Milonga. May 2007

Milonga is an Argentinian and Uruguayan form of tango music, but also the term for the place where this tango is danced. People who frequently visit milonga parties are called milonqueros. The music played is mainly tango, vals and milonga. Most milongas are held on a regular basis, usually weekly and they often begin with dancing classes and sometimes demonstration dances. Usually three to five songs of a kind are played in a row (tanda) followed by a short musical break (cortina) to clear the dancefloor and facilitate partner changes. Due to the strict assembly ban imposed by the military government, milongas almost disappeared from Buenos Aires in the sixties and seventies. Nevertheless, since the beginning of the nineties, the tango culture in Buenos Aires has undergone dynamic development and today one can choose from between fifteen and thirty different milongas every day. Milonga uses the same basic elements as tango, but requires a greater relaxation of legs and body. Movement is normally faster, and pauses are not made. It is rather a kind of rhythmic walking without complicated figures, with a much more 'rustic' style than tango.
Some of the photographs were made in 'la Confiteria Ideal', an old fashioned milonga where dances are held afternoons and evenings, almost every day of the week. Confiteria Ideal was the setting for films like 'The Tango Lesson' and 'Evita'.

© Edward van Herk