Warm Receptions at Milonga Remembranzas
I had a pleasant experience last night at Milonga Remembranzas at Lo De Celia in Buenos Aires. Jonatan Rojas y Norma Avalos were the organizers and DJ Carlos Rey.
When I lived in Buenos Aires, I saw Jonatan and Norma dancing at other milongas. But I was surprised that they remembered me, and it makes me happy to see that they did a good job setting up and running the venue. I wish them continuous success.
By the way, does anyone remember the TV show Cheers in the US? It ran from 1982 to 1993 and took place in a Boston bar where regulars went to talk to each other and relax. One part of the lyrics to the theme song was:
“Sometimes you want to go Where everybody knows your name And they're always glad you came You want to be where you can see Our troubles are all the same You want to be where everybody knows your name”
Well, Milonga Remembranzas gave me the same warm and friendly feeling. Everyone seemed to know each other, and they were all dancing and talking and having a great time. It was amazing to be a part of that group for a night.
After being away from a place for so long, it's especially nice to be remembered. The waitress caught me off guard when she asked if I was the Tango Zen guy. One Dutch dancer approached me to compliment my film by saying that it touched his heart.
Even though I didn't know most of the tangueras, I got out of my comfort zone and danced with many of them, including dancers from Sweden and France. I even had a few "Forget about Codigo" moments when tangueras from Uruguay and South Argentina asked me to dance. It was so much fun!
Overall, it was a really pleasant and memorable experience. As I was walking to catch the bus home, I found myself wishing I had a milonga like this back home or at least nearby so that I could dance more often.