Back to the manners thing! Is it bad manners to refuse a friend's request to dance (either sex) and not give a reason? Is it bad manners to talk to someone you know quite well for some time, preventing them from dancing with others, then refuse a dance? Unfortunately for me my upbringing in a proper English household often gets me into situations where I don't feel I can walk away from a conversation without an excuse.
I guess the current fashion of every man for himself means manners have gone out the window... but they do make other people feel good - and isn't that the best way to feel good yourself? I never cease to be amazed at the bad manners/lack of consideration for others that I see at Sydney milongas.

If you do not yet belong to the Sydney Tango Dancers Yahoo Group then join now if only to see some excellent photos of Sydney tango events. This photographer is very skilfull, his/her use of natural light is excellent, as is the composition. I hope he/she continues to post because some of these photos take my breathe away!

Click here to join sydneytangodancers

“I hate your music” and “You are not playing for dancing” are two of the comments reported to me by one of the members of a tango band at a milonga in Sydney. Excuse me? but why is it that tango dancers think they have a license to be rude, insulting or worse still slanderous?
This is not the first time I have heard of such things – and in fact I have been the recipient of slander more than once. It is good that this particular musician is a professional but even he was surprised at the intensity of the remarks – and at the fact that more than one tango dancer thought it was okay to tell the musicians face-to-face that they didn’t like or approve of the music they were playing.
Perhaps it is the rise of internet forums where under pen-names people feel free to be abusive, rude or libellous of others in the misguided belief that they can get away with anything in cyberspace. Perhaps it is the intensity of tango that makes those who think they are the arbiters believe they are entitled to make such comments either personally or anonymously.
This sort of thing, together with some of the threads that have arisen on a tango forum, animosity that you can slice at some of the milongas, and baseless, senseless rumours such as the one recently reported about Milonga Para Los Ninos, make the scene more like a school ground than a social scene created by a mutual love of music and dance.
Some in the tango scene need to acknowledge that we will never all get on, we will never all be best friends, but could try to understand the nature of the tango market, the benefits of a healthy argument and to respect different ways of doing things without being downright rude. I believe it is called good manners.

Got heaps of money? No mortgage? Retired or only work part-time when you feel like it? Love dancing and listening tango? No other 'hobbies' or friends? and like to stay home? Then the next 2 months in Sydney are for you.
In May you can do workshops with:
Gisela Galeassi and Gaspar Godoy, former World Tango Champions who have visited Sydney twice before and are truly professional dancers and very charming.
Mario Consiglieri and Anabella Diaz-Hofmann, also annual visitors to Sydney, dynamic dancers and have a strong following.
In June you can do workshops with the teachers and musician who will be here for the AusInternational Tango Festival. This will take up the two days before the long weekend - but not the Monday of that weekend (ideal for those who don't have a full-time job).
In May you will need tickets to the performance of virtuouso bandeonista, Carel Kraayenhof at the Sydney Opera House.
And if you care to drive or fly to Canberra, where you will need accommodation, you can enjoy the music of the French quartet Tango Futur who will be performing at the milonga of the Tango Social Club of Canberra, following a performance as part of the Canberra International Music Festival.
And in early July you can top it all off by using your new skills to dance at the milonga that precedes the performance of Estampas Portenas and their brilliant quartet at Her Majesty's Theatre.
Sigh! I would love to do it all - but unfortunately I don't fit any of the necessary critera - so I'm off to buy another lottery ticket. If I pay off my mortgage maybe I can afford a couple of workshops and a concert.

Apparently one of the hits at this year's London Book Fair in April, a place where the book trade and authors go to promote their wares, was an e-book about dancing.
This surprised me until I thought about it some more - and read on to find out that e-book included many links to dancing videos.
Dancing is actually ideally suited to online videos. Youtube presents an opportunity to watch dancers one would never see and to play and replay performances or workshops, learning and dissecting what one sees.

One of the posters on the forum, Ventarron is clearly a dedicated Youtube watcher (though sadly he seems to have stopped giving us links to fabulous tango videos). If you find a great Youtube video of your favourite tango dancers - share it with us please... Meanwhile I am going back to check it out some more. You can see what Ventarron has found at
http://www.tangoaustralia.com.au/forum/viewforum.php?f=57

Last night I took myself off to a milonga I had heard about but never been to. It was in one of the outer suburbs, Belrose, but no further in travelling time, for me than many of the others.
I was a warmly welcomed and enjoyed some great dances on a small but good quality floor. The music was excellent - though a small niggle - it could do with more time spent on putting the playlist together.
The crowd was really friendly and big enough for the evening to go well.
This milonga has been going for a while and is often ignored by those, including myself, who are used to going to the bigger, long-established milongas. But it was a great night out and made a really enjoyable change.

There is a new posting on the forum asking if Sydney has too many milongas? We certainly seem to have a few new ones... it will be interesting to watch the market forces.

I promised myself a tango festival this year - will it be the NZTango Festival or the AusInternational Tango Festival in Sydney...hmmm.

Love the line up in New Zealand from 22 to 25 May - and the fact that they have a band from Buenos Aires, El Cabure. Have checked this band out on the internet and they sound good!
Also really enjoyed classes in the past with the Rivarolas and Gisela (Galeassi) and Gaspar (Godoy) who have been to Australia in the last two years for the Australian Tango Championship (what will happen to that??) Am also impressed that this Festival is offering Spanish classes. The milongas look great, the show is good (I have seen it and would love to see it again) and the other teachers are all good. Plus it would be a new experience.
Wellington is a beautiful city and would love to go back.
So what am I up for... roughly? About $480 for the airfare, $363 for the accommodation and around $228Aust for the Gold Pass .. total without eating a thing, or paying for any transport - around $1070. Not bad for a festival in another country.
This Festival is in its 7th year and it looks to be extremely well organised.

If I wait until June (4 to 8) I can stay home and go to the Festival in Sydney. Only in its third year, this Festival doesn't seem as exciting by comparison, but it is much cheaper (around $615). I have really enjoyed workshops I have done in Buenos Aires with Aurora Lubiz and I am dying to hear bandeonista Joaquim Amenabar (having missed him on previous visits) and to do his musicality workshops. There is a great line-up of milongas and I don't have to pack a suitcase or a toothbrush~!!
Decisions, decisions - wouldn't it be wonderful if I could go to both? Will have to sleep on it.

Looking for a change of scene?
Like the idea of dancing on an excellent floor at the water's edge?
Enjoy an excellent meal with friends in a venue where you can tango by the water?

Then please join us at the
Milongas de Mis Amores

26 April
Riverside Brooklyn on the Hawkesbury River,
Ticket includes a two course meal, a great dance floor, and music by DJ Angelina.
7pm to midnight.
Cost $45. Bookings and pre-payment essential.
Please contact Carol@tangoaustralia.com.au to reserve your table.

Riverside Brooklyn is only 40 mins by car from the GPO - check www.whereis.com.au for details from your door.

We are looking for a writers to contribute to the Tango Australia website.
I worked for nearly 20 years as a magazine editor and now work as website copywriter as well as an editor and writer. I would love to pass on some of what I know
So if you are interested pleased email carol@tangoaustralia.com.au or phone 2 9957 4451

P.S. We have a new Moderator (our current Moderator is resigning at the end of the month).