Welcome to Milonga Las Chinitas

Las Chinitas have a vision to bring the Buenos Aires milonga experience back to Hong Kong. Tango to us is not only a dance, the fancy steps or the alluring embellishments. It is the spirit, the culture, the attitude of the milongueros and milongueras that draw us into Tango. We created Milonga Las Chinitas not to blindly follow the general rules applied to a traditional milonga, but we hope through this event you can understand the meaning behind these rules, and how they serve to make a milonga much more enjoyable.

Why do men, women and couples sit separately?

The moment you enter our milonga, you will notice the chairs are arranged facing the dancefloor, with men, women and couples seated separately. Many will think, "We come to a milonga to socialize. Why can't I sit with my friends?" In BA, there are lots of single milongueros and milongueras who go to a milonga purely to dance out of their strong passion for tango. The setting, including the seating arrangement and the lighting, is designed to allow "Cabaceo" - invitation by the eyes, as through the years they have discovered this is the most effective, non-invasive way to invite a person to dance. By using Cabaceo, it is ensured that both the man and the lady want to dance with each other at that particular moment. They dance not because the man reached out his hand and the lady felt obligated to accept. They dance not because the woman asked the man and the man was too polite to reject. They dance because they searched for each other, because their eyes met and a mutual consensus was made. Ladies, remember the last time you went shopping with your boyfriend and you were worried your boyfriend may be bored? Guys, remember the time your girlfriend offered to watch a soccer game with you when you preferred to have a guys night drinking beer with your gang, but you felt bad turning her down? I think you get the point. In addition, as seats are assigned, you will know where your favorite dancers are sitting, so that you will know where exactly to look at when you want to dance with that person. The couple, or the mixed area is for couples or groups of friends who come to the milonga to socialize and dance amongst each other. In BA, it is almost an unspoken rule that the single men/women will not invite those sitting at the couples area to dance, for important reasons. However, in Milonga Las Chinitas, we hope that everyone - men, women and couples will be able to have fun dancing, mixing and mingling. The seating plan is arranged such that you will have a taste of what it is like dancing in a traditional milonga in BA.

Enjoy more by making use of the Tanda

You may also notice that the music is played in sets of 4 tangos, forming one "Tanda", with a piece of non-tango music called the "Cortina" in between each set. This rule is there for various reasons. The beginning of a tanda marks the time when you should start inviting people to dance by cabaceo, while the end of the tanda (or the start of the cortina) marks the time when the dance is finished and the leader escorts the lady back to her seat. There should be no dancing during the cortina. This rule is set such that there is no confusion as to when you should say "Thank you", and there shall never be hard feelings when you do say so, as it is simply part of the rule. If you enjoy dancing with that person very much, you can always ask him or her again during another tanda some time later. If you don't enjoy dancing with that person, your "bad experience" will only last until the end of the 4 songs when you can legitimately say "Thank you". Of course you can always ask a person to dance during the 3rd and 4th song, but you should keep in mind that you must stop dancing at the end of the tanda.

Secondly, a milonguero or milonguera will never start inviting people to dance before the first song of the tanda is played. Not only is this because they will only dance when they like the music being played, another reason is that, to them, certain people are nice to dance with to certain types of music. For example, Milonguero A is an energetic, rhythmic dancer. Knowing this, Milonguera B will never cabaceo him when she hears the smooth and romantic sound of Di Sarli playing. She will cabaceo Milonguero C, who is a calm, gentle leader whom she thinks will allow her to enjoy the music of Di Sarli to the fullest. Knowing that she may only get to dance with Milonguero A for one tanda for the whole night, she will save her dance with him until she hears the exciting sound of D'arienzo to cabaceo him. This brings us to the reason why a tanda typically consists of 4 similar pieces of tango / milonga / vals music of the same orchestra and in the same period, such that the mood is consistent throughout the entire tanda. This ensures there are no surprises in the middle of the tanda. By listening to the first song of the tanda, dancers will know what music to expect for the rest of the tanda in order to make the right decision of who to dance with.

Good floor traffic defines a good milonga

Lastly, we strongly encourage leaders to follow the line of dance, which is the outer and inner anti-clockwise circle along the edge of the dancefloor. In BA, the centre of the dancefloor is for beginners who cannot navigate or those who want to do their big tango fantasia steps, so, you don't want to be one of them :) Every leader appreciates a smooth flowing line of dance which will make floor navigation much easier for them. Every lady will appreciate a non-chaotic dancefloor where they don't have to worry about being stepped on or stepping onto someone. This demands the cooperation of everyone on the dancefloor, including ladies keeping their heels close to the ground when the floor gets crowded, and guys trying to lead smaller, simpler steps and following the leader in front of you to ensure the line of dance is moving. Do not be afraid of having no space to move forward, but rather, use the time to enjoy the pause and savour the music with your partner. Also, a good leader is one who can dance with musicality even when he is on the same spot. Overtaking is to be avoided as you will make everyone else around you nervous because they can never expect when the person will shoot out of nowhere. It is the duty of the man to protect his partner, so please don't make this task harder for each other. All in all, good floor navigation is a form of respect for your partner and for the other people sharing the same dancefloor with you. Good floor traffic is the crucial aspect to distinguish a good milonga from a bad milonga, so we count on YOU to make Milonga Las Chinitas a GREAT one!!

See you tonight :)

Tips for dancing in Milonga Las Chinitas on 29 August, 2009

In Milonga Las Chinitas, we would like to replicate the feeling and theenvironment of dancing in the traditional milongas in Buenos Aires inall aspects such as seating arrangement, lighting, the music and theatmosphere. However, nothing is more important than YOUR participationin order to capture the essence of dancing in a traditional milonga byobservation of the milonga codes, which exist for one simple reason - tomake a milonga more enjoyable for all!

Tips for dancing in Milonga Las Chinitas:

1. Preparation
Take a shower, dress pretty, put on some perfume/cologne, get your bodyand mind ready for a night of dancing, mingling and good fun.

2. Seating
Men and women will be seated on opposite sides, facing each other. Therewill be a separate area for couples. When you arrive, you will beescorted by one of our staff to your seat, which will be your "station"for the rest of the night. In this way, the people who want to dancewith you will know where to find you.

3. Cabaceo
Cabaceo is a method of inviting others to dance by the eyes. When themusic sounds and you wish to dance with a particular person for thattanda, try to look at him/her. Once you make eye contact, GUYS: tiltyour held or nod as if asking the question silently, "Would you like todance?". GIRLS: respond by a nod and remain seated. The guy will receiveyou in front of your seat and lead you to the dance floor. The beauty ofthe cabaceo lies in the fact that it is a mutual contract between theman and the woman that they both want to dance with each other at thatparticular moment. There is no pressure of rejection, no risk of publichumiliation, but the start of a magical connection between two people.

4. Tandas and Cortinas
Tango music in a milonga is arranged in sets of four (sometimes 3)songs, known as a "Tanda". Each Tanda is separated by a "Cortina", apiece of non-tango music which lasts for around 1 minute. When theCortina sounds, the floor should be cleared, and guys should escort thegirls back to their seats (No exceptions even if you have only dancedfor 1 song). This will only make the tango better when you think youwill only be able to dance one tanda for the entire night with thatperson you so love to dance with. Quality always outbeats quantity!Also, in Buenos Aires, it usually means something (*wink wink*) if acouple dances for more than 2 tandas.

5. Line of dance
In general, following the line of dance means dancing in ananti-clockwise direction across the dance floor. When a milonga getscrowded, there can be 2 lines - one outer and one inner circle. However,following the line of dance also literally means FOLLOWING the coupledancing in front of you such that there is no overtaking and no dancingagainst the line of dance (such as by taking a back step). If the couplein front of you is not moving forward, wait and enjoy the pause - Whythe need to hurry when you are already rushing half day while living thehectic city life of Hong Kong? :P Also, by keeping the floor traffic inan orderly fashion, bumpings will be significantly reduced. This is aform of respect for other fellow dancers, who are trying to enjoy their tango.

6. Milonguear
Acrobatic movements such as jumps, high boloes, ganchos, etc willusually be jeered at in a traditional milonga, and nobody will want todance with you. As put by Hwayi, "Walking is the best weapon" - Kill thelady by your walk, not by breaking her leg in a forced secada. Ladiessimply want to feel beautiful and confident, and not inadequate whenbeing led into figures they cannot follow. So, guys, leave your newlylearnt sequences to the practicas~ You will eventually be able toperfect them :) Ladies, (Las Chinitas included) keep your "killer heels"as close to the floor as possible. Be nice to other fellow dancers, andto your comme il fauts:)

Please do leave a comment, or questions if any. We would love to exploremore with you on any of the topics above! In the meantime, here are somerelevant links that we highly recommend for your reading,
1. On how to milonguear, taken from fellow Hong Kong milonguera, Royce Chau's blog:
"Saber Milonguear" - The obvious codes of a milonga: http://www.loksze.com/thoughts/2008/03/26/saber-milonguear-part-1-obvious-rules-of-the-milonga-by-jean-michel-ledeur/
"Saber Milonguear" - The hidden codes of a milonga:
http://www.loksze.com/thoughts/2008/03/27/saber-milonguear-part-2-the-hidden-codes-of-the-milonga-by-jean-michel-ledeur/
Milonguear - para milongueras (How to milonguear for ladies):
http://www.loksze.com/thoughts/2008/04/14/milonguear-para-milongueras/

2. On Cabaceo - guided practica given by Javier y Andrea during theirfirst visit to HK in May 2007:http://www.tangotang.com/Mambo/content/view/379/520/lang,en/

Hung Yut and Hwayi share their beauty of tango in August

For the month of August, we are delighted to have our dear friends, Hung Yut and Hwayi from Korea, to share with you the beauty of the Tango we love.

Workshop Introduction

Hung-Yut and Hwayi understand the frustration of learning Argentine Tango. There are many great Argentinian masters, their dance is amazing, but they all tell us different things and sometimes they even contradict each other.
Hung-Yut and Hwayi understand because they went through the same process. They took classes from visiting teachers, they practiced in practicas, they watched videos and they stayed up late at night talking about tango with their friends. And like a good number of us, they learned Spanish and went to Buenos Aires multiple times.

Eventually they have arrived at a tango that they can comfortably enjoy with Argentinians and non-Argentinians alike. They have been sharing their experiences with the Korean tango community with success, and they would like to share the same with you through a series of classes and practicas in Hong Kong.

Classes & Practicas

Argentinian masters usually teach tango in their own personal way. Is there something common to what they say, and if so what is it? Why are there so many different styles, and which ones do they dance in the milongas of Buenos Aires? Using their own learning experience and dance style as a reference, Hung-Yut & Hwayi will try to answer the above questions in these classes and practicas. They will discuss what is essential to Argentine tango and clarify basic concepts such as connection and embrace. One of the classes will be devoted to Tango Salon, Hung-Yut & Hwayi's specialty.

Day 1 - 2 Aug (Sun)
2 p.m.-3.30pm - 1A - About Embrace and Walking
3.30 p.m.-5 p.m. - 1B- Tango Salon

5 p.m.-6.30 p.m. Guided Practica

Day 2 - 30 Aug (Sun)
2 p.m.-3.30pm - 2A- About Tango Movements & Technique
3.30 p.m.-5 p.m. - 2B - Being a Milonguero or Milonguera

5 p.m.-6.30 p.m. Guided Practica

Group Classes - recommended to those who love dancing in a milonga, have at least 1-3 year dancing experience and basic knowledge about close embrace

Guided Practicas - teachers will help students to practise and understand more about what they learn in the classes, those who don’t take any classes are also welcomed to join to know more about the teachers’ teaching and style and practise together!

Fee:

Individual Class- $190 (Single) / $360 (Couple)

All Day-One Classes - $360 (Single)/$680 (Couple)

All Day-Two Classes - $360 (Single)/$680 (Couple)

All Four Classes - $650 (Single)/ $1250 (Couple)

Guided Practica - $20 per person

Venue: Amico Studio, 2/F, 167-169 Hennessy Road, Wanchai, HK

Private Class
For private class inquiry and booking, please contact Jessica Ng at +852 9076 1287.
Private class can be conducted in Cantonese, English, Spanish, Mandarin or Korean

About Hung Yut & Hwayi

Hung-Yut (Leonel) grew up in Hong Kong but spent most of his adult life in the United States. He met Hwaiy (Florencia) in Korea in 2005, soon thereafter they began their partnership. Together they are very active in promoting Argentine Tango culture in Korea. They regularly teach, perform, and organize milongas in Seoul and other Korean cities. In May 2009 they started organizing the annual Seoul Tango Festival, which attracted over 200 Korean and 70 international dancers.For more information about them and their tango activities, please visit http://www.leoyflor.com/.

Payment Guide
(1) by Cheque payable to Mok Wing San Sandra; or
(2) by Bank Transfer to HSBC account # 469-368518-292 (A/C name: Mok Wing San Sandra)
Please return completed enrollment form with cheque or transfer advice to Las Chinitas:
~ by Post to Emily Luk, Flat G, 3/F, Block 20, Phrase 4, Laguna City, Lamtin, Kowloon.
~ by Fax to +852 2337 0697
~ by Hand to Jessica Ng, Emily Luk or Sandra Mok

Reguest an enrollment form by Email: laschinitas.hk@gmail.com

Terms & Condition
(1) Registration is not completed until the form and payment have been duly received and our confirmation to you has been made via email.
(2) Las Chinitas cannot guarantee even gender distribution in each class;
(3) Las Chinitas accepts no responsibility for any losses, injuries or damages incurred by any person
(4)All events shall continue under any typhoon or rainstorm warning

Refund Policy
(1)If a class is cancelled, you will be refunded for the full amount by cheque.
(2)If you cancel a booking 7 days before event commencement, we will refund the full amount. No refund after then.
(3)No partial refund will be given for unattended sessions.