What a difference a week makes. Last Saturay we went to Milonga 10 and sat most of the night. This week we went and danced almost every tanda. The milonga scene can be difficult to break into and if you come to Baires be prepared to go through an initial stage of sitting and watching with an icy atmosphere around you. On my first 2 visits I found this extremely frustrating, but this time I was resigned to my fate and knew that this ritual would soon be over.
The locals do not dance with people they don't know or who they have never seen dance, and tango tourists stick out like a sore thumb in this low season for tourists; especially if they are 190cm tall with blond hair. The good dancers sit together in small groups at tables and dance mainly within their group. You have to somehow break into these small groups of good dancers by prising one away from the group. Almost like a lion stalking a pack of buffalos, patiently waiting until one separates itself from the pack and then attack. Once you have one from the group others tend to follow and you slowly become accepted. It is also the case that people need to see your face around a few times before they accept you into the circle of people to dance with. We have also know refound some of our old favourites to dance with as well as many new ones and so the circle grows.
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