NOT Equivalent to Tango Milonguero

Apilado describes the forward lean that exists between partners while dancing in an enclosed embrace. This lean is characteristic of Tango Milonguero, the stylistic variant of Tango de Salon that is adapted to the milonga environment (Tango de Salon: the Tango of the Milonga). In Tango Milonguero, each dancer maintains his or her own balance; i.e., each is ‘balanced forward’, with the center of gravity typically located vertically over the metatarsals, the bones directly posterior to the toes. This balance is consistent with the need for maintained stability in implementing the ad hoc moment-to-moment improvisation often required under crowded floor conditions in Buenos Aires milongas. A stable balance between partners is also consistent with a man providing a woman a sense of security in dancing at the milonga. A dance at a milonga is not a carnival ride that challenges the balance; at its best it is a moment of peaceful shared intimacy.

In contrast, balance dependency between partners such as the puente con calesita characteristic of Carlos Gavito’s stage performances provides entertainment for tango shows. This is a representative of Tango Escenario, a different genre of tango adapted for a different environmental niche.

Thus, there is inconsistency (i.e., in degree of lean and balance maintenance) in the use of the term ‘apilado’ in describing tango stylistic variation. A forward leaning posture with each partner maintaining his or her own axis is characteristic of Tango Milonguero, but a strong forward lean creating a dependency upon the partner for maintaining balance is not. The term ‘apilado’ itself may serve as a useful adjective to differentiate the postural characteristics of,  for example, Tango Milonguero from Tango Estilo del Barrio (Tango de Salon: the Tango of the Milonga), and indeed this terminology has been used as such by Tete and others dancing this style. However, Tango Milonguero comprises more than a postural lean; it is a stylistic variant of Tango de Salon characterized by, at the very least, an enclosed embrace maintained in a balanced forward leaning (‘apilado’) posture that uses compact movements while paying close attention to the rhythmic variation in classic tango music. Labeling Tango Milonguero as ‘tango apilado’ draws attention to only one characteristic of the dance and may provide a misleading representation of the numerous features of the dance, just as a label such as ‘tango volcado’ would provide a misleading representation of Tango Nuevo.

Thus, because various degrees of forward lean have been associated with the term ‘apilado’ in several different styles and genres of tango (Tango Milonguero, Tango Escenario, certainly Tango Nuevo, even Tango Canyengue), the term ‘tango apilado’ represents at best a heterogeneous classification or at worst a different kind of tango to different people. For these reasons, ‘tango apilado’ is not a useful category label for the classification of tango stylistic variation.

In this post the identifying characteristics of the Milonga environment are discussed, as well as the adaptations and acceptable stylistic variations of the tango dance necessary for successful functioning in this environment. The subsequent post will address adaptations of the tango dance to the environment of the Practica. Tango for the Stage (Tango Escenario) has been addressed in detail previously.

Identifying Characteristics of the Milonga Environment

The milonga is the social environment in which tango is danced, although not every social environment in which tango is danced is a milonga. What identifies the milonga environment (and the event called a ‘milonga’ that occurs there) is a set of cultural traditions that are followed. These traditions include the physical layout of the milonga, the music played for dancing, and the codes of social behavior on and off the dance floor.

(1) The Aural Environment: Music Played at the Milonga

Tango music is the raison d’etre for the milonga; it provides the energy and atmosphere for the tango dance. Without tango music, there is no milonga.

In contemporary Buenos Aires milongas, almost all of the music played is the classic tango music recorded in the 1930s, 40s, and 50s; occasionally music is played from some orchestras after the Golden Age that play in the style of the Golden Age (Music Played at Milongas / Tango Social Dance Venues). Except for the infrequently played music of Pugliese from the 1950s, this music has a clear and regular rhythm conducive for dancing. Tango music also has an emotive quality, an ability to evoke strong emotions from the listener.

A program of tango music at the milonga is structured into tandas, a set of 4 tangos (or typically 4 valses or 3 milongas) from the same orchestra (sometimes different orchestras if vals or milonga) with the same tempo and energy. The sequence of tandas usually follows a TTV TTM sequence (T=tango, V=vals, M=milonga), with some minor deviations such as sometimes 3 tandas of tango in sequence; more commonly sets of tropical music (cumbia, salsa, merengue), jazz, rock & roll, Argentine folklore (e.g., chacarera, paso doble) in various combinations are interspersed at varying intervals. After each tanda, a cortina of (supposedly) non-danceable music is played, announcing a change in the genre of music for dancing.

The characteristics of tango music and the structure of the program of music have an impact on social interaction at the milonga.

(2) The Physical and Sociocultural Environment of the Milonga

Historically, during the Golden Age (mid-1930s to mid-1950s), there were two somewhat distinct types of social environment in which tango was danced in Buenos Aires – ‘la milonga del centro’ (the Downtown Milonga) and ‘la milonga del barrio’ (the Neighborhood Milonga) (Variation in Traditional Tango Venues in Buenos Aires). La milonga del barrio was typically located in a neighborhood social club (club de barrio) that served some other purpose during most of the week (e.g., an athletic club) but on a Friday or Saturday night or a Sunday afternoon was transformed into a place where friends and family gathered over a meal and danced tango (and other dances). La milonga del centro was more likely located in a confiteria (‘coffee house’) or cabaret (night club) in downtown Buenos Aires, where tango may have been danced several times throughout the week and where tango dancing was primarily a singles’ activity in which men and women might meet to explore romantic possibilities. (Some attendees may have been married but came without their spouses.)

Today there are few milongas actually in the ‘city center’ (parts of the barrios of San Nicolas, Monserrat and Balvanera) and the differentiation of milongas by location is somewhat less distinct (although still very real in many respects). Nevertheless, while understanding both that these differences are not absolute and that there is variation among milongas of each type, this differentiation serves as a convenient dichotomy for classifying different types of milongas, and also has significance for understanding tango stylistic variation.

(a) La Milonga del Centro (The Downtown Milonga)

This is the milonga where men and women meet, perhaps just to dance, to enjoy the warmth of the embrace of someone of the opposite sex while dancing tango, or perhaps to develop a romantic and/or sexual relationship. Many people at the milonga do not know each other, or only know each other from meeting at the milonga.

There are three seating sections at the milonga. Separate sections for men and for women are located in a ring nearest the dance floor. There is also a section that accommodates couples and groups of friends of both sexes that is usually located away from the dance floor. The chairs are placed around the table so that sitting in the chair orients one directly towards the dance floor without needing to turn (National Geographic Magazine photo, Dec, 2003); the tables are often small and permit only two or three people to sit at the same table. The location of the men’s and women’s sections close to the dance floor is to allow the use of the cabeceo, the visual invitation to dance from a distance that involves eye contact and a nod of the head to indicate mutual consent to dance. Invitation and acceptance to dance is based in part on perceived dance skill (based on observation at the milonga), in part on personal attraction. Upon reaching this agreement to dance, the man approaches the table of the woman and she rises to embrace and dance with him. The embrace is a ‘close embrace’, with contact from the upper chest to the abdomen. Partners extend their arms around each other to maintain the embrace. If the man and the woman (in heels) are of similar height, there is often cheek-to-cheek contact.

A man invites a woman to dance at the beginning of one of the songs of the tanda, and dances with her until the end of the tanda. At the beginning of each song in the tanda except the first, there is a period of about 30 seconds when couples separate from the embrace and engage in casual conversation; it is not unusual during this conversation for the man to include ‘piropos’ (flirtatious poetic compliments). This is also the time when a man may invite a woman to meet outside the milonga. At the end of the tanda, during the cortina, the man escorts the woman back to her table. Dancing until the end of the tanda is expected, but may be interrupted if one partner finds the dancing unpleasant, either because of skill level or because the nature of the contact made the partner feel uncomfortable. The latter may occur if a man extends contact to something beyond a socially acceptable embrace or is intoxicated or both.

At the end of the tanda, when the cortina is played, the floor is cleared so that men and women may have a clear view across the open floor in order to be able to use the cabeceo to invite someone to dance at the beginning of the next tanda. The beginning of the tanda can be a moment of tension, needing to find someone to invite to dance before the floor becomes too crowded to have an unobstructed view across it.

More details on the customs of the milonga are available from a previous Tango Voice post (Codes and Customs of the Milongas of Buenos Aires: The Basics).

The Downtown Milonga tends to be crowded, either because the dance floor is small or because the attendance is high, or both. The dance proceeds counterclockwise around the dance floor in a clearly defined ronda. Navigational skill is of paramount importance. (See video of Milonga de los Consagrados at Centro Region Leonesa). There is no room for large and conspicuous movements to attract attention and, besides, the person to impress while dancing is the partner of the moment sharing the embrace, not the audience that has dozens of dancers to observe.

The Downtown Milonga is a meeting ground, as well as a proving ground for skill in both dance and romance. In the contemporary Downtown Milonga, some women dress provocatively, which attracts attention and may increase their chances of being invited to dance and perhaps to be invited for coffee after the milonga. There is tension in the Downtown Milonga (very evident in the ubiquitous smoking prior to the public smoking ban in Buenos Aires in 2006). This tension may be resolved in connecting with a partner in a comfortable, perhaps sensuous embrace, facilitated by classic tango music, which evokes and induces the sharing of emotions.

Contemporary examples of the ‘downtown milonga’ are ‘El Arranque’ in Nuevo Salon La Argentina, ‘Nuevo Chique’ in Casa Galicia, milongas held at La Nacional and at El Beso (except the gay-friendly milonga La Marshall, now located at El Beso). Most milongas at the recently closed Plaza Bohenia in the barrio of San Nicolas also had these characteristics. Although technically outside downtown Buenos Aires, most milongas held at Lo de Celia Tango Club and at Centro Region Leonesa in the nearby barrio of Constitucion have the characteristics described here for downtown milongas.

(b) La Milonga del Barrio (The Neighborhood Milonga)

La milonga del barrio is a milonga held in the residential neighborhoods of Buenos Aires, most commonly on a Friday or Saturday night, perhaps on a Sunday afternoon. The people attending are couples or groups of friends. Extended family may be present. People are mostly from the neighborhood and many people know each other from outside the milonga. Birthdays and wedding anniversaries may be announced. There is an overall sense of community at the Neighborhood Milonga.

At the typical weekend Neighborhood Milonga, there is little or no separate seating of men and women. Tables typically have a different orientation than in the Downtown Milonga. Chairs are oriented so that patrons face each other on opposite sides of the table rather than facing the dance floor; this is not a set-up designed for the cabeceo but rather for socializing with people at the same table. There are often long tables so that large groups can sit together. (see: Glorias Argentinas, Sunderland Club.)

People usually dance only with the partner that accompanied them to the milonga. These milongas usually have full kitchens and people tend to gather to share a meal and conversation before dancing begins. The atmosphere in the Neighborhood Milonga is more relaxed, more casual than in the Downtown Milonga. This is an environment for couples and familiar friends to socialize; it is not an environment conducive to singles meeting. Contemporary examples of the ‘neighborhood milonga’ are Sin Rumbo and Sunderland Club in Villa Urquiza, and Glorias Argentinas in Mataderos.

There is some variation in the music played at neighborhood milongas. The milongas mentioned above have a more or less traditional music format (at least 70% tango, milonga & vals, required by current law to be advertised as a ‘milonga’), but there are also numerous ‘bailes’, also held in clubes de barrio, where the proportion of tango music may be 50% or less. At neighborhood milongas in general there is a tendency to play more non-tango music, such as jazz and rock ‘n roll, cumbia, paso doble, and chacarera. This less emotionally intense music is consistent with the more casual social environment of the neighborhood milonga.

It is not unusual to have an exhibition during a break from social dancing at the Neighborhood Milonga. Exhibitions are much less common at the Downtown Milonga, except for those oriented towards tourists (e.g., night time milongas at Confiteria Ideal and at Porteño y Bailarin). Exhibitions are consistent with the shared community experience of the Neighborhood Milonga but are an interruption to the experience of personal agenda implementation characteristic of the Downtown Milonga.

The Milonga del Centro versus Milonga del Barrio dichotomy represents a contrast between two traditional archetypes for the milonga in Buenos Aires. In contemporary Buenos Aires there is more movement of people between barrios and between the outer barrios and downtown, as well as an the influx of tourists. Although some contemporary milongas (those mentioned above) resemble closely the traditional Milonga del Centro and Milonga del Barrio, it needs to be stated there are variations along several dimensions in physical environment and adherence to social customs which have varying degrees of impact upon the style of tango dancing. Nevertheless, the contrast between Downtown and Neighborhood Milongas accounts for stylistic variation to a significant degree.

Tango (de) Salon: Tango Adapted for the Milonga Environment

(1) Requirements for Dancing at a Milonga

The tango adapted for the milonga is Tango de Salon. In order to function effectively at a milonga, tango must be adapted to the physical environment, the sociocultural environment, and the musical environment.

Adaptation to the musical environment is simply making movements that fit the rhythm of the music. It would be more important to state that the music played at a milonga should have the rhythmic characteristics of tango music (tango, milonga & vals) that allows the dancers to connect with the rhythm and also has the tempo (speed and constancy) that is conducive to fluid movement in walking and making turns; i.e., the music should be adapted to the tango dance that is appropriate for the sociocultural environment of the milonga, a requirement that is not always satisfied.

With respect to the physical environment, the tango dance must fit within the available space that is shared with other couples on the pista. This implies the establishment and respect for the ronda, the counterclockwise flow of couples around the dance floor, without colliding or in movement threatening to collide with other couples. This demands competence of leaders in navigation, which requires not only the ability to make movements compact when necessary, but also to have sufficient improvisational skills to be able to change a sequence of movements depending upon the available space. A closed embrace between partners facilitates the space conservation needed for sharing the pista with other couples. Also, dancers need to keep their feet on the floor and within the space defined on the floor by their connected frames, because lifting feet off the floor may threaten the safety of other dancers on the pista (and in a crowded milonga may even present a hazard for the beverages on the tables nearest the floor).

Also part of the milieu of the milonga is the social and cultural environment that prescribes behavioral norms. Although tango is an intimate dance, its intimacy emanating from the embrace, there are also limitations in movement prescribed by respect for personal space. Movements invasive of personal space such as ganchos (or, by extension, all leg and body wraps) or movements that compromise the balance of one’s partner (such as quebradas, volcadas, and colgadas) are considered inappropriate for the milonga. The milonga also is not a place for exhibition of physical prowess, for the demonstration of complicated patterns that draw the attention of the audience. Instead the milonga is the place for couples to communicate (perhaps strong emotions) in a shared embrace, connecting to the music, and harmonizing with the flow of other dancers on the pista.

Thus, social expectations of respect for the space of other couples on the floor, respect for the personal space of the partner, and respect for the social atmosphere of the milonga influence the stylistic expression of dancers at the milongas in Buenos Aires.

(2) Stylistic Variation in Tango de Salon

Within Tango de Salon, two primary clusters of stylistic variation, or tango styles, have been identified – Tango (Estilo) Milonguero and Tango Estilo del Barrio:

(a) Tango (Estilo) Milonguero: also known as ‘milonguero-style tango’ (e.g., Brown) or ‘tango apilado’ (e.g., Polk). Susana Miller reportedly is the initiator of the terminology ‘milonguero-style tango’, although the terminology ‘tango milonguero’ appears to have eclipsed it, particularly in Buenos Aires (i.e., versus ‘tango estilo milonguero’).

The defining characteristics of Tango Milonguero are a maintained closed embrace in which placement of the arms is at the shoulder level (man’s right arm at height of woman’s shoulder, woman’s left arm draped over man’s shoulder), with direct frontal alignment and right side of face (cheek-to-cheek) contact, and a slight forward but balanced postural lean (apilado). The steps are usually smaller and typically there is greater accentuation of the rhythmic components of music, i.e., weight changes on the minor accented beats in addition to the major accented beats (‘quick-quick’ and ‘slow’ rhythmic interpretation). Back ochos are not pivoted when walking in a straight line, and forward ochos are generally limited to a single pivot into the cruzada. Turns are common and typically begin from back ochos or rock steps. Clockwise turns usually terminate with the ocho cortado, which changes direction. Counterclockwise turns usually terminate with the cruzada. Series of back ochos may also be sharply turned (and thus pivoted). Continued series of forward ochos are rarely used, but when they occur they are also turned sharply. All of these movements are adaptations to crowded spaces. Adornments are infrequent and subtle when they occur, and are used primarily to accent the rhythm, less often to play during pauses. Sacadas and low boleos may be used, but sandwiches, calesitas and arrastres are rare. Off-axis movements such as volcadas and colgadas are not employed (Salon Style Tango, Milonguero Style Tango, and Tango de Salon in Buenos Aires and in North America).

This variant of Tango Salon developed in the late 1940s and early 1950s in the milongas of downtown Buenos Aires. At that time it was known as ‘petitero’, ‘caquero’, or ‘confiteria’ style. It could also be called ‘Tango Estilo del Centro’, except that this nomenclature has been appropriated and misrepresented by Daniel Lapadula. [See Tango Estilo del Barrio (versus Estilo Villa Urquiza) / Tango Estilo del Centro (versus Tango Estilo Milonguero)].

It should be noted that there is a considerable degree of personal stylistic variation that can be classified under the name of Tango Milonguero. Two contrasting personal expressions within this general category of stylistic variation can be seen in these videos of exhibitions by Ricardo Vidort & Miriam Pyncen and by Pedro ‘Tete’ Rusconi & Silvia Ceriani.

Contemporary milongas in which almost all dancing is close to the stylistic variation described above are El Beso and Lo de Celia.

(b) Tango Estilo del Barrio: developed in the outer (mostly northern) barrios of Buenos Aires during the 1940s, also currently promoted as ‘Tango Estilo Villa Urquiza’ because many of the prominent dancers of the time congregated in the barrio of Villa Urquiza, although this stylistic variant was not unique to the barrio of Villa Uruiza and is not the predominant stylistic variant danced in Villa Urquiza today. [Tango Estilo Villa Urquiza; See also: Tango Estilo del Barrio (versus Tango Estilo Villa Urquiza) / Tango Estilo del Centro (versus Tango Estilo del Centro)]. Stephen Brown lists ‘Villa Urquiza’ as one of his tango styles; Igor Polk’s ‘Salon of 50s Open or Close’ seems to be the same as or similar to Tango Estilo del Barrio here.

In Tango Estilo del Barrio, walking comprises a significant part of the dance. Steps tend to be long and are maintained close to the ground. The embrace is still maintained in a closed position most of the time, but may be opened for forward ochos and turns. In the embrace the woman’s left arm may rest on the man’s upper right arm or may extend somewhat across to the shoulder, but rarely beyond the midline (i.e., spine). The man may sometimes place his right arm below the shoulder, closer to the woman’s waist. The posture is upright. There may be direct frontal body alignment of partners or the woman may be offset somewhat to the man’s right. The woman’s head may look over the man’s shoulder or she may turn her head inward towards the man’s face. Back ochos may pivot in a linear progression or they may lack a pivot. The sandwich may sometimes terminate a series of back ochos. Forward ochos typically form a series. Rock steps and the ocho cortado may occur, but are not typical of this style of dancing tango. Turns typically emanate from forward and back ocho series and from the cruzada. Sacadas are common elements of turns, as are enrosques and dibujos. Compared to Tango Milonguero, employment of quick time steps (i.e., rhythmic variation in walking) is less common, whereas pauses are more common. Embellishments are more common and tend to be more conspicuous, and are often associated with pauses, particularly when the sandwich is used.

Examples of Tango Estilo del Barrio are shown in these videos of exhibitions by Gerardo Portalea & Susana and by Jorge Dispari & Maria del Carmen.

Although Tango Milonguero and Tango Estilo del Barrio are distinctly different styles of tango, particularly in the angle of the axis, the extension and durability of the embrace, and the relative frequency of use of quick-time steps, pauses, embellishments, rock steps and the ocho cortado, it should be noted that the descriptions for them given above are tango stylistic ‘archetypes’ (‘an original model or type after which other similar things are patterned’). A visit to a milonga in Buenos Aires today will reveal a considerable amount of almost continuous stylistic variation or ‘individual expression’, although there still is a significantly large cluster of stylistic variation around the archetype of Tango Milonguero (even in the barrio of Villa Urquiza), which has been the predominant stylistic model for Tango de Salon for at least the last decade.

Here is a video of la milongas del barrio Sin Rumbo in Villa Urquiza during the 1990s, when Tango Estilo del Barrio was relatively common. However, note the following contemporary video of the same milonga, where Tango Estilo del Barrio is less common, although still more common than in las miongas del centro.

(3) Adaptation of Tango Stylistic Variation to the Environment of the Milonga

What is currently known as Tango (Estilo) Milonguero evolved during the late 1940s and early 1950s in the small downtown Buenos Aires night clubs and confiterias where space was limited and floor density was high. The milongas there were meeting places for single adults (or married adults seeking varying degrees of contact with the opposite sex). Tango Milonguero is adapted for high floor density in utilizing small steps, incorporating mechanisms of movement allowing frequent changes of direction in a small space (e.g., rock steps, ocho cortado). A maintained close embrace also minimizes the space used by couples in moving around the floor. A maintained close embrace with full arm extension (men reaching around and women reaching over the shoulder), cheek-to-cheek contact, and an apilado posture also increase the intimacy of the shared embrace, and therefore may serve as a catalyst for romantic and sexual exploration. Thus, the maintained close contact is adapted to two characteristics of the environment of the Milonga del Centro – the high floor density and the exploration of romantic and sexual relationships.

In contrast, Tango Estilo del Barrio is adapted to the lower floor density of the Milonga del Barrio. In the outer barrios of Buenos Aires the buildings in which milongas are held have larger floors (Sunderland Club and Salon El Pial are two clubes de barrio hosting milongas with very large floors). It is noteworthy that porteños are naturally comfortable in the embrace (embracing during greetings and farewells is standard between friends and close acquaintances) and even when space is available on larger dance floors, tango is still danced primarily in an enclosed embrace. Lacking in Tango Estilo del Barrio is the extended embrace and apilado posture that increases the intimacy between partners. (This is consistent with some boundaries on physical intimacy in the community and family atmosphere of the club de barrio.) Present in Tango Estilo del Barrio is a more flexible hold (woman’s arm on upper arm or closer rather than more distant part of shoulder), which allows for ready opening of the embrace for ochos and turns. On a lower density floor, opening the embrace is less likely to cause collisions with other dancers and turns are more likely to be completed without necessitating a change of direction (i.e., culminating the turn with the ocho cortado). With lower floor density it is also possible to engage in a more leisurely dance with longer steps, fewer quicktime steps and allowing more pauses, which also permits more time for adornments. However, any opening of the embrace, pauses, and longer steps are contingent upon the space available on the pista, and although las milongas del barrio typically have lower floor density than las milongas del centro, the liberty of larger slower movements is till dependent upon floor density, which varies even at a relatively low density milonga.

Both Tango Milonguero and Tango Estilo del Barrio are similarly adapted to the environment of the milonga in the following ways. Both are danced so as to follow the circulating ronda. Both respect the space of other dancers on the floor by maintaining feet close to the floor at all times. Both are improvised dances that allow for changes in movement direction dependent upon the locations of other couples on the pista. Both structure the dance around the music, the classic tango music played in the milongas of Buenos Aires. Given sufficient space (a requirement for Tango Estilo del Barrio) they can co-exist within the same milonga. They are both, in principle, adapted to the milonga environment and thus both are suitable stylistic variants of Tango de Salon.

Distinctions made among tango styles have focused primarily upon the physical structure of the dance – the nature of the embrace, the posture, and the movements used – and upon the musical environment and musical interpretation but, other than cursory references to geography and historical period, much less attention has been paid to the physical and sociocultural environment in which each style has been danced in Buenos Aires. The goal of this and subsequent posts on this topic is to inject into the analysis of tango stylistic variation the recognition of the physical, social, and cultural environment, i.e., the ‘environmental niche’ in which each stylistic variation is practiced, in order to demonstrate that there is adaptation of the physical characteristics of the dance to the particular niche in Buenos Aires in which a stylistic variant evolved. This interpretation can be instructive for the introduction of these stylistic variants into foreign cultural environments. It is hoped that this understanding will also decrease significantly the amount of animosity that currently exists between proponents and practitioners of different styles of tango outside Argentina.

The One Tango Philosophy

Although terminology regarding tango styles (particularly classifications similar to Brown’s) is widespread and commonly accepted, there are also those who argue against the classification of tango into styles. For example, the Atlanta Tango website, subtitled as ‘Hay solo un tango’ (‘There is only one tango’) states:

Why do we say ‘hay sólo un tango’? Because THERE IS ONLY ONE TANGO – one without strict divisions by ‘styles’; one which does not enforce a ‘close embrace’, ‘open embrace’, ‘apilado’, ‘salon’, ‘milonguero’, ‘Villa Urquiza’ or whatever ‘embrace’ or ‘style’ that may be marketed to students around the world as being somehow different or better than the others. We believe that tango is tango, and to subdivide the dance into categories is limiting the enjoyment of the dance and can be confusing to the dancers – because after all, this dance is about love and acceptance- not exclusion.

Although marketing of ‘name brand’ tango styles is indeed often misleading and, in contrast, love and acceptance are admirable traits for all parts of life, these are appeals to emotions, not logical arguments contradicting the existence or selective use of different tango styles. Recognition of tango stylistic variation does not in itself advocate that one stylistic variant is better than another, only that stylistic variation exists and there are underlying reasons for the differences.

The truths and the fallacies of the ‘One Tango’ philosophy have been addressed in detail previously (There is only one Tango). The primary weakness of the ‘OneTango’ philosophy is that the stylistic differences that exist between such different genres of tango such as Tango Escenario and Tango de Salon are adaptations for different niches, e.g., conspicuous movements and drama for the stage versus compact movements and precise navigation for the pista of the milonga. In Buenos Aires this is almost universally recognized, although not always communicated (e.g., among tango instructors whose clients are foreigners) by those knowledgeable about tango.

One logical extension of the One Tango philosophy is the acceptance of coexistence of Tango Nuevo, Tango Fantasia, and Tango Milonguero on the same milonga dance floor in North America (and elsewhere around the world outside Argentina). The blurring of distinctions among tango stylistic variations is perceived and publically stated as accommodating tango diversity, a valued sociopolitical perspective in liberal democratic societies, but this fails to address the issue of the adaptiveness of each tango style to a particular environmental niche and thus does more harm than good in breeding tango harmony. Therefore, one of the most common, if not the most common, source of conflict on tango discussion groups (e.g., Tango-L) is the clash (sometimes physical) on the milonga dance floor between the styles labeled as Milonguero-style Tango and Tango Nuevo or Salon-style Tango (in reality in North America a variant of Tango Fantasia).

Tango Stylistic Differences as Individual Expression

One of the arguments often used against classification of tango by style is that ‘every dancer has his own style’. This is certainly true for accomplished dancers, e.g., those known as milongueros, each of whom interprets tango in a unique way. For example, along these lines, Jantango states “A milonguero is a self-taught dancer with his own style“.

It has been described previously that among dancers of Tango de Salon, there is nearly continuous stylistic variation along several dimensions – the angle of the axis, the alignment of partners and placement of the arms in the embrace, the distance and angle between the chests of partners, the orientation of the head relative to the partner, the length of steps, the manner of placement of the foot onto the floor in walking, among other characteristics. There are also differences among dancers in the relative frequency of use of certain movements and positions such as walking in parallel and crossed feet systems, inside and outside partner (right and left) positions, the relative frequency of use of forward and back ochos, the ocho cortado, and giros (in both directions), the size of the repertoire of movements and the degree of regularity (predictability) in building sequences. There are differences in timing, in the relative use of ‘slow’ and ‘quick’ steps and pauses, and with which movements these temporal variations are used and their predictability. There are also numerous subjective characteristics (ones that are imperceptible or inapparent from a video) such as the force applied in the embrace and in the lead, the pressure applied to the floor, the elevation of suspensions, etc., some of which may be characterized as technique (i.e., ‘good’ vs. ‘bad’) but which, nevertheless, represent individual differences among dancers, or ‘individual expression’ of tango.

However, the argument that ‘each tango dancer has his own style’, or some extension of it, also has been used frequently by proponents of Tango Nuevo to obfuscate the larger stylistic differences among various very different genres of tango. This is exemplified by the statements of Homer Ladas:

… Some folks try hard to contain tango in a box and enforce their views on others. …. The lines between stage & social dancing, past & present, and the Argentine vs. non-Argentine way are not very clear and, unfortunately, on more than a few occasions – have been abused.

The images created by language such as ‘box containment’, ‘view enforcement’, and ‘abused’ portray those with an opposing view as aggressive and intractable, which is not useful for finding resolution on this issue. Although these accusations may be true for some people, this again does not address logically the argument that distinct stylistic variants of tango exist or do not exist, i.e., ‘whether indeed ‘the lines between stage and social dancing … are not very clear’.

The Semantic Confusion regarding Tango Styles

The conflict over tango styles (‘There are distinct tango styles’ vs. ‘There is only one tango’) is based in part on different semantic interpretations of the phrase ‘tango style’. To say that ‘each tango dancer has his own style’ is to recognize that are indeed differences in individual expression of tango. However, if one were able to ‘map’ the location of dancers’ individual characteristics along the different variable dimensions, it would be possible to identify a higher density of individuals in some parts of this mapped space than in others and that there would be distinct gaps or at least areas of low density of dancers in some parts of this range of variation. The identifiable clusters of individuals with similar stylistic traits represent a ‘tango style’.

The acknowledgement that these are different levels of analysis, and that both levels of tango stylistic variation exist, can contribute significantly to an understanding of tango stylistic variation and hopefully as well to a reduction of hostilities in the tango ‘style wars’ that create animosity within and between tango communities.

Each Tango Genre has its own Niche

The concept of niche adaptation is pivotal to the arguments presented here; i.e., each genre of tango has its own sociocultural and physical environment (i.e.,  ’niche’) to which it is adapted. This has been discussed previously for Tango de Salon, Tango Nuevo, Tango Escenario and Tango Queer and will be reiterated in part in subsequent posts.

Note that the term ‘tango genre’ has been used here as a substitute for ‘tango style’. The term ‘genre’ is formally defined as:

Genre (from French, genre: “kind” or “sort”, from Latin: genus, Greek: genos) is the term for any category of literature or other forms of art or culture, e.g. music, based on some set of stylistic criteria.

This terminology has been used previously within Tango Voice to describe tango stylistic variation but does not appear to have been used elsewhere and thus is unlikely to be subject to misinterpretation. The reason for the substitution of ‘tango genre’ for ‘tango style’ is in part to circumvent the problem of imprecise communication associated with the multiple meanings intended for the term ‘tango style’. However, it is also to recognize that a tango genre is a range of stylistic variation that functions successfully within (i.e., is adapted to) a particular environmental niche appropriate for tango.

Nevertheless, the term ‘tango style’ will be retained for distinct stylistic variants within tango genres that can co-occupy the same niche, which coincides with the most common specific application of the term ‘style’ (or ‘estilo’) with respect to variation in tango dancing, i.e., the ‘styles’ attributed to the dancing that occurs in the milongas of Buenos Aires, e.g., Tango Estilo Milonguero, Tango Estilo del Barrio, Tango Estilo del Centro, Tango Estilo Villa Urquiza.

A Tango Classification based on Niche Adaptation

Presented here is a framework for classification of tango genres by the environmental niche to which each is adapted. This will be developed over several subsequent posts.

(A) Tango Argentino

Listed below are three genres of tango that evolved within the tango culture of Buenos Aires, Argentina.

• (1) Tango (de) Salon: This is the range of tango stylistic variation that is adapted for the sociocultural and physical environment of the milongas of Buenos Aires.
• (2) Tango (de) Practica: This is the range of tango stylistic variation that is adapted for the practica, an environment where practice towards skill improvement and experimentation are primary motivations for participation.
• (3) Tango Escenario: This is tango adapted for the stage, or for exhibition in general, whether in a theatre, in a restaurant or café, or perhaps even for a public plaza or street corner. It is dancing for the purpose of entertainment, not for the purpose of social interaction.

(B) Tango Extranjero

Listed below are two genres of tango that evolved outside Argentina.

• (4) Tango Ballroom: This is tango that is adapted for the ballroom dance environment, that is, International and/or American Ballroom Tango in an environment where, in alternation, other ballroom dances such as waltz, foxtrot, swing, cha-cha, rumba, and samba are danced.
• (5) Tango Finlandia: This is the tango that evolved within the sociocultural environment of Finland.

In subsequent posts, description and differentiation of the different genres of Tango Argentino and the stylistic variants of Tango de Salon and Tango de Practica will be discussed. Variation in Tango Escenario has been discussed previously. The genres of Tango Extranjero – Tango Ballroom, and Tango Finlandia – also have been discussed in previous Tango Voice posts.

Summary

(1) Distinct tango styles such as Tango Milonguero, Tango Estilo Villa Urquiza, Tango Fantasia, and Tango Nuevo are frequently identified in tango discussions.

(2) The One Tango philosophy denies the meaningfulness of classification of tango into distinct styles, noting that each dancer has his own style, and that the dividing lines between different styles of tango are not distinct.

(3) There is often conflict between those who espouse the One Tango philosophy and those who identify distinct tango styles. This conflict is due in part to the multiple semantic interpretations of the term ‘tango style’, and could be reduced with the recognition that individual stylistic variation and distinct clusters of individuals with similar stylistic traits are two different levels of analysis of tango stylistic variation.

(4) An analysis of tango stylistic variation will indicate there are different sociocultural and physical environments in which tango is danced and a significant proportion of tango stylistic variation represents adaptation to these different environmental niches.

Stephen Brown, in his listing of ‘tango styles’, defines ‘nuevo milonguero’ as:

… a relatively new approach to Argentine tango that adds some nuevo movements such as cadenas, and volcadas to milonguero-style tango. It would probably be a stretch to regard nuevo milonguero as a separate style of dancing because the approach is fully compatible with milonguero-style tango and doesn’t have an identifiably separate group of adherents.

So, according to Brown, nuevo milonguero is a modification of ‘milonguero-style tango’, but not separate from it.

Igor Polk, in his classification of ’11 Argentine Tango Styles’, identifies one tango style as:

Nuevo Close Embrace. Sometimes called Nuevo Milonguero. Very sensitive, no lean or very small one, very smooth. Dancers do not separate. … “Milonguero style” is a simple form of this style.

Describing a favorite unnamed couples’ performance, Polk elaborates:

They have danced in what I call “Tango Nuevo in close embrace” style. Yes, with all those “kicks”, ganchos, and volcadas, but how virtually effortless and sublime they were performed! They swam in the ocean of movement. This style is characterized with smooth movements, I can not even say “steps”, and very sensitive embrace without lean, even though cortes (corte is a cut step, which is not really cut, it is just a name) are quite often there.

Given these two descriptions, it is not clear whether Polk views Nuevo Milonguero as an elaboration of Tango Milonguero, the simple form, or a close embrace modification of Tango Nuevo. The absence of an apilado (forward leaning) posture would not meet the strict definition of ‘milonoguero-style’ tango as promoted by Susana Miller and her disciples, although a maintained frontally aligned embrace without a significant forward lean is common among porteños dancing in the milongas of Buenos Aires (Salon Style Tango, Milonguero Style Tango, and Tango de Salon in Buenos Aires and in North America).

Hsueh-tze Lee, a tango instructor based in Boston, who is often identified as teaching ‘close embrace’ tango, offers courses in ‘nuevo milonguero’. Lee describes one course she teaches as:

Nuevo Milonguero (Adv). Find innovative ways to add to your vocabulary while keeping the close connection to your partner. Incorporate nuevo tango elements and avant garde moves into close embrace! This material is exquisite because it can be done even in the most crowded floor. Advance material includes alteration of direction, single axis turns, and some of the more unusual figures for dancing in close embrace. Prerequisite: Two Close Embrace series or equivalent.

Lee also offers a related course that incorporates some movements from Tango Nuevo within a ‘close embrace’ framework:

Off-Axis “Leans” – Cradled, Suspended & Dynamic Figures (Intermed / Adv). Explore dynamic off-axis figures, and how to improvise musically within a social context. Focus on Follower’s Technique: Dynamic pro-active engagement WITHOUT passive “leaning”, Free leg decorations. Topics: Syncopated Calesitas, Invisible Colgadas, Suspended Elasticity, Incipient Volcadas & Volcada Variations, Reversals. Prerequisite: Close Embrace Fundamentals or equivalent.

Lee’s foundation in teaching tango is a ‘close embrace’ tango that probably can be classified correctly as Tango Milonguero. Thus, similar to Brown (and possibly Polk), she interprets Nuevo Milonguero as the modification of a Tango Milonguero base with elements of Tango Nuevo. Thus, it is proposed here that if standard Spanish syntax is applied, this variation of dancing tango should be called Tango Estilo Milonguero Nuevo, or abbreviated to ‘Milonguero Nuevo’. However, the terms Milonguero Nuevo and Nuevo Milonguero will be used interchangeably in this post at times, depending upon the labeling used by others or upon which variant of tango is understood to modify the dominant characteristics of the other, as well as when definitions are vague.

Another Perspective: Nuevo Milonguero – Tango Nuevo in a (sometimes) Closed Embrace

Gustavo Rosas & Gisela Natoli from Buenos Aires recently have released an instructional DVD entitled ‘Milonguero Nuevo’, which they describe as ‘the combination of Traditional Tango with elements of Tango Nuevo, providing modern movements that renew the tango dance without losing its essence.’ This appears to be in agreement with the standard definition of Milonguero Nuevo as a modification of the base of Tango Milonguero with elements of Tango Nuevo. A small selection of their instructional material from this DVD is provided in the following video. The first sequence is a salida to the cruzada in parallel feet, conducted entirely in a closed embrace, that inserts a unique element – a foot lift – after the first side step. The subsequent sequences demonstrate giros incorporating underarm turns, colgadas, back sacadas, and linear boleos, with a varying distance between partners, all of which are characteristic of Tango Nuevo. This preview of the instructional DVD is indeed a mix of a few elements from Tango Milonguero here with considerably more elements from Tango Nuevo there, but from what is offered in this DVD preview, these elements are not really integrated and so it is not apparent how the supposed essence of ‘Traditional Tango’ (read ‘Tango Milonguero’) has been modified by elements of Tango Nuevo. (Using standard Spanish syntax, it would be more accurate to call this mixture ‘nuevo milonguero’, a modification of Tango Nuevo with, at times, an embrace characteristic of Tango Milonguero.) Perhaps one would need to buy the instructional DVD to learn how Tango Nuevo and Tango Milonguero are integrated. A more plausible explanation for the use of the term ‘Milonguero Nuevo’ for this DVD is provided by Cherie Magnus, an American tanguera who has lived in Buenos Aires for several years. Magnus suggests that the labeling of the dance as ‘Milonguero Nuevo’ is used primarily for marketing purposes. Additional insight can be gained into Gustavo & Gisela’s dance orientation from their other two instructional videos on ‘Colgadas & Volcadas’ (see also this website), clearly within the mainstream of Tango Nuevo. Adding ‘milonguero’ to ‘nuevo’ expands its niche, offering something ‘new’, which may be attractive to naïve consumers following the evolution of tango without understanding its essence (The Essence of Tango Argentino).

Jonathan Yamauchi & Olivia Levitt teach tango in the San Francisco Bay area in California. They identify renowned stage tango dancer Carlos Gavito as a major influence. In advertising, their workshops have been classified as ‘nuevo milonguero’. A video of one of their performances provides an additional perspective on what type of tango dancing constitutes ‘nuevo milonguero’. This is a performance danced to the nuevo tango composition ‘Milonga del Angel’ by Astor Piazzolla. The apparent contribution of Tango Milonguero is the embrace with direct frontal alignment, the woman’s arm extended over the man’s shoulder, and the apilado posture (Salon Style Tango, Milonguero Style Tango, and Tango de Salon in Buenos Aires and in North America), which is maintained throughout most of the performance. Volcadas, calesitas, ganchos, sacadas, and high boleos are inserted into sequences while the embrace borrowed from Tango Milonguero is maintained, but at times the embrace is also opened to perform a giro with a lapiz and enrosque at one point, and to insert a colgada at another point. The performance alternates between showing characteristics of Tango Milonguero at some points, Tango Estilo del Barrio (sometimes called ‘Tango Villa Urquiza’) at other points (Tango Estilo Villa Urquiza) [Tango Estilo del Barrio (versus Estilo Villa Urquiza) / Tango Estilo del Centro (versus Estilo Milonguero)], and Tango Nuevo at other times still. However, the expansive sweeping movements that sometimes elevate off the floor make this kind of dancing unsuitable for the pista of the milonga. Since Tango Milonguero is designed for the milonga, it cannot be considered a variation of Tango Milonguero or a role model for dancing at the milonga. The music – Piazzolla’s “Milonga del Angel” also lacks the clear rhythmic structure suitable for dancing at a milonga and indeed none of Piazzolla’s music is used for dancing at traditional milongas in Buenos Aires where Tango de Salon / Tango Milonguero is danced (Music Played at Milongas / Tango Social Dance Venues). Perhaps Yamauchi & Levitt are being (unintentionally) accurate in labeling their dance Nuevo Milonguero, a modification of Tango Nuevo with elements of Tango Milonguero, rather than Milonguero Nuevo, a modification of Tango Milonguero with elements of Tango Nuevo.

Milonguero Nuevo: Volcadas and Colgadas for the Social Dance Floor

One movement characteristic of Tango Nuevo that has been linked frequently with Milonguero Nuevo is the volcada, an off-axis ‘falling’ forward movement of the woman, led and supported by the man. A closed embrace is highly beneficial to prevent the woman from falling onto the floor. It is the link of a ‘close embrace’, often seen as the identifying characteristic of Tango Milonguero by those who dance tango with an open frame (Salon Style Tango, Milonguero Style Tango, and Tango de Salon in Buenos Aires and in North America), with a move – the volcada – often seen as an identifying characteristic of Tango Nuevo (Tango Nuevo: Definition of the Dance), that is often seen as the natural conjugation of Tango Milonguero and Tango Nuevo that has procreated Milonguero Nuevo. One of the progeny of this union is the instructional unit ‘Volcadas for the social dance floor’, frequently offered as a workshop at tango weekends and festivals. For example:

Poughkeepsie NY

Volcadas for the Social Dance Floor (and that won’t break your back)! Learn or refine this elegant “new” move in close embrace — Volcada — from Volcar – to tip-over or capsize; a falling step: The leader causes the follower to tilt or lean forward and “fall” off her axis before he catches her again. The process produces a beautiful leg drop and arc by the follower. Perhaps the most popular move to come out of the nuevo tango explorations, adapted for the social dance floor.

Sacramento CA

Volcada Variations — A dynamic new way to experience the Volcada for the social dance floor. Including back and side volcadas! You won’t want to miss this class!

In Morrow Bay CA it is possible to learn ‘Rhythmic volcadas for the social dance floor with Rodriguez’ (the orchestra leader, not the instructor). See also workshop titles in Austin TX (‘Back volcadas for the social dance floor’) and Buffalo NY (‘Volcada for the social dance floor’).

In San Francisco, it is even possible to take a 4-week course:

III. High Intermediate: Relaxed Volcadas for Social Dance. No pain, no strain. Small, beautiful, real, and relaxed volcadas for a crowded floor.

There are several well-known tango instructors who advertise themselves as teaching some variation of Tango de Salon who have included the volcada and its Tango Nuevo off-axis companion the colgada as part of their teaching curriculum.

Oscar & Mary Ann Casas, recognized as instructors of Tango Milonguero, have provided video examples of what a ‘volcada milonguera’ and a ‘colgada milonguera’ could look like.

Gustavo Benzecry Saba & Maria Olivera, who classify themselves as dancing Tango de Salon, provide another example of the use of a volcada in a closed embrace.

It should be noted that neither Oscar & Mary Ann nor Gusttavo & Maria identify their dancing or teaching as Milonguero Nuevo, even though they are inserting elements characteristic of Tango Nuevo into a dance in a closed embrace. Nevertheless, this instructional material could be classified as Milonguero Nuevo.

From this promotional material, it is easy to reach the conclusion that volcadas (and, to some degree, colgadas) are adaptable or at least adapted for the social dance floor. This undoubtedly contributes to the widespread distribution of volcadas as part of the standard operating repertoire at milongas throughout North America.

Milonguero Nuevo: An Oxymoron

Despite their widespread popularity at milongas in North America (and elsewhere outside Argentina), volcadas and colgadas are almost never seen in the traditional milongas of Buenos Aires where Tango de Salon / Tango Milonguero is danced (and when seen, almost always performed by tourists or tango instructors trying to attract tourists as students). (See the videos referenced in the previous Tango Voice post: Milongueros Dancing Tango in the Milongas of Buenos Aires). There are at least three apparent reasons for this:

• The man’s role in tango is to protect the woman, to keep her balanced, not to pull her off her axis.
• Social tango is a dance of subtle communication between partners, not an exhibition of physical prowess to the audience.
• The space required for successful execution of volcadas and colgadas can invade the space of other dancers on the floor.

There is an inherent incompatibility in the mixture of elements such as volcadas and colgadas into Tango de Salon (Estilo Milonguero). Milonguero Nuevo is an oxymoron. From the Merriam-Webster online dictionary:

Oxymoron: a combination of contradictory or incongruous words (as cruel kindness); broadly: something (as a concept) that is made up of contradictory or incongruous elements

Tango Milonguero is a variant within the larger range of variation known as Tango de Salon, the tango danced in the milongas of Buenos Aires (Salon Style Tango, Milonguero Style Tango, and Tango de Salon in Buenos Aires and in North America). With its maintained close embrace and small steps (when necessary) Tango Milonguero is designed for the high density characteristic of milonga dance floors in Buenos Aires. Tango Nuevo is identified by its focus on the exploration of possibilities for movement (Tango Nuevo: Definition of the Dance), which by its very nature requires space and freedom of direction in movement. This makes Tango Nuevo unsuitable for the milonga, which is organized around the principle of shared space among couples in a progressive ronda (Codes and Customs of the Milongas of Buenos Aires: The Basics). Thus, Tango Milonguero and Tango Nuevo are incompatible at the same tango dance venue (Is Tango Nuevo compatible with Tango de Salon at the same Milonga?).

Although the addition of Tango Nuevo elements to Tango Milonguero to create what has been defined as Milonguero Nuevo (Tango Estilo Milonguero Nuevo) creates an incompatible mix, the converse mixture is viable. The addition of the characteristic closed embrace of Tango Milonguero to Tango Nuevo does not limit the latter’s ability to improvise because the milonguero embrace is only part of the continuum of distances and variations in partner connection that are characteristically passed through in dancing Tango Nuevo. Perhaps this can be labeled (the syntactically correct) ‘nuevo milonguero’ in order to salvage the terminology and increase market share, but in reality it is nothing new; it is just a part of the variation of Tango Nuevo anyway.

Therefore, the tango consumer should beware when exposed to advertising for instruction in Milonguero Nuevo or Nuevo Milonguero. It is either an oxymoron or the recycling of old material under a different label.