Milonga, milonguita?
It’s perhaps rather confusing to new-comers to our small Tango community in Singapore that the words “Milonga” and “Milonguita” are used almost interchangeably to mean pretty much the same thing – a Tango dance party in this context. In fact, I sometimes wonder, when we use such terms, if we really have a full understanding of the original intended meanings ourselves? According to the Guide to Tango terminology on Stephen Brown’s website,
Milonguita – Questionably, an affectionate diminutive for the milonga.
Popularity: 13%
Having good posture
Was discussing with a friend the merits of having a good Tango posture for followers – essential for balance and dissociation, looks elegant, prevents injury and all that – when it suddenly occurred to me that there may be an additional benefit. In my opinion, by maintaining a good posture in addition to a strong frame, a follower can easily prevent herself from being ‘thrown around” by a rough leader. That is, good posture is also the key to slow down the pace when rushed by an inexperienced leader. Give it a try next time?
*By the way, I am kind of interchanging the meanings of posture/frame here because I think they are very much intertwined.
Popularity: 7%
Music catalog
Over the past few months, I have been slowly digitising my Tango music collection. By the way, this is about my fourth – and hopefully the final – attempt at converting my Tango music collection into a digital format. Those of you who had experience in conscientiously converting and organizing any sizable music collection can surely appreciate that this can be quite a major undertaking, eg. the need to verify the tags, etc.
Popularity: 20%
Secret(?) to community growth
It seems to me that three essential ingredients are needed for sustained growth in a Tango community. By the way, what I list below are only what I consider as the direct means of introducing the mystery of Tango and maintaining these people’s interest – there is still a need for various ways to generate community awareness in the first place. Not in any particular order:
- Quality instructions from both visiting maestros and local teachers;
- Regularly held and guided practice sessions for polishing of techniques;
- Regular and well-run Milongas (with good music and appreciation of social etiquettes on the dance floor).
Popularity: 27%