First night's dancing - done

I'd forgotten how intimidating the Buenos Aires milonga pisos (dancefloors) can be. But thanks to encouragement from some friendly tangueras I did dance a few tandas and a chacarera last night.

I arrived at Los Consagrados at about 6.30 after a short taxi ride. The taxi prices have gone up since I was last here. The meter started at $4.60 instead of $3.80. What I guestimated as a $12 peso ride actually came to few centavos over $14. The taxi driver didn't want a $100 note - they usually don't - but accepted a $10 and a $2 which were the only other notes I had. So that was me $2 up on the evening. Do that about another 100 times and I'll recoup my pickpocketed loss.

The floor wasn't too crowded when I arrived, but my friends weren't there yet. The hostess seated me at Ruben and Cherie's table as I asked. I had plenty of opportunities to cabeceo the ladies seated on the other side of the room. But I was content to watch those dancing and maybe pick a few out to cabeceo later. That might have just been an excuse to cover up feeling intimidated.

Ruben arrived some time later, without Cherie who had stayed home. Ruben speaks about as much English as I do Spanish so we managed "hello" and a couple of pleasantries and that was it. I started work on my Spanish today!

Some of Ruben and Cherie's students arrived, including Carol and Martin, Flo, and Cheryl. My friend and part inspiration for this crazy trip, Sally, also arrived. So I had some friendly faces to dance with but remained glued to my seat. I wasn't really enjoying the music - lots of valses, Biaggi and D'Arienzo type of stuff. I prefer the likes of Di Sarli but most of the milonga DJs don't. And the floor was more crowded and more intimidating. Carol was the first to persuade me out of my seat. We danced the last tango of a tanda and a litle while later I had part of a tanda with Sally.
After the lottery draw  (none of us at Ruben and Cherie's table won anything) came the chacarera. Sally had commented earlier in the evening that she liked the chacarera but rarely got asked to dance it. I like it too (it's an Argentinian folk dance which reminds me of a barn dance) although I'm not great on the steps. But that doesn't matter, it's just for fun. So we danced the chacarera and I think I only went wrong once. Later I danced a vals tanda with Cheryl and a Di Sarli tanda with Sally. The piso no longer seemed so intimidating and it was just the music keeping me in my seat. I'll have to work out where they play the music I prefer, or better still, adapt.

I'll be dancing outdoors in the bandstand at La Glorieta tonight. I hope it's not as windy as last time I was there. Knowing it might be I'll go prepared.