Tango stories - my new last toy, Milonga in Spitalfields Market

Ok we need to add some prerequisites to this post. I first heard of tango maybe on the same time I heard of meditation, that would be around more than 10 years ago. Back then I associated with social stiffness and lack of fun. I could see people very serious be into something that was beyond my grasp. So I just decided it was boring and didnt give it another thought.

But somehow, along those years it was keep coming back to me. Most of my acquaintances at a point have been flirting with tango and started to proselyte about it. At a point I went to my first tango lesson, it might been around 7 or 8 years ago with a famous Romanian couple. They suppose to be the it, you couldn't just fail to fall in love with it. I went to the class, been in wow and forgot it by the next weekend.

About 5 years ago, I went to a rafting event in Slovakia, that started in a small western town of Romania called Timisoara. My friend, that I was staying with until we will go into our rafting bus, she was a keen tango dancer, at that time preparing to become a teacher. On saturday morning we will go for the adventure, but until then she proposed we go to the most famous tango event in the city ( a world well know teacher Carlos something from Argentina). I had just the boots and the jeans as the most fancy clothes, but she sweet talk the guard and we were both inside the fancy venue. I was again impressed by the dancers, I could feel the sparks, the rhythm, the passion. I was checking the girls, trying to learn ways of movement, how they stand, how they breath (by that time I was a pretty good contemporary improvisation dancer - so barefoot if you can imagine). At a point I can see a short Spanish man coming towards and staring at me. I had no idea what cabeceo was and i stared back at him. He comes and takes my hand before I had the chance to explain I dont do this, actually. We didnt ever speak, but OMG I did dance tango. And he was Carlos, btw, the well know famous teacher and everybody was looking how he dances with a girl in boots. I just surrendered to his embrace and forgot about what I knew or I didnt. But I was touched in a way I couldnt express yet. Let's call it tango way.

Years again has passed from that moment. I was starting to go to a start up hub, held by one keen tango teacher and crypto-man, here on steemit - @dragosroua. He and his girlfriend were even starting a new class, walking distance from the city centre. I went once and again I kind of forgot about it, until I went to a party. He invited me to dance, to a normal tune and I really felt it was tango kind. SO, again I said let's give it another try, went to the classes for a week and forgot shortly after.

I moved in London, 3 years ago, on the best sumeer, in 2015. The man that was the reason I was here, an architect and an artist (I met him in a contact improvisation - contemporary dance environment) invited me to go to a secret kind of party. I like secrets and I went. It was like a huge warehouse with mixers and drums and paintings and naked people that danced tango :D One time only event, but I had so much fun trying to find my steps and try not to stare at the gorgeous people around. After that point, I went once to a milonga, to see one of my friends dancing. She is amazing, so sensible, so in flow, so and so. I set I guess a target to become her (dancing wise) one day.

As few here know, I went in South America to travel, for about three months. One thing I couldn't miss was the tango lesson in Buenos Aires, the place where all the madness started. I found some good partners that made me feel that I can be in flow, that lead me to my natural tango girl and I said to myself, that I will do this while back in London. Most of the things that I say, they vanish. I know that I am like this, even though on that moment, I am not lying. Just life is in the way and life is many things that I cannot predict in any way.

Friday I decided to go to a free taster tango lesson. I had the feeling that this time will be the big commitment time. I was afraid, I would even say scared, because that will imply some changes in my life. Changes dont come easy. So I went for the lesson, left all my expectations at the door of the gym. I wasnt an easy flow, as you might suspected. It had hard, I had no equilibrium on my heals and I felt stupid and dumb more than I want to admit. The taster was 30 minutes and I was a disaster. I had all my desire to quit the experiment, but something was keeping me there, despite my failure feelings. I decided to stay there after the free lesson and fail again. I even passed the bad feeling of being rejected when I invited a guy to be my partner. I wiped my shame and went to the next one and I did danced. I stayed on the practice, not willing to change my shoes until someone will notice that I am there to dance. My miracle came, I had dances with more experienced guys and I did felt what the teacher was telling about. I could feel the turnaround and the side steps and the movements I have not yet the vocabulary yet. I ever squeak of joy of getting it few time and that made me popular in the wrong way I guess.

Today stories ends with my first milonga that is not accidental. I did went there by my own will, being perfectly aware that I am not ready for it. Milonga is the party where people go to tango with others that they know how to. I've been in this places several times, as you can read in my story, but was my first time when I knew where I am going. It was a free outdoor event (helpful when you just get back and looking for a job) in a sunny Sunday afternoon in my eastern side of metropola. I knew I will mainly stare, but they had a 30 min teaser class and I found a man who was willing to dance. He was one of the experienced and I could feel the movements in his chest. He was kind enough to stay with me for the hole class. After that my confidence boost a lot. Maybe you could see it in my eyes, because in the first dance at the milonga I was invited to dance. It was an honor and I totally indulge in it. I did my best not to step on his shoes and I felt the world is such a magic place. It was my only dance for the afternoon. Everybody could see how reckless I am and they just come across and invite the girls that had years of practice. But you know what, I will go again and I am hoping for the easy heart to accept the fact that I have years to go. I just know that I will.

Hugs and embraces this evening,
Teodora

Photos of the event