Although I try to be as tolerant as reasonable, there are certain things you can do if you want to be on my shit list. It's not a comprehensive list, but here it goes:
1. Standing on the floor with your next partner during the cortina. Though it may not seem like a great deal, it's a great disrespect to the DJ. Unless you're a psychic, you don't know what I'll play next. Yes, yes, maybe you trust me that I'll play good music. But there is hardly anything else that kills my motivation as this. How can I motivate myself to play good music if people will just dance to whatever I play, not because of what and when I play? And it's not just about that. There are some kinds of music that go better with certain partners. For example, maybe I like to dance a slow romantic tanda with A, a dramatic instrumental tanda with B, or an aggressive fast rhythmic tanda with C. Develop these tastes and take the experience to a new level (really it's not my business if people don't enjoy as much as they could, but as a dedicated DJ, I want them to). You don't even have to know what orchestra it is. Just listen to the first song for a preview of what's to come. Then choose who you want to dance with, not before. In other words, cortina means GTFO and don't come back in till I say so!
2. Dancing ugly. Troilo would have probably rolled over in his grave if he saw some of the dancing to his music last night. Yes, musical interpretation is personal and free. But some things are simply wrong. Things like poorly performed ganchos, saltos, sentadas and a bunch of other stuff that didn't even go with the music (and shouldn't be done during social dancing anyway). Maybe it would have gone well if it was later instrumental Troilo, but it was moody Troilo with Fiorentino. And please, please, please don't do volcadas... it looks ugly whenever you do it... no matter what the music. Oh and soltadas too. I just threw up.
3. Peeking into my workspace. Seriously... it's my modus operandi. I might be watching porn. Just kidding. But no, it's intrusive and rude. On the other hand, I appreciate when people come to personally thank me for the music or ask me the name of a song they like.
4. Teaching on the dance floor. This is really obvious, but people still do it. And evidently, the ones teaching on the dance floor are really shitty dancers. They're so awful that they can't get dances with good dancers, so they dance with naive young beginners. I'm all for dancing with everyone no matter their level, but you should adjust. In other words, don't try to lead a beginner to do some steps you can't even lead properly... Please... and then tell them how to do it. Yeah, instill some bad habits in the beginners, thanks a fucking lot, idiot.
5. Asking for nuevo. I won't do it.
To be continued
Do you have people chatting while they dance? That's one of my pet peeves, as well as the gems you mentioned above.
ReplyDeleteAs a DJ, it tells me that they're not listening to the music. I could just as well have put on a tanda of Military Two Step! Of course, their inattention is reflected in their dancing.
The chatterers also annoy the hell out of me when I'm dancing - let's call it "tango interruptus".
Hi, Patricia!
ReplyDeleteI don't mind people chattering as long as the volume is reasonable and the topic is somewhat related to tango. It's unrealistic to expect a milonga to be like a library, not to mention undesirable (at least for me). For me, socializing is a big part of milonguear, as long as it's not the main thing.
The "chatterers" who annoy me are those holding a conversation WHILE they are dancing. I don't know about you, but I simply can't dance tango and hold a conversation simultaneously. Call me intolerant, even grumpy, but the chatter from neighbouring couples on the dance-floor distracts me from the music, too.
ReplyDeleteSocialising is indeed an integral part of the milonga - in between tangos, as well as off the dance-floor. But in my view, conversations while dancing tango don't work.
Oh in that case I agree entirely... Funny anecdote: this guy complained to me that I should not sing at milongas because it distracts me, but when I saw him dancing, he couldn't stop chit chatting with his partner... wtf? what, is the music and the dance distracting you from your conversation?
ReplyDeleteI suppose some people dance tango for different reasons, including some reasons which have nothing whatsoever to do with the music. Can't say that I understand that, but there you go.
ReplyDeleteOops, forgot to thank you for the link to our blog