Kindergarten Tango (Malmö)

The practica at Camarin

As you may have guessed, last night was not to be my best tango night ever. It is hardly surprising that after the previous two days' gruelling cycling, my legs, arms (and head!) were all a bit shaky, which obviously is not the best way to approach tango.

I did, however, find the venue quite easily (cycling really is SO convenient for getting around this city, where everything seems to be within max 10 min cycling distance from my hostel). A pleasant surprise was that upon walking in, I was greeted by one of the organisers who asked if I was the Finnish girl. How could they tell? (I had not even opened my mouth yet, for the accent would have given me away). As it turned out, it was due to the wonderful website http://www.tangoportalen.com/, where I had clicked a button saying I was going to attend the practica: as a logged-in member, my details had been passed on to other members, and they were expecting me.What a wonderful way to be introduced to a new town!
The evening's last tango, with Andreas.

The practica (although really, here the difference between milongas and practicas is a bit hazy) was organised by Camarin, a non-profit organisation that consists of tango enthusiasts keen to meet others and dance together in a relaxed, welcoming atmosphere. Just like in Café Tjärlek in Stockholm, there was very little showing off, and most people really seemed to have come just to dance and meet friends.

What gave the evening a special flavour was of course the live music. There were two musicians (a bandoneon and a guitar), playing some really beautiful tunes (even Piazzolla's Oblivion, one of my favourites, but a VERY demanding piece to dance to!), and the dance floor was full most of the time. Besides the band, there was of course music from records.

Unfortunately, my own dancing was far from what it can be. However, this did not come as a great surprise as I really was quite tired. In contrast to other milongas I have been to, there were no cortinas (breaks) between tandas (sets of 4 songs), and personally I found it a bit difficult to know how many dances one was supposed to dance together (and the leaders did not seem so sure themselves). I suppose this proves that the cortina system really is quite good, as it gives a certain structure to the whole thing?


However, I did stay until the final tango (which in Sweden always is La Cumparsita), then rode my bike back to the hostel.
Aisha and Victor. 

This morning, I had to get up earlier than i would have, as I was going to a workshop run by two Argentinian teachers, Aisha and Victor. (Check out their website!) I have just come back from the first class (tango) and will be taking another one (walz) in 15 minutes. Having been to the milonga last night, they had decided (quite rightly, in my opinion), that a return to the basics is what is needed in the Malmö tango scene. What they reported having seen was a lot of complicated moves with little regard to music (and indeed, this seems to be the case everywhere!!. Thus, we spent the class practising the elementary issues in tango: how to walk, how to turn, how to lead, how to follow, ando most importantly, how to do it in tune with the music! In my personal opinion (and quite apart from my own deficiencies), this really would have been a welcome class to most dancers in last night's milnga too. Sadly, there were only a few couples in the class (I did not have a partner but got to dance with the teacher and all the leaders for a while), but this obviously meant that we got a lot of attention!


Aisha explaining the importance of always keeping the two dancers' chests parallel to each other. 

Tonight, I will be going to another milonga, this time in a place aptly called Tangopalatset (Tangopalace). Am really looking forward to it, as well as tomorrow's 'Tango 'picnic'!!
 
Will tell you more of course, as well as adding pic's, when I can. Now I have to run!

Comments

  1. vuokkomero22/05/2010, 23:56

    Ihana lukea matkasi kulusta. Hyvä huomata että osaat ottaa myös vastoinkäymiset mielenkiintoisena lisähaasteena. Toivotan sinulle monia rikkaita kokemuksia jatkossakin. Rakastan sinua ja luotan sinuun, haleja
    äiti

    ReplyDelete

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