Grounding Exercise

A few years ago I had a private lesson with Luiza Paes, and she wanted my partner at the time and I to be more grounded here is what she told us to do...

Get four pieces of paper towel about 4X4 inches put them on the floor under the toes of your feet, now dance a without loosing the pieces of paper...this is harder than it seems but really smoothes the dance out (plus the game was a lot of fun and I've won more than a few friendly wagers with it to boot)

I've had other maestros use different methods to try and teach the same ideas, never loosing contact with the ground.

I read somewhere that a good milonguero never shows the soles of his feet, I've found this to be less than 100% true but I have noticed that the really great dancers (especially of the Villa Urquiza style) always seem to keep contact with the ground most of the time. In that style they will lift thier heels but normally they will maintain contact with the toe as they walk.

Makes for a very smooth and elegant looking and feeling dance!

A very good example of a well grounded couple.

DJ (notes)

Three or four songs per tanda (be consistent so people know what's happening if they're paying attention)I've been at milongas where the DJ played Four or five songs per tanda and in my opinion it was too many (It's too long for someone that may be sitting out and it may be too long to dance with someone whom is not the ideal partner

Cortinas should be something "undanceable" and maybe something to guide the spirit of the people for example if people are acting down, a cortina that makes people laugh might be good... repetition is a good thing when it comes to cortinas

One idea for cortinas is to have a certain cortina to play before Vals, a different cortina to play before milongas, another for tangos, etc...

tango, tango, vals, tango, tango, milonga, tango, tango, alternative, tango, tango, vals, tango, tango, milonga, tango, tango, tropical (salsa), tango, tango,... is a good format

cortinas should not be anything that is going to be danced to during the evening, for example salsa or alternative

Try not to mix different artists during the same tanda

save one of your best tandas for about an hour before the scheduled end time to draw people into staying a little longer and keep the vibe going (moods are contagious)

remember as the DJ you are the heart, soul, and life of the party and if you aren't putting off good energy the quality of the milonga will suffer

try to stay within the same time period with regard to the feeling within a tanda (don't mix early canaro with later canaro)

it's good to start a tanda of a particular artist with a song that is typical of that artist so that it is easy for someone to identify the artist

the best song of the tanda should be either second or last in the order so that the end of the tanda is not a let down

a cortina should be played before an announcement of a performance to give people time to be seated

if people aren't dancing to a tanda make note of it so that changes can be made before the next milonga

play lists are nice to give to people if they ask for them but not always necessary

be prepared to answer questions regarding the music that you are playing, as a DJ you are a source of information

be prepared to deal with requests if possible

if a tanda is going particularly well it is OK to throw in an extra song if it fits the vibe of the tanda and will enhance the pleasure for everyone

after a performance a tanda of music similar to what was used during the performance might be a good way to keep the energy going

as for breaking the rules, I've heard tandas that were different versions of the same song that were vastly different from each other played as one tanda it was kind of cool

Stick with familiar tunes, there are about 200 songs that are played in the milongas in BsAs try to use these, don't play a lot of obscure stuff or people may not dance and will leave

I always thought it would be cool to have one of those LED signs and put the name of the artist and song that were playing so people could educate themselves if they were so inclined

as for adjustments to volume and types of music being played try and please most of the people (you cannot please them all)

remember that the spirit of the evening may change and that the music should guide what is happening (if the crowd starts dancing more open and bigger the music should go with the crowd) and encourage people to dance/stay longer

milongas are good to wake people up a little if they start to sag especially during very long or all night milongas

mix the music you play up a little, I've been to milongas where everyone knew what the next two tanda would be because the DJ was so predictable. never use the exact playlist for two milongas in a row

ask for feedback from people (if your are prepared to respond) solicit through emails facebook etc...

DJ "contests" are not a good idea and sort of ruin the feel of a milonga I've seen it at least three times

If people are looking at you funny like, WTF are you doing?, you may want to change what you are doing

It's cool to throw one or two tandas of swing or something like that in during the night but only two songs for these sets (it is still a milonga and that is what people came for)

Awesome video by Lyn Alwise