Usually I don't really fancy 3.5 hours/one way driving. But talking with a buddy made it a fine mini vacation-weekend road trip.
The nighttime milonga from 8PM-1AM was fun. I asked about invitation rules, and I was relieved to hear that open invitation was just fine, no strict cabeceo was needed (you know, it can be pain sometimes). The dancers were friendly to us out-of-towners.
Watching others in a milonga is fun and can be a learning opportunity. All the partners I danced with danced very well. I have always been impressed by how well ladies can dance if they are provided opportunities to dance.
A sort of diseased attitude in Tango culture is the finger-wagging. If you started to say too many "No"s inside your head, be careful.
"I don't like the songs. I only dance traditional"
"They are not dancing in my style"
"They are not elegant or graceful"
"Not that way, it is too rough" etc etc.
Too many "No"s can poison the atmosphere. An entire community can be infected by the poisonous attitude, and the Tango scene could wither. It is a very sad thing to let your dance and community spoil by the poor attitude of your own choosing.
I am happy to say that apparently the place was not compromised by the finger-wagging attitude at all. The place had a healthy, positive and welcoming atmosphere. It was nice.
After all, we go to a party to have a good time.
Dallas is a big city, and it can sustain a large sized community. It is a blessing.
Sometimes it is not easy to find people I met in a party afterwards. Facebook provides a fair way to find and connect to them, but it is far from perfect. [Shrug]
