3 tips for a crowded dance floor (and a warning)

A crowded dance floor might feel uncomfortable or even scary depending on your experience.

 

And yes, better technique & musicality and knowing more steps can help you deal with this.

 

But there are a few simpler things you can do that can come in handy.

 

I’ll give you 3 tips that helped me, and a warning.

 

Let’s start with the warning:

Don’t be a jack@ss. 

These tips, if overused, are a no-no for a milonga.

Use them only when necessary.

 

A piece of advice before we start:

When you can’t take any steps because you are all surrounded, focus on giving a beautiful embrace.

You have the best excuse to stop and hug.

 

OK, the three tips.

Use with caution.

 

What’s the right spot?

In most milongas, people tend to enter from one or two corners.

If you start dancing in a spot located before one of those corners people will keep entering in front of you.

So choose to enter in front of those corners and move forward so that you don’t block the people behind you.

 

Important: 

In some places, it is tradition to enter from a certain part of the dance floor.

It might even be considered impolite or that you break the code if you enter from another spot.

 

That chatty couple in front of you

You have been there.

The music starts, and that guy in front of you keeps talking for at least a minute into the song.

Even worse, it’s D’Arienzo, so you don’t want to miss the first phrases where the energy is established.

First song, you are patient.

Second song, you get frustrated.

Third song, you try to figure out how to get in front of him.

Fourth song, and you have regretted this tanda.

Is there a better way?

Well ‘Yes, there IS a better way!’ (imagine a young model holding a magic detergent that can clean all stains at once).

 

What I do, is this:

I embrace my partner, take a few steps closer to the couple in front of me, and GENTLY, touch the guy’s shoulder with the back of my left hand.

99 times out of 100, he starts dancing immediately.

 

Again: don’t overdo it with this trick. 

Milongas are social places, many people go there to talk and socialize.

And yes, the couple in front of you could be a bit politer and at least go a bit to the side while talking so that you can pass, but let’s forgive them for that.

 

‘But,’ you might be asking, ‘what can I do when there is this guy behind me that simply doesn’t give me any space to dance, and keeps pressuring me?’

 

‘Glad you asked! Here is what I recommend to my closest friends and family!

Let me introduce you to our new solution, the majestic rotating rebote.

I learned this more than 10 years ago, from a world tango champion.

A series of rebotes (front to back, front to back) while rotating clockwise or counterclockwise is a very compact move.

It creates a circle around you that it is not easy to penetrate.

And yes, it does feel like you are peeing all around to mark your territory.

 

Warning:

Again, use the above with caution. Don’t be a jack@ss. The milonga is a place to hug and connect, not fight. Use them only when the people in front or behind you are truly abusing your kindness.

If you are a leader and want to learn more ways to improve your dance, don’t miss the next Curious Tanguero newsletter.

Get it here.

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