The milongas in Buenos Aires are really crowded and full. There is barely any space to move. Yet everyone moves in sync. After seeing many such milonga pictures as below, Shreya and many others asked me How and why?
1. Everyone follows the line of dance.
2. No one throws high boleos or any gimmicks on the dance floor.
3. Leaders do take care of the followers and the line of dance and the distance.
4. Last but not the least and very important. When I was dancing with one fabulous leader, with my eyes closed, I did not know where we were moving. After finishing one tanda (which was of four songs and roughly took 10-15 minutes), my leader said, oh! we have covered one full round of the hall. I looked at him surprised and questioningly. I asked him, "Is it good or bad?" He told me, "the true milongueros can dance on a single brick wall for a whole tanda."He told me that the original Spanish quote said, "roofing tile" but in English that is weird to say.
That should explain how, we can dance Tango in full milonga without feeling space crunch.
I should also explain what a milonguero refers to.
Milonguero is a term for a person whose life revolves around dancing tango and the philosophy of tango. A title given by other tango dancers to a person who has mastered the tango dance and embodies the essence of tango.
'Milonguero' also infers the following concepts: 1) someone who dances tango socially in the milongas (tango dances), rather than focusing on 'show' tango; 2) someone who understands the importance of listening to the music, and who values this musicality over the desire to do fancy steps; 3) someone who dances in 'close embrace,' in which the torsos of man and woman not only touch, but serve as a primary means of communicating with each other while dancing.
