Now is the beginning of the Tango Tourist Season, and foreigners have swooped into Buenos Aires for the World Championships (now there is even a special category for foreign dancers) and this week is the Milongueando Festival. We went to the opening milonga last night where the Orquesta Sans Souci with El Chino Laborde sang. (I loved that the first violinist is a girl!)
The apertura milonga of the Milongueando Week was in the Region Leonesa, my favorite salon in all Buenos Aires. The floor was jammed and still all the tables and chairs were full, very Buenos Aires. But everyone was speaking English, the floorcraft was sketchy with either no movement along the ronda or zig zagging around the floor, adornos and embellishments ruled, no cabeceos, and the dancers were all either foreign or touring teaching "celebrities." At times I thought I was back in the States!
I would have loved to ask some of the attendees why they spent all that money on air fare and were dancing with folks from home instead of at a traditional milonga down the street, like Gricel. But anyway, we all were having a good time, which is what counts. (Except when the top of Ruben's foot was stilettoed.)
But today I thought it might be worthwhile to revisit the posts below that addressed the phenomenon a few years back.
If you have an opinion, I'd love to hear it.
Why Indeed Come to Buenos Aires to Dance?
Why Do Some Dancers Bother to Come to BsAs?
The Buenos Aires Glow
