Tantrums and T Dances

Elsa and I went to a huge milonga last night arriving late - sorry I can't remember where but it was further out than normal, maybe in Belgrano. Smart, very crowded, Comme It Faut shoes on sale and tempting clothes in the ladies cloakroom. We hadn't booked a table so stood for about half an hour till one became free - well I did while Elsa danced! Very crowded dance floor with minimal movement from anyone which was fascinating. At one point Elsa was asked to dance by two guys at the same time. After about 2 hours without a nibble of an invitation I was thoroughly demoralized and VERY pissed off. I do want to make it clear that this is nothing to do with Elsa and don't begrudge her all the dances in the world but definitely need to find my niche here in BA and I think it is entirely different from Elsa's. She does lead and will willingly lead but it is not acceptable in quite a few of the milongas so she can't help me. This is a very macho world on the dance floor. However there are other milongas - the gay one was great and anyone could lead anyone - and did!

So I changed my shoes and headed out the door. The Maitre de was seeing people into taxis so I waited on the steps with a well dressed charming man. It was now about 3 a.m. I suggested taking a bus and he said it was too dangerous. The Maitre de said it was fine so she found me another charming man to accompany me to the bus stop and to wait with me until colectivo 60 arrived. Colectivos cost about 25p wherever you are going and the taxi would have cost me about £6/7. I love the spanish word for bus because that is what it does - collects people! We waited for at least 20 minutes before the colectivo arrived and he then spoke to the bus driver to get me as close to home as possible. What a sweet man. However the bus driver obviously was not as knowledgeable as a taxi service and was restricted to his route. He kept stopping the bus (not at a stop), left the engine running and popped into a shop to buy something, or chat to a friend. I realized afterwards that he was trying to find out how he could get me as near to my home address as possible. In the end he dropped me in the south of Palermo - I live in the north, so I still had quite a distance to go. However he left me in the hands of another charming man who escorted me across the road and hailed a taxi for me. It was half the price it would have been as I was over half the way home. OK the men on the dance floor have often been less then chivalrous but that night the men of BA were gentle, sweetnatured and concerned that I should get home safely - they restored my faith in humanity.

I have decided to experiment with T Dances and have been to the same one twice. Once with a friend, Apricot from Oxford, and today I went on my own - from 4 p.m. - 8.30 p.m. It is Confiteria Ideal - marble pillars, marble floor and a place with wonderful atmosphere of a passed era. OK so most of the portenos on the floor are, at least, over 70, except for Roberto who is probably late 40s/50s and has taken rather an embarrassing shine to me - Apricot says I should only dance with him once or else he will get the wrong idea - it was ever so! But I was on the dance floor most of the 4 hours with guys of all standards - some do the Boa Constrictor dance and you can hardly breath, others tell you how to dance in the middle of the dance, others are good - they all have their very unique version of the salon tango in differing degrees of ability. It was a fun experience for me cabaceoing left right and centre with guys who were happy to return it. So maybe I just shouldn't set my sites too high. But I did chuckle to myself as I watched the beginning of a tanda as one of the more ancient portenos tottered across the floor to invite a muchacha to dance - should I have bought my zimmer frame?

These descriptions have been the two extremes of tango in BA - maybe I can find a middle road.

Muchos abrazos a todos mis amigos

Sal x

The blue Jacaranda trees are flowering in nearly every street now and I love them!