Cambridge Spring Festivalito: St Pauls

Originally published 14.6.16

St Paul's, upstairs

Originally posted 14.6.16

The day after the opening milonga in Cambridge at Romsey Mill I did a morning tour of the city then went to the afternoon milonga for three hours from 3pm.

The location this time was St Paul’s where I had been before, but this time it was upstairs. 

Entrance - Juana was taking the entrada again, but this time in the hall downstairs.  She told me where to go. There was a room next to the salon jammed with people’s kit. Just as I was wondering where I could sit to change my shoes a woman who had walked in said “It would be nice if there was somewhere to sit to change your shoes” echoing my thoughts. We found a chair or two between the bag room and the salon but in that case you might as well change your shoes in the salon itself. 

Lighting was good, all potential partners were visible.

The floor was excellent. 

There was a kitchen with drinks and snacks.

Seating:  There were chairs but no tables. People took drinks into the salon which led to the inevitable confusion of glasses and risk of spillage on the floor. There was some seat-hopping which is more explicable with the absence of tables: people feel freer to move around.

Atmosphere: It was relaxed, more of a practica feel but people still observing the norms: invitation was predominately by look. I quite liked the fact that I could move around the room more freely and chat to different people. Not everyone of course wants this but most people I find seem to like to chat at the right time and to meet others. As in life, one feels one’s way. On this particular instance as a visiting single I felt more relaxed than the previous night though being able to see people easily really helps with that. I think a more formal milonga without the helpful structure of Buenos Aires style seating can be quite a trial as a visiting single female dancer - depending on the conditions, attendees and things like how much space between seating there is which affects opportunity to chat when not dancing. So although I generally like the conventions around seating and tables I was happy for the change in this case.

Numbers and dancing: There were surprisingly few I thought for a festivalito but then I think it was my first of this type of event and realised many were workshopping.  I saw or spoke to a number of travellers. There was a woman from the milonga desert otherwise known as Kent. There was someone I knew from Leeds, someone from Manchester, three who I see around Eton, two from Edinburgh, a DJ from Chicago who was travelling and doubtless several others. A number, possibly the majority of the Cambridge locals I met were from other countries.

There were few good guy dancers. Some of the guys who could dance from the previous night were not there or were there but mostly watching or stuck in the DJ-and-friends group. I danced with a couple of guys and then decided to dance with women, some of whom I already knew. 

Music:  The music by DJ Aytek was disappointing. I would not have recognised the DJ (from the music) as the same guy I heard in Carablanca.  Many tracks were not what I think of as mainstream and many were, but I just find that frustrating.  As happened the next day at El Quinto and was to happen again at Beeston that weekend there was a half-good half-poor Di Sarli sextet tanda. I heard something I thought was Pugliese and so did the Chicago DJ but I asked Aytek later and it was (unusual) Troilo. I think there was Pugliese-Maciel of type Cascabelito (1955) and Remembranza (1956).  As music it is nice but it just does not impel me to my feet for dance the way other tracks do. I will happily sit to that and watch the spectacle - often to Pugliese the dancing is just that. There was one very early Guardia Vieja type tanda that was sufficient to send me to the kitchen.  The Di Sarli I heard was of type La Capilla Blanca (1944) which is justifiably famous.  There was good Donato and good Fresedo. The milonga and vals were nice. 

Nevertheless, it was somehow not an unpleasant afternoon mostly because the girl dancing was so much better than the guy dancing. 

My best memories of that afternoon were chatting to a sunny American woman and just the variety of chat generally and seeing Aytek holding his baby on his knee at the DJ desk.

I came across a basement wine bar underneath a wine shop on Mill Road. I wanted to be on my own for a while. The guy in the shop was pleasant and so I had a very good glass of wine in that quiet downstairs darkness. I had slept little and napped at my Airbnb for an hour  before realising I was simply too tired to go out.  I was disappointed that I missed dancing with several people I knew would be there that evening and who were expecting me to be there. I heard the next day that the low light had meant invitation was hard by look.  The music (the DJ was John Tan) was not what that friend preferred.

Next time round I might just dance at night so there is time to do things in the day and rest a little.  I especially like this when I am away visiting another city.  It seems I am not alone.  A friend and I were comparing notes about our weekends dancing away in different places. She told me she had done the same. I had gone sightseeing and danced, they had done workshops and gone to an afternoon dance. All of us skipped our milongas in the evening as a result.