Milonga Tropical

No, there are always people to dance with at tango events, and it’s perfectly acceptable to come solo. Don’t be afraid to introduce yourself to people.

The facility the dance is hosted at is Cine, which has concrete floors. They are not incredibly smooth floors but hard leather soles should slide decently. Many of the dance movements in tango involve pivoting or turning on your shoes so you are encouraged to wear hard leather soles or soft suede soles. You could also wear ballet slippers. Avoid wearing rubber soled shoes if you want to tango, but rubber soled shoes are acceptable for the other latin rhythm dances. 

There is not a specific dress code, but some women will wear dresses or skirts with flowing material because its movement accentuates their dancing. A pair of nice slacks and shirt are always acceptable for both men and women. 

Yes! It’s very simple – girls that don’t ask won’t dance as much as girls who do. Everyone from beginner to advanced dancers love to dance, so go ahead and ask.

The dance scene is pretty welcoming – and rest assured that you will not be only beginner there. Regulars are always glad to dance with beginners since they all remember what it felt like when they first began to dance. Besides, enjoying a dance is far less dependent on how “advanced” the movement is than on how pleasant the connection is. If you are friendly and enthusiastic about dance, people will want to dance with you

While this event is referred to as Milonga Tropical, we will not be observing strict Milonga etiquette. Our musical arrangement will be several cycles in the form of a 4-song tanda of Tango, followed by 4 non-tango songs. Regardless of your gender, if you want to dance with someone, you can suggest a dance. Lastly, if you have danced a song with someone, you are free to change partners if you wish! You will not need to worry with strict Milonga etiquette. We are here to have fun and not follow strict rules. 

By now though, you may be curious about Milonga etiquette! Here is some information you may find interesting about Milonga protocol.

One of the most important rules of Milonga is the way in which you invite someone to dance, or "cabeceo." This word comes from the Spanish word for head (cabeza), and is something like a nod; in effect, it’s a wordless way of asking to dance, using eye-contact, nods, and smiles.  The cabeceo is perhaps one of the most important codes of all. It is the way that people invite and agree to dance together. It is a system of mutual respect and delicacy.

Gentlemen invite the ladies from a relative distance by catching her eye and nodding. If she would like to accept the invitation she will nod back. If the woman does not want to be invited to dance, she must subtly look the other way or not look his way in the first place. 

The musical arrangement is also important. In a true milonga, the music is broken down into tandas, which are bundles of 3-4 songs organized by music style (tango, milonga, or vals) and orchestra (di Sarli, D’Arienzo, Caló, etc.) It is customary and polite to stay with your dance partner for the entire tanda and switch partners between tandas.