Hi everybody, Fran here with your Tango Tip of the Week. Today, we're going to begin taking a look at some long-standing Tango customs and traditions in Argentina, and discuss how these unique conventions determine the ways in which people interact with one another during a milonga.

Who are you?

Let's profile you a little bit before we continue. For today's discussion, we'll say that you're male, you've arrived at the milonga alone, and you don't have a reservation. The venue is Club Gricel, and your host for the evening, Hector Chidichimo, has sat you with one or more other single men. You've ordered una bottella de aqua con gas; i.e., a bottle of sparkling water. No wine for you tonight -- it'll interfere with your ability to dance at your peak, and you want to look especially good on the floor.

Show time

Backing up just a tad, let's establish your arrival time for a typical evening milonga: somewhere between let's say 10:00 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. That's right. If you wanted supper beforehand, the restaurant you chose most likely hadn't even opened its doors until about 8:30 p.m. What had you been doing before that? If you were trying to make the most of your time in Buenos Aires, you were probably enjoying an afternoon milonga, which had started at 2:00, 3:00, or 4:00 p.m., and was scheduled to run until 9:00, 10:00, or even 11:00 p.m.! In fact, you had to tear yourself away from all the fun you were having in order to squeeze in a bite to eat before the main event.

What about the shoes?

Okay, there you are at Gricel. Do you start the ball rolling by changing into your shiny new dance shoes at the table? Definitely not! In fact, you've left those expensive shoes back at your hotel, because you've learned by now that only the tourists wear them at the milonga, and it's actually considered rude to change shoes at the table. You used to bring them with you, and change in the front before you made your way to your table; but by this time, you've gotten into the habit of opting for comfortable, snug-fitting street shoes with leather soles just like almost all the locals do.

Surveying the scene

As you look around the room, you notice that most men are wearing either suits and ties or sports jackets and dress shirts with open collar -- no blue jeans, no tee shirts, no sneakers. Women are all wearing dresses or skirts with blouses. As for seating arrangements, couples, groups who came to the milonga together, and single men have been situated on one side of the floor, while single women have been placed on the other side.

The night has begun. You're ready to initiate your first dance. Next week, Pat will talk to us about how a single woman enters a milonga and prepares herself for an evening of dancing.

See you then.

Please join us for our Saturday Practica at Dardo Galletto Studios, 151 West 46^th Street (between 6^th and 7^th Avenues), 11^th floor; 2-4pm, $10 per person. (Bringing a partner isn't necessary.) Pat and I will both be on hand to answer any questions you may have about your dancing, and to help you with material you're working on. Plus you get a new “must-have” tango move each week! If you’d like a private lesson, you can visit our website at www.franchesleigh.com, call Fran directly at 212-662-7692, or email him at franchesleigh@mac.com Join us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/franchesleighllc

The following folks helped set up, break down and clean up before and after the milonga. Without them, there would be no Firehouse Tango.

• Steve Maisch - 
• Bob Brillo
• ​​​​​​​​Steve Turi
• Lynn Gross
• Jesse Barton
• Rafael and Hilda
  
• Barbara
  
• Mike Porro