Tango Paris

As I have mentioned in my travelling photos section, there seems to be nightly (weather permitting) Argentine Tango along the bank of River Seine in Paris.

During the week nights, there were usually 9-10 couples on the floor at any given time, and still with plenty of room to spare. Was a little disappointed because can’t really say that there were too many genuinely good leaders there. The leading seemed to be done more with the arms than the body. However, the organiser for the weekday events seemed to be able to lead many flashy moves and quite entertaining during a long stretch of Pugliese tracks.

I was most impressed with an old couple. They were dancing with a more traditional style of keeping partners in front most of the time, exceptions being in quick turns, and moving with tight movements. Dancing generally to the music, they were also playful with their bodies and steps. Very nice to watch and feel their connections with each other.

The Saturday nights seemed to draw a larger than usual crowd, with between 25-30 couples dancing at the same time. The stereo system used was more professional – two loud speakers and an amplifier instead of the usual portable player. There was also a larger audience, which is even larger than the crowd at the Salsa nearby!

The standards were again mixed. However, strangely, despite not being very elegant, most were capable of navigating across the crowded dance floor reasonably well. This was a sure sign of good floorcraft.

Tango Berlin to follow…