In tango both sexes are looking for more dances…beautiful ones.

A while ago I wrote about how women can get more dances in tango.

In tango, if a tanguero understand what the ladies are looking for, it will make him a more desirable partner, and ladies will long for dancing with him again.

I want to offer my point of view as a tanguera to help men becoming more desirable tangueros.

What women are looking for in tango

Once in a while I’d have a tanda likes walking on the clouds. After dancing I’d sit out tandas so I can linger in that fantasy for a bit longer. I’d go to milongas just to dance with the same tanguero again.

This kind of tanda happens only once in a while, but it keeps me going back to tango.

What makes these tandas so special?

I feel connected and secure in the embrace.

Back when I was a beginner I would be wooed by the tangueros who can lead me to do complicated sequences and exaggerated movements. It made me think that I’d appear an advanced dancer to those who were watching.

After I’ve been in tango for longer, I become less keen on “shiny steps”. I appreciate tangueros who can lead special sequences in the breath-taking variations in instrumental Pugliese, but I find a connected walk in a secure embrace in a Di Sarli’s tanda equally irresistible.

And those magic moments always happen when I feel that my thoughts are synchronized with my partner, that I feel the warmth of his palm through my palm. I feel likes merging with him as one and melting all over him.

Obsession with skill and technique

Many people are obsessed with technique and thought it would make them a better dancer, but that’s just half of the game.

To give a firm embrace, a leader needs to achieve a certain level of skill and maintain good balance. They also need a good grasp of timing in performing the sequence, the sacadas…etc.

But a tanguero shouldn’t be too obsessed with his skill.

I have tanguera friends who recall the experience of tangueros insisting in “getting things right” in the dance, they would repeat the sequence or movement when they are not satisfied. Sometimes, they might even go too far and whisper instructions in the ear of the tangueras like “Hook!”, “Pivot more”…

Tango is all about sharing the special moment in an embrace and moving together with the music. There are no mistakes in tango. If there’s one, we just tango on.

Every year the tango community receives a crowd of newbies with bright eyes and full of hope, but in the next year, most of them would disappear. Such a high turnover rate hinders the growth of the tango community as few people would stay and become experienced dancers. Many blame it to the notoriously difficult to learn tango techniques, or the time commitment to classes and milongas which is demanding for most working adults. But are these really the reasons behind such a high dropout rate?

My friend once dined with a group of ladies who left tango, and they told the ultimate truth: they felt rejected in tango. When they were in milonga, nobody would invite them to dance; when they were trying to catch somebody’s eyes, people turned their head away from them.

When we are joining a community, we are all seeking to belong. If we feel welcomed and supported in the community, we’d be able to overcome all the barriers of learning the techniques, and we’d squeeze time out of our busy schedule to accommodate the classes and events. If we feel unwelcome in the group, we would quit for greener pastures.

Many people blame this to men judging the cover. Indeed, tango is a man-woman interaction and men are attracted to good-looking women. If there are 2 ladies who are both beginners, it’s often the younger and the prettier one who’d get more invitation than the modest-looking one.

But there are men who also care about the comfort of the embrace and the technique of the lady. They may dance with an attractive beginner a few times, then lose interest if she keeps wobble on her heels.

However, modest-looking ladies would easily fall into a vicious cycle: she gets less invitation in the milonga and get fewer chances to practice her technique, as her technique is not getting better, she gets even less invitation.

No wonder at the end she would feel rejected by the community and quit tango.

What can we do to retain ladies in tango and make them feel more welcomed? There are 3 things we can do about it:

1. Help them get dance

Milonga organizers can recruit some leaders as “charity dancers”. The leaders would get free entrance into the milonga in return of them dancing a few tandas with ladies who have been sitting out. The ladies who get to dance at least one or two tandas are more likely to come back next time.

Ladies can also read this article which contains tips for helping them to get dances.

2. Help them dress up

I once saw a class for tangueras on makeup and hairdo for milongas and it was a full house. Helping modest ladies to learn how to apply makeup and dress up to enhance their beauty would not only help them get noticed and more dance invitation, but also help them feel more beautiful and confident.

3. Help them improve their technique

Other than dancing with leaders, ladies can improve their technique by solo exercises. However, these exercises are tedious to practice on one’s own. The tango community can organize lady technique practice groups in which ladies can do the exercises together and make the drills more fun and enjoyable. The group can also nurture mutual support and a sense of belonging which is essential to keeping ladies stay in the community.

For a tango community to stay healthy and grow it’s essential to keep people for long term and getting experienced together. Do you have other ideas to keep people stay in tango? Let us know by leaving a comment.

“Tango is not a dance.” A milonguero said to me in between songs in a milonga in Buenos Aires. “It’s an addiction.”.

How was your very first encounter with tango? Was that a show on the street you came across randomly? A video you stumbled upon on Youtube? A class you joined “just for fun” after work? Or you were, like me, being pulled into a milonga by another tango addict?

Anyway, you were dazzled by this passionate yet mysterious dance, and before you know, your life is turned upside down.

You start to take classes one after another. You begin by going to practica, then every milonga in the town.

You are curious about the lyrics you dance to, so you start to learn Argentinian Spanish and Lunfardo. You may even challenge yourself with playing bandoneon, the soul in tango music and notorious for difficult to learn.

You begin to plan your vacation around overseas festivals, encuentros and marathons. There’s always a pair of tango shoes in your luggage, and you look out for local milongas in every city you visit.

You check flights for Buenos Aires, and eventually, you set foot on the mecca of tango.

Tango turns your relationships upside down

Before you realize, your social life is no longer the same. You’re like speaking a foreign language that your non-tango friends can’t make sense of. They might first be excited about you starting tango, then feed up by your repeated description of your dance life. They laugh at your Facebook and Instagram accounts overflowing with tango posts and videos.

You start to skip night outs that crash with milongas, or try to schedule early dinners before your dance activities.

Deal with a non-dancing lover or life partner about tango can be a nightmare. You are risking at worst being banished from dancing by a jealous partner, or at best being complained about your absence nights or splurge on master classes, tango shoes and trips.

So why do you still tango?

Because the tango embrace is healing and soothing the pain in real life. Milonga is a haven offering escape from daily troubles and boredom.

In tango you find solidarity, people from all walks of life gather on the floor for the same goal.

In tango you find bonding that can last for years; that overcome differences in races, nationalities and languages.

You become more patient as you know tango techniques cannot be achieved in one day, and it’s the same for any other goals in life.

You learn to handle rejection when someone looks away from your cabeceo. You understand a “No” for now is not equal to a “No” forever.

Let’s tango on.

Over the years of my tango journey I’ve stumbled upon a lot of confusing moments, they fall into 2 types: illusion about my technique; and about my relationships with the tangueros.

Illusion of my own technique

3 years ago on my birthday I had a private class with my favorite tango master. I told him, with tears in eyes: “Querio dejar de bailar tango (I want to give up dancing tango).”

He caressed my hair and said with a genuine sadness in my eyes: “¿Por qué tenés esta idea (Why do you have this idea)?”

I explained to him that I wasn’t making progress for a long time, and I don’t see myself becoming a real tanguera.

In the first two years I made progress at breakneck speed. I went to classes several times a week. Every week I took in a lot of new techniques and sequences.

When I was a beginner most tangueros I encountered was more skillful than I, dancing with them and being led into doing complicated sequences gave me an illusion that I had accomplished a lot and I was beyond my level.

After the very first two years my progress flatten out, and I kept hearing my teacher pointing out the same repeating mistakes, some bad habits that were so embedded in my technique. I was very frustrated and felt stuck at the bottleneck.

And it was so easy to see a top dancer’s video everywhere: Youtube, Facebook, Instagram, even I didn’t actively search for them, it’d pop up on my Facebook page now and then.Watching the top-notch dancers and comparing them to myself was another confidence killer.

My tango master said: “You need to put things in context.”

How I learned to deal with the frustration with my technique is to remind myself it’s good to go steady and slow, that I’m not burning my passion for tango in one strong flame. It’s also good to take videos periodically for a more objective comparison. I must be able to spot differences between the level now and a year ago. Comparing myself from now and where I was always give me a confidence boost when I’m feeling low.

Illusion of my relationship with other tangueros

In tango the level of proximity always create confusing feeling.

I had experience of dancing with a tanguero with whom I felt so connected in our embrace; we moved together synchronized; and we seemed to read each other’s mind. It was only after the tanda when we talked, our chemistry vanished into thin air.

In dance we speak by our body movements, which is usually unfiltered and honest. But when we interact in real life, it’s so easy to act with pretense or filter your speech in conversation.

People who are perfect match in tango don’t always end up becoming perfect match in real life too.

Now I’d stick to one rule: what happens in milonga, stays in milonga.

Original article from: https://masterspanishnow.com/category/news/tango-spanish/

Attending your first job interview with a Spanish company and need help for preparation? No worries, we have your back!

The following are some Spanish phrases you’ll be using in a job interview, make sure you’ve practiced them by speaking them out loud at home before interviewing!

Common dialogue between interviewer and interviewee

Talking about academic background

A note on Spanish tertiary education system:

*Since 2008 in Spain people obtain their graduado (Bachelor degree) after 3 or 4 years of studying. Those with a degree obtained before that year may talk about diplomatura (3-year Bachelor) or licenciatura (the equivalent bachelor plus a master degree) which used to last from 4 to 5 years. To be clear about your kind of degree you can consult your equivalent hours in ECTS credits.

Interviewer: ¿Usted licenciado/graduado universitario? (Are you graduate from university?)

Interviewee: Sí, estoy licenciado/a or graduado/a en…. (Yes, I graduate from…)

Mi licenciatura es en…(I majored in…) /Tengo la carrera de…(I have a degree in)/ Mi especialización es…(My specialization is…)

Interviewer: ¿Tiene una diplomatura? (Do you have a Bachelor degree?)

Interviewee: Sí, tengo una diplomatura en…/estoy diplomado/a en .. (Yes, I have a diploma in…)

Interviewer: ¿Tiene un máster? (You have a master degree?)

Interviewee: Sí, tengo un máster en…(Yes, I have a master in…)

Mi trabajo de tesis trató sobre… (My thesis was on…)

Mi trabajo final de carrera/ máster trató sobre … (My degree/master thesis was on..)

Interviewer: ¿Tiene un doctorado? (You have a doctorate degree?)

Interviewee: Sí, soy doctor/a en…(Yes I am doctor in…)

Other useful phrases

Me especialicé en… (I specialized in…)

Hice cursos en/de…(I took courses in…)

Hablo varias lenguas// idiomas (I speak various languages)

e.g. Hablo cuarto lenguas//idiomas: inglés, español, italiano, alemán (I speak 4 languages: English, Spanish, Italian and German)

He publicado artículos en…(I’ve published material on…)

Trabajé como voluntario en…(I did some volunteer work in…)

Talking about work experience

Interviewer: ¿Cúal es la última empresa en la qué ha trabajado? ¿Qué puesto ocupó? (Which is your old company? What position did you have?)

Interviewee: Trabajé en….(nombre de empresa) como….(puesto) (I work in… (name of the company) as…(position)).

Interviewer: ¿Cuáles fueron sus mayores logros en su último trabajo? (What were your greatest achievement in your last job?)

Interviewee: (example) Conseguí aumentar las ventas un 30% (I increase the sale of products for 30%).

Interviewer: ¿Ha hecho prácticas en alguna empresa? (Have you done any internship in any company?)

Interviewee : Hice prácticas en…(nombre de empresa) (I did an internship in… (company name)).

Interviewer: ¿Por qué quiere este trabajo exactamente? (Why exactly do you want this job?)

Interviewee: (example) Porque quiero desarrollarme en el ámbito de mi profesión dentro de una empresa ya establecida. (Because I want to have a good development of my profesión in an established company).

Interviewer: ¿Por qué cree que deberíamos contratarlo? (Why do you think we should hire you?)

Interviewee: (example) Porque considero que tengo la suficiente capacidad para desarrollar este trabajo y puedo conseguir resultados excelentes. (Because I have the capacity for the job and can deliver excellent results).

Talking about your personality

Interviewer: ¿Puede decirnos tres fortalezas/virtudes suyas y tres defectos? (Can you tell us three strengths and three weaknesses of yours?)

You better be honest in your answer, here you have an example:

Interviewee: Ahora no se me ocurren tres. En general me considero una persona sensible, eso puede ser bueno y malo a la vez. Es bueno porque… Pero es malo porque… ( I cannot think of three now. In general, I consider myself a sensitive person. That can be good and bad at the same time. It’s good because … but it’s bad because …)

Talking about the contact, salary and benefit

Interviewee: ¿Qué tipo de contrato me ofrecen? (What is the type of contract I am offered?)

Interviewer: Es indefinido (contract without definite end time)/ temporal (temporary)/ a proyecto (for a project)/a tiempo parcial (part-time) .

Interviewee: ¿Cuál es el sueldo?/ ¿A cuánto asciende el salario? (What’s the salary?)

Interviewee: ¿De cuántos días de vacaciones podré disponer? (How many days of vacation I’ll have?)

Ending the interview

Interviewer: Muy bien, estudiaremos su currículo y ya le comunicaremos nuestra decisión.

(Very good. We will study your CV and communicate with you our decision)

Interviewee: Muchas gracias. Esperaré su llamada. Hasta pronto. (Thank you. I’ll wait for your call. See you later.)

Interviewer: Gracias por venir (Thanks for coming).

Good luck for your interview! You can get help here in case you need it.

Original article

I always remember my first Buenos Aires milonga at El Beso 4 years ago. I sat in the third row of the lady section like a wallflower for hours, watching my neighbors being invited over and over. I never succeed in catching the eyes of any gentleman. Every time after my neighbors were out on the dance floor, I felt very exposed with only empty seats surrounding me. I left disheartened. Walking on the busy Avenida Corrientes, I kept thinking what was wrong with me.

Fast forward to a few months ago, I went to the same milonga. I was still sitting on the third row, but I became the few tangueras who always got onto the dance floor first every time a tanda (a set of tango music) start. I left the milonga early not because I didn’t get dances, but because my feet were sore and the floor’s got too crowded to move.

What has led to this transform? ​I have many hard-learned lessons over these years. I wish someone would have told me the following 5 tips earlier so I’d get a head start in a new tango scene and saved many disappointed nights.

So here I’m sharing these tips for having fun and getting more dances in a tango scene which you are not familiar with, be it milongas, festivals and marathons where you are new and don’t know a soul.

1. Go early/make reservation

I can’t stress enough the importance of the location of your seat, especially for ladies. It affects how much you are seen and the ease of cabeceo (the use of sight for dance invitation) with others. (For men, in milongas you are allowed to stand up and walk around the room to widen your search for partner ). So try to make a reservation before the milonga, or go early.

2. Dress for success

In milongas people would usually dress classy to milonga. Keep your jeans and T-shirt in wardrobe and match into the dance hall in your best attire! However, it may not be a good occasion to show off your newly bought Comme il faut, as ​people might see you as a nouveau and rich tango tourist. It’s best to wear shoes that have been worn for some time, as they are more comfortable for your feet and would show to the others you are a seasoned dancer.

3. Don’t take the first invitation

This may sound counter-intuitive, but what I am suggesting is not to take the invitation when you’ve just arrived the milonga and got an invitation from a stranger. I often got the worse tanda of the night because I was rushing to the floor and didn’t observe the dance of my partner before taking the invitation. This might impact the invitation you get later on as milongueros would observe the dance of a new face before deciding to dance with him/her. If your first tanda is unappealing, and you are seen dancing in bad posture, you may end up getting fewer dances that night.

4. Interact with your neighbors

Sometimes in milonga you may need to share a table with other milongueros/as. Be friendly and say hi. Engage in small talks with them when they are not busy for cabeceo. Their friendliness and advice offered to you would often surprise you. I have got many suggestions of the best milongas in town from my neighbors. They would be more likely to dance with you too- I have once danced with my neighbor who was a female leader, and that was the best tanda of the night.

5. Thanks the organizers before you leave

This is a point which many people may overlook. Organizing a milongas requires a lot of planning and coordination. By thanking the organizers you show your appreciation for their hard work. It’s also a good way to establish connection and friendship.

Adapted from: 6 Tips on enjoying the first Buenos Aires milonga and getting more dances

“Should I travel alone to Buenos Aires? Is it safe there?” Being a girl who has traveled by herself to Argentina twice, I have always been asked this question, especially by fellow young ladies who has never set foot on South America soil but fancy an adventure in Buenos Aires, the Paris of South America.

Indeed, Argentina is infamous for her higher patty crime and robbery rates caused by volatile economy with skyrocket inflation rate and serious unemployment problem. But Buenos Aires is such an enchanting city which has so much to offer — mouthwatering Argentine beef; artistic La recoleta cemetery; the San Telmo Sunday market full of handicrafts and hidden gems; and of course, enticing tango…it is hard to give it a pass. In fact, you just need to be extra vigilant and careful, then you can enjoy traveling the city and experience it in full without running into troubles.

For those of you who contemplate a trip to Buenos Aires, here are my top ten tips to help stay safe navigating the city.

1. Avoid flashy outfits, watch and jewelry

I know it sounds obvious but please keep your Rolex and flashy jewelry in the safe before taking your flight to Argentina.

It’s always good to dress modest so that you can fit in rather than standing out of the crowd when you are in a foreign country.

2. Learn some Spanish before going to Buenos Aires

Learning a new language is always time and pain-taking but it’s guaranteed to worth the effort. Nothing will show more a tourist of you than walking into a place and speak only in English. Even speaking only a few Spanish keywords will distinguish you to be “in the knows” from being a total novice and reducing your chance of becoming a victim of a scam.

There are many ways you can learn Spanish, but the most efficient way for tourists to pack in as much survival Spanish as possible quickly is to take 1-to-1 online class with Argentinian Spanish teachers before traveling to the country, who will teach you not only the survival Spanish you’d need in the shortest time, but also enlighten you on the culture of the country and local tips of the city. You will also establish a local connection who you can contact for help in case you need it.

3. Observe how locals speak and behave

This is an action which has been very helpful in all my previous solo girl travel: in my first few days in a new city I’d keenly observe the locals wherever I go: in the restaurants, café, supermarket and subte (metro), how they interact and behave, and what are the words they use in their conversation. I spent extensive time learning Spanish in Spain and have been to Italy. Although the two European countries share lots of similarities in language and culture with Argentina, the Argentinians have their own ascent and have their own set of vocabulary distinct from Spain, and they behave differently from Italians. Observing and mimicking the behavior of the locals and the way they speak help a lot in fitting in and be seen less of a tourist.

4. Take Uber/taxi when traveling at night in Buenos Aires

I’m a tango traveler and it means I’d need to go out a lot in late nights and return in early mornings, and I’d usually take Uber or taxi when I’m traveling at night. While it may still be safe to travel by subte (metro) before 10pm while there are still many passengers and movement on the street, it’s better to stay on the safe side and take a Uber or taxi later at night.

While taxi is generally safe, I’d prefer Uber as I’d know the fare, the name and plate number of the driver before the trip, and this reduces my chance of falling into a taxi scam. There’s one thing you’d need to be aware of when taking a Uber — sit next to the driver, if possible. When Uber started offering service in Buenos Aires, some taxi drivers felt that Uber was taking away their business and were hostile and violent to Uber drivers. If you sit next to the Uber driver, it would be less easy for the vehicle to be identified as a Uber.

If you need to take the taxi, the best way is to call the Radio Taxi company for one. The information of the taxi will be tracked by the company and would reduce your chance of falling into a scam.

Number of 2 Radio taxi companies:

Radiotaxi Buenos Aires: +54 3546 63–8153

Radio Taxi Premium: +54 11 5238–0000

5. Stay in a safe neighborhood

For solo travelers, especially ladies, it’d be important for them to stay in a safe neighborhood where they’d feel secure even they’d need to go out and return in late nights. One neighborhood recommended is Palermo which is a middle-class area and generally safe area. Recoleta is another high-end and safe area.

The Congreso area is not recommended as most protests happen close to that area. Protest is a norm in the city due to various social and economic problems in the country. Whenever a protest happens the area will be crowded, roads will be blocked so it will be difficult to move around. The protests also have a tendency of evolving into a chaos at the end.

The La Boca area is another place where is infamous for thieves and should be cautious of.

6. Bring only the cash you need

It’s always good to have a rough estimate of how much money you’d need to spend on that day and bring only a little extra of that amount. You’d have the peace of mind knowing most of your money are safe-kept in your own place.

Most restaurants, shops and supermarkets in the city are accepting credit cards now, so you may take your credit card with you if you prefer not to bring a load of cash. Many places would ask for your documento (document) to check your identity, and they would accept your national identity card or driver license, so you can also safe-keep your passport in your place.

Many shops would still prefer cash and they would offer a discount if you pay with efectivo (cash), sometimes the discount can be hefty. What I’d do if I run out of cash is to negotiate a partial discount for the part which I pay in cash, and pay the rest in credit card; or I’d put down a deposit and ask the owner to keep my purchases for me, return later to pay the rest and pick my things up (usually on the way back to my place). I prefer the later approach as I can take full advantage of the cash discount and I’d not need to carry my expensive shoppings to the next distinction and risk losing them.

7. Use a traveler wallet

I’d avoid putting money in the bag I carry, instead I put the bulk of my money and credit card in a traveler wallet which goes under my clothes. Even if my bag is stolen or being snatched off on the street, I’d be able to safeguard my valuable. I’d put some money in the pocket of my jacket for small purchases so that I don’t need to fumble for the wallet and expose it in the public.

8. Avoid using your cell phone on the road

Put your phone away when you are walking on the streets in Buenos Aires, especially when you are walking closer to the road. People get distracted when they are using their phone and easily fall prey to crimes. Two friends of mine had their phones snatched off by motorcyclists when they were texting on the street. If you need to use your phone to call or find direction, better do it inside or at least by the door of a shop or a cafe.

9. Stay away from quiet streets at night

This may seems obvious but worth mentioning — avoid walking on quiet streets at night. Try to stay on avenidas (avenues) where there are more movement. For major avenida such as Avenida Corrientes, it would be safe to walk on even in late night as it is always full of life and is known as “the street that never sleeps”.

10. Do not resist if you run into a robbery

If you unfortunately encounter a robbery, do not resist and fight as the robber may be armed and get violent. Monetary lost is bad, but better than personal injury.

If the robber say “Dame todo” (Give me everything), give the robber your valuable. Report to the tourist police afterwards and get a report for filing for travel insurance and get reimbursed for your lost after you’ve returned to your home country.

Buenos Aires Tourist Police Office

Buenos Aires has a tourist police office (near Subte station “Florida”) where you can find English-speaking police officers to report any crime you run into and ask for help.

Comisaría del Turista (Tourist police office) (24hrs)

Address: Reconquista, 1003 Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina

Phone: +548009995000

Follow these 10 tips and enjoy a safe and fun trip in Buenos Aires, a charming city with friendly people.

Tango is one hell of flirting.

How can we be surprised of this? A dance with an infamous birth from the brothel. An activity for boys meet girls. In early 20th century in Buenos Aires, Argentina, a city with a massive influx of immigrants and men significantly outnumbered women, dancing tango was the only way a man can meet a lady. Milonga (“Tango ball”) was the event where young people looked for romantic partners.

Young men went to all-male practicas (practice sessions of tango) to learn the dance and drill their skills. They spent a year or two dancing by following the lead from their male seniors, before being taught how to lead the dance, and they’d learn for another few years before they were told to be good enough to step into a milonga.

Girls learned tango in the privacy of family, taught by their fathers and brothers, or sometimes mothers and sisters, if they knew how to lead. The girls would follow their family to milonga and be invited by men for dancing. The man who had drilled hard for years before finally getting the girl in his arm would do all he can to impress and woo the girl.

Today this man-woman seduction is still an inseparable part of tango, making it a fascinating and dangerous sport.

How flirting works in tango

There is a set of “códigos” (unspoken rules) which all milongueros (tango dancers) have to abide by in a milonga, and it would stun many people to find out there’s also a set of rule for flirting.

In traditional milongas in Buenos Aires, men and women need to sit separately. You’d see men sitting in rows facing the rows of ladies across the room. People perform a flirtatious ritual for dance invitation — not verbally, but by cabeceo (exchange of glances). A man or a woman would stare at the partner he/she wants to dance with, when their glances meet, the man/woman would tilt the head to one side, and the other person can accept by nodding the head, or reject by turning the head away. If they seal the deal, the man would come close to the seat of the lady and escort her to the dance floor.

The couple would dance a tanda (a set of 3 or 4 songs), and they would thank each other before the man escort the woman back to her seat. If the couple would like to dance with one another again, they can perform the cabeceo a few tandas later.

But what if the couple continue to dance for several consecutive tandas? Then it’s a signal they have a special interest of one another beyond the dance.

Want to learn some Spanish phrases for flirting in tango? Check out Tango Spanish: Flirting and coffee in tango.

The ultimate secret code — Do you want a coffee?

Photo by Lood Goosen from Pexels

After the heat of one body pressing on the other for several tandas, the man may perform the ultimate ask: “Do you want to have a coffee/dinner together?”.

In tango the “coffee/dinner” often translates to spending the night together.

If the woman agrees, the couple should leave the milonga separately and meet outside at the street corner.

Relationships in tango

The encounter in tango is perhaps good for a fling but questionable for long term. The lighting and atmosphere in a milonga; the sips of wine in between tandas; the proximity to another body in the middle of night; the perfume on the back of the neck of your partner…all these would easily create an illusion of intimacy that confuses your real feeling.

At the end you might realize the person who you want to dance that 3 consecutive tandas with may not be the same person who you want to do grocery with, but if you are fine with something casual, there’s no reason you can’t drink that cup of coffee.

Enjoy the ride of tango.

It takes two to tango…and it also takes Spanish to tango.

When we talk about tango, the first images pop up in people’s mind are often imageries of fishnet stocking; a red slit dress revealing lady’s thigh; a red rose between teeth…after we have a taste of a tango class or two, or step our foot into a milonga (“tango ball”), we’d know those are the stereotypes portrayed by the staged tango shows for tourist or Hollywood movies.

However, for people who have more experience with tango, those who have been dancing for years, they may still have many misconceptions about tango.

In most people’s mind, even for many seasoned tango dancers, tango is a dance of romance, love and passion.

While it’s not totally untrue, in reality, most tango are heartbreaking stories on betrayal, departure, separation, poverty, crime and loneliness. Songs which are purely about love and romance are minuscule drops in the sea of tango. To understand the melancholy of tango, we have to trace back to the origin of the dance.

A brief history of tango

Tango born in late 1800s to early 1900s in the grass root community in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The city received a massive influx of Immigrants, mostly from European countries such as Spain and Italy. Immigrants left their war torn and impoverished homelands to seek for a better life in the new world. These people, mostly young men who have left their families thousand miles behind were overwhelmed by the nostalgia and loneliness, and they created tango as an outlet of emotion and sorrow.

Tango was first regarded as lowly and obscene, and only people in the lower society would care to dance it. Carlos Gardel, the legendary Argentinian actor and singer in the early 20th century, sang the first lyrical tango “Mi noche triste” (My sad night) in a public performance at the Esmeralda Theater in 1917. He toured in Europe and United States in the 1920s, introducing tango to the world and created the “tango mania” in Europe and US. The dance after being made “chic” and “cleansed” in France gained acceptance by the higher society in its place of origin.

1935 to 1952 was the “golden age of tango”. Many tango orchestras such as Carlos Di Sarli, Juan D’ Arienzo, Anibal Troilo, Osvaldo Pugliese performed all over in the Buenos Aires city in salons and bar and sold thousand tango music records. They created many classical tango songs that people are dance to nowadays.

In 1955 the General Péron’s government in Argentina was overthrown and the new military government considered tango as an alien and dangerous popular culture and banned public tango music performances and milongas. This started the “Tango dark age” which lasted for decades. It was until the fall of the military government in 1983, and the “Tango Argentino” musical show that gained great success and popularity in Paris and New York in 1985 a world-wide resurgence of tango occurred, and tango became popular once again.

Tango is a dance inseparable from the history and culture of Argentina. Speaking Spanish, the language of Argentinians, is important for truly understand the dance.

Why learn Spanish makes you a better tango dancer

If you are a tango dancer, learning Spanish will save you from many embarrassing moments.

One night a guy invited my friend to dance a tanda (a set of 4 tango songs) by the orchestra Di Sarli, and told her he had reserved “the most romantic tanda of the night” for her.

While the 3 other songs might be romantic, there was one tango called “Tormenta” (storm) in the set, and the lyrics go like this:

…Si la vida es el infierno

(If life is hell)

y el honrao vive entre lágrimas,

(and the honest lives in tears,)

¿Cuál es el bien…

(What good is it…)

del que lucha en nombre tuyo,

(for someone who fights on your behalf,)

limpio, puro?… ¿para qué?…

(clean, pure…? What for?…)1

The music is smooth and melodic, and if we take away the original lyrics and rewrite them, we might make a romantic love song out of it. But one that speaks Spanish and understand the lyrics would know it’s a tango that laments the cruelty of life.

There are many tango songs with music that is deceiving happy, only when we listen carefully to the lyrics we will find out it’s a sad one. For people who speak some Spanish, even they can’t understand the whole lyrics, they could pick up hints from the keywords they know and save them from expressing wrong emotion when dancing to a song.

Why learn Spanish makes you a better tango DJ

Photo by Александр Неплохов from Pexels

If you are a tango DJ, you have a stronger reason to learn Spanish — you are in charge of the songs for all milongueros (tango dancers) dancing in your milonga, and speaking Spanish will help you make the best choices.

One time when my Argentinian Tango master visited my city, he went to a local milonga. He heard one song and ended up walking straight to the DJ and asked her not to play that song again in milonga.

The song in question was called “Adios muchachos” (Goodbye friends), about a man who has terminal illness saying goodbye to his friends while walking down memory lane:

Adiós, muchachos, compañeros de mi vida,

(Farewell my friends, companions of a lifetime,)

barra querida de aquellos tiempos.

(beloved brothers of old times.)

Me toca a mí hoy emprender la retirada,

(Now it’s my turn to set out the retreat)

Debo alejarme de mi buena muchachada.

(I must distance myself from all my good friends.)

Adiós, muchachos. Ya me voy y me resigno.

(Farewell my friends. Now I go and resign myself.)

Contra el destino nadie la talla.

(Against destiny, no one can cheat her.)

Se terminaron para mí todas las farras,

(All the parties have ended for me)

mi cuerpo enfermo no resiste más.

(My sick body can resist no more.)

Acuden a mi mente

(It comes to my mind)

recuerdos de otros tiempos,

(memories of other times,)

de los bellos momentos

(of the beautiful moments)

que antaño disfruté,

(that I once enjoyed,)

cerquita de mi madre,

(close to my mother, )

santa viejita,

(my aging saint,)

y de mi noviecita

(and of my girlfriend,)

que tanto idolatré…

(who I idolized so much…)

Many tango DJ would avoid playing the song in milonga as it’s considered bringing bad luck.

It’s widely regarded as the last song performed by Carlos Gardel before the plane crash took away his life (Although the actual last song he sang was “Tomo y obligo” (I drink and invite)).

However, even without such superstition, who would dance to a tango with such lyrics?

In tango there are many songs that fall into the “prohibited playlist” for milonga by tradition and also because of the lyrics which are inappropriate for dancing in a milonga (The tango “tormenta” mentioned earlier is another tango that some tango DJ would avoid). Learning Spanish would help tango DJs to understand the lyrics and the culture context of the songs for making thoughtful choices when arranging their playlist.

How to learn Spanish for tango?

Tango is a dance that ties closely with the culture and history of Argentina. Learning Spanish helps us to put the dance back in its context; to connect to the emotion of the song and take our enjoyment of tango to the next level.

How can we learn Spanish for tango? A great starting point is reading. “Tango Spanish and Buenos Aires Travel Tips” and “Tango Spanish: Essential Phrase Book for Tango Class and Language Guide for Tango Shoe Shopping” are two books that are tailored for tango dancers for learning Spanish.

Taking online Spanish class with Argentinian Spanish teachers who are tango dancers themselves is a way which further enhances your Spanish level, and is an effective mean for tango dancers who are planning to go to Buenos Aires and need to learn survival Spanish, or those who are looking for more intensive practice.

1 Lyrics and English translation adapted from: https://letrasdetango.wordpress.com/2011/06/17/tormenta/