Originally published 23.3.2015
Before I travelled I asked for advice for places specifically that played traditional music (and ideally that had traditional social dancing). I asked friends and the very helpful local organisers of Hoy Milonga Berlin (milonga listings) and Tango Kultur Info, an online magazine related to the tango scene in Germany. There is also summary information and addresses on Tango Kalendar Berlin. I found Tango Kultur's milonga listings for Berlin the most comprehensive and detailed list of of tango events in that it sometimes describes the type of milonga. I also found it fairly reliably updated. Jan Schlottke of Hoy Milonga Berlin, and Uwe Wildberger from Tango Kultur also kindly shared much useful information.
Some milongas list scant information or they are not listed. For El Ocaso (Wednesday) & Milonga Popular (Monday) and indeed any milonga with little information on TangoKultur, check the Facebook pages.
Also check TangoKultur daily for the milonga you have in mind for that day and not just there - check the links for the relevant milonga on TangoKultur for the most up-to-date information. While I was there the Saturday dance usually at Walzerlinksgestrickte which this time was at Ballhaus Rixdorf, as sometimes happens, then changed its venue the day before to the Werkloft. I found this out only as I was leaving Nou the night before.
I wanted to hear the best Berlin had to offer, musically and to dance to good music every night I was there. I decided to write some notes here about trad tango in Berlin because it was clear to me even before I went that given the considerable choice of milongas each day in Berlin there was more to know than the brief descriptions on TangoKultur. The trad milongas differ hugely in quality of music and clientele.
It is useful to ask people, especially of a similar age and gender and who look as though they have an approach to dance close to your own, where they find good dancing. Just asking what the mean by "good" is enlightening.
I wanted to hear the best Berlin had to offer, musically and to dance to good music every night I was there. I decided to write some notes here about trad tango in Berlin because it was clear to me even before I went that given the considerable choice of milongas each day in Berlin there was more to know than the brief descriptions on TangoKultur. The trad milongas differ hugely in quality of music and clientele.
It is useful to ask people, especially of a similar age and gender and who look as though they have an approach to dance close to your own, where they find good dancing. Just asking what the mean by "good" is enlightening.
I am grateful for the advice I had on where to go for trad music from more people than I realised at the time, so many thanks to Kirsty Bennett, Simon Francis, Sven Froese, Chris Jordan, Kerstin at TangoKultur, Vanessa Leamy, Philipp Liehm, Henry Mathias, Rosanna Raissa, Antje Rickowski, Jan Schlottke and Uwe Wildberger.
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