What to observe in a milonga - argentine tango
Sometimes not dancing can be fun too. Observing the dance floor can teach us a lot and can make some nights much more interesting. But what can you focus on? Here are some suggestions to make the time you spend seated much more interesting.
Observe how your favourite and your... less-than-favourite dancers dance and identify differences and similarities. Take a mental note of things you want to try.
Dancing styles and technique
● Elastic or static embrace: do they allow their hands to expand and contract? Careful: the movement can be quite small.
● Axis inclination: front, middle, or back? Where do they spend most time? At which point of their dance do they change from one inclination to another? Can you understand why?
● Lifting the feet: When they do a simple walk, do they always touch the floor with the free leg, or do they lift it up? What do you think gives more stability?
● Changes of speed/dynamics: Do they use a stable rhythm AND energy in their dance? Or do they use accelerations/decelerations? If they use them, can you notice how they prepare their bodies and partners for the upcoming changes? Can you notice a change in tension, inclination, circularity, etc.?
● Ankles orientation: relaxed or tense? Do they bend toward the inside or the outside?
● Feet orientation: Advanced dancers pay a lot of attention to their feet orientation. The right positioning of the feet simplifies a lot of movements. So, pay attention: when they walk straight, do their feet point straight? When they plan to pivot to the right do their feet look to the right? When and when not?
● Musicality: do they tend to dance more to the melody or the rhythm? Do they choose specific instruments that they enjoy more? Do they do small steps during the bridges or do they pause to ‘charge’ the next movement? Do they create an ‘spacial envelope’ inside which their partners can express, or do they lead every step and adorno?
Social dynamics
● Facial expressions: do the people who you enjoy dancing with seem to smile more? Or are they serious, relaxed, or something else?
● Visiting leaders and followers: Do visiting leaders start to dance right away? Do local ‘mini-celebrities’ tend to dance more or less when a great visiting leader is in the milonga? And do the local celebrities leave earlier or later than usual? What about the followers?
● Entrance to the floor: where do people tend to enter the room from? Which are the locations where most couples are formed?
● Reactions: How do the dancers you enjoy dancing with react when someone pumps on them? Or when they pump on someone? How do they react when they or their partner makes a mistake?
P.S.1 This was an excerpt from the book 'How to dance more in milongas'.
P.S.2 You can download this list in your mobile and bring it with you in a milonga if you feel like it. You can find a downloadable PDF at thecurioustanguero.com/wwdresources.