Interesting
that the two best London milongas I've been to recently are in the
afternoons, which are light at this time of year. Best in terms of
general dance quality, general courtesy, and the pleasure of feeling
comfortable in fairly crowded rooms.
Another
pleasure of these afternoon milongas is that strangers seem to chat
with each other much more readily towards the end. I guess that's
partly the time of day: by midnight most
of us
might
have
other priorities, but at 6pm after a lot of pleasant dances the mind
opens out to other people.
So
it was that I started chatting with someone I know only
by
sight. 'Such good dancing!' I said. 'Yes', he replied, 'it was
light!' 'It does make a difference, doesn't it?' 'I've seen it
myself' he replied. 'People are dancing well, and then the lights get
turned down and it all falls apart. I've seen it happen!' & I
agree: in fact it's something I've written about from time to time.
In the worst milongas the lighting is dramatic, deep shadows, bright
patches.
It's much more of an effort to stay aware of the couples around you.
But worse, as we agreed, there seems
to be
a loss of inhibitions when the light levels go down. People can't see
so clearly, and become more careless. Perhaps
they know they are less conspicuous. &
we
tend to think of dance as abandoning inhibition, letting it all hang
out, but dance has to be highly controlled,
physically. The formality of the Buenos Aires milongas helps maintain
awareness of that control.
Of
course there are other considerations. People are less likely to
drink when they dance at 3pm: it's more normal to have a glass or two
at 10pm. Perhaps the time of day rather than the light level is
responsible. But it's true that we are all more alert when the light
is good: moreover,
bluish light is
said to make
us more alert,
and
reddish light to
reduce
alertness.
Perhaps
we need tango umpires with light meters! 'Bad
light stopped dance.'
Joking
aside, I really think it's worth looking at the possibility that
upping light levels in milongas can improve the general level of
dance. As far as I'm aware shady lighting is a disco/club heritage,
and historically it's never been associated with any partner dance.
True, some of the Buenos Aires milongas have reduced light levels,
but by and large the organisers seem
to
accept
the lighting already
there in
the halls they use for milongas, with no attempt to make it sexy or
dim.
6 comments:
I agree, TC. Higher illumination and higher standard of dancing go together. I think this is largely through a selection mechanism. Full illumination allows dancers to better see the dancing of prospective partners and to invite them by look. Inevitably this favours dancers of a higher standard. Interestingly this is also the reason that many organisers dislike it. It encourages what they see as elitism and divisive behaviour, reducing attendance especially if the event is directed primarily at classgoers.
Thanks for this insightful article.
You make some excellent observations, Tango Commuter. I agree that brighter lighting seems to foster dancing with more care and consideration. Of course, with good lighting the cabeceo is possible and that leads to better dancing, in my opinion.
On a more general note, I've found that dim lighting seems to encourage isolation of dancers, whether seated in a group or alone. They seem less approachable for a chat - as if shielded by the darkness.
I completely agree! And that's why I mainly go to the matinee milongas here in BsAs--better dancers, higher levels of light, which not only help the cabeceo but when you're not dancing you can enjoy watching the floor.
Thanks, Patricia, and I'm glad that it's your experience too that adequate lighting helps. As you say, it makes cabeceo easier, and people often do hide, or seem to hide, in dim lighting.
Hi Cherie, and it's good to hear from you. I'm very happy to be reminded of those matinee milongas, especially in Leonesa and at El Arranque. & to remember the nocturnal ones too... Watching the floor day and night was always a great pleasure! I hope Los Consagrados, with the wonderful tango danced there, is still a weekly base for you and Rubén.
Hi
Are you able to name the afternoon milongas you like
Thanks Anon. I was writing about the difference between afternoon and evening milongas, rather than trying to push any particular events. & as it happens the organisers of the two milongas I was thinking about choose not to advertise their events. They operate by word of mouth. I'm sure you will find your way to them if you're interested.
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