Tanda Structure & Milongas

I am dj'ing our community milonga tonight - bringing my big stereo system to the Masonic Temple in Glenwood Springs to fill the room with mono sound. There is something about this though, it does seem to sound better, fuller, richer, to the point of almost sounding live. One of the tangueras said that she felt like she was back in BsAs. So I will lug it all down there - 45 miles downvalley.

Reworking my tandas (I use iTunes/playlists) last evening - I decided to go with this structure - 3 song tandas - Tango-Tango-Vals...Tango-Tango-Vals...Tango-Tango-Milonga. In the past, it was always TTVM-TTVM, but I felt there were too many milongas.

Not all of our dancers appreciate or are especially good at milonga. The followers think too much. The leaders don't have it down. So, I keep to slow milongas early in the evening, and then gradually get faster, then to what I call "nuevo" milongas. So I will try this tonight with fewer milongas - I can always throw in more.

I love dancing milonga and somehow "got it" very early on. I wish I could lead tangos like I am able to lead milongas. The faster the milonga, the better, although that usually precludes any traspie, and superfast ochos and ocho cortados become almost impossible to follow in a really fast milonga. The key for followers is not to think. I can tell immediately when a follower is thinking...and I usually whisper in her ear..."don't think...just clear your mind..."

Let me know your thoughts on my new tanda structure...TTV...TTV...TTM...

For your viewing pleasure, Thierry le Coq, with the fastest feet I have seen (Oliver Kolker is a close second)...(Geraldine Rojas would be the fastest follower I have seen, with the ability to throw in traspie embellishments...)



I guess my dry spell is over....

Oh...my...God...! I just watched this in toto again...I forgot about the superfast molinete in this video...amazing!

The song is Francisco Canaro's "No Hay Tierra Como Mia" [1939]...