"We look at the dance to impart the sensation of living in an affirmation of life, to energize the spectator into keener awareness of the vigor, the mystery, the humor, the variety, and the wonder of life. This is the function of the American dance."Martha Graham
Argentine Tango is a dance that encompasses a whole new world of social customs, mores, music, and behavior for your ballroom student. As you help your students to master the intricate and beautiful steps of this exquisite dance, you must also help them master the social customs of the Milonga, the traditional forum for Argentine Tango social dance.
Be sure your students understand that Milongas are very different from a traditional ballroom dance. There are many social customs that may seem strange or new to them. Without spending quite a bit of time learning these customs, your students could unintentionally act in a way that could be considered rude or offensive by the other dancers.
It would be a great service to your students to hold several Practicas (practice dances) before your students attend their first actual Milonga. Although your primary focus will be on getting their dancing up to speed, you can also practice using the social customs of an actual Milonga.
Here is a useful Milonga etiquette guide. We were helped greatly in its development by Christy Cote, one of the United States’ premier experts in Argentine Tango and the founder of San Francisco’s Academia de Tango Argentina. Be sure your students are comfortable with all aspects of this etiquette guide and have danced at many Practicas before they attempt their first real Milonga.
Dancers at Milongas traditionally wore black or darker colors, always solids, so as not to be distracting to the other dancers. In today’s Milongas, there are no hard and fast rules about what to wear. Be sure your students understand, however, that they can’t go wrong if they wear black!
At a Milonga, it is more traditional for the leaders to ask the followers to dance, instead of the reverse. This is because there is a great deal of pressure on the man to lead well and there are a variety of different styles to master at each Milonga. The leader must be comfortable with the speed and style of music and of dancing before he will be willing to lead a partner.
When the leader does ask a lady to dance, he does so nonverbally, with eye contact and a slight nod. This silent invitation to dance is known as the cabaceo. If the follower wishes to accept the leader’s invitation, she returns his eye contact and they meet on the dance floor. If she doesn’t wish to dance with him, she should not return his eye contact. The leader should not approach that follower again.
At more modern Milongas, followers may ask the leaders to dance, using the same non-verbal cabaceo eye contact. Have your students observe the seasoned dancers at their Milonga to see whether any of the women are initiating the eye contact.
The music at a Milonga is organized into tandas and cortinas.
A tanda is a set of three to five songs that are all related musically in some way (all tangos, all milongas, all the same orchestra, etc.) Most tandas last for four songs, and it is customary for a couple to dance the entire tanda together, before moving on to a new partner.
A cortina (literally meaning “curtain”) is a song or song fragment played between tandas to mark the end of one tanda and the beginning of the next. Cortinas are often a completely different type of music, like a foxtrot. The cortina provides time for the dancers to clear the floor and go back to their seats before choosing a new partner.
It is considered rude to talk while dancing because you are preventing your partner from concentrating on the music. You may, however, make small talk between songs or when walking back to your seats during a cortina.
To keep with the emphasis on musicality in Tango, leaders stop dancing on the last note of the song, freezing for a brief moment. They may sometimes strike a dramatic pose, particularly if the song is dramatic or strange.
Traditionally, if a dancer says “thank you” to a partner, it signifies that the dancer wishes to stop dancing. The same couple may dance again later in the evening if a cabaceo is established.
The last dance of a Milonga is called la cumparsita. Sometimes various interpretations of the same song are played repeatedly for a whole tanda. If a couple came to a Milonga on a date, it is customary for them to dance this song (or tanda) together.
Tango is such a close and intimate dance. Remind your students that personal hygiene is extremely important at every Milonga!
Argentine Tango is much more than just a series of dance figures and steps; it is an all-encompassing culture that embraces music, movement, and social mores. You will be doing your students are great service if you include an education in the tango culture along with your lessons on ochos and molinetes.