La Redonda milonga and Edinburgh

La Redonda, Edinburgh

Originally published: 25.4.16

On Thursday I went La Redonda the milonga in Edinburgh that’s been going for a few months. It was the only milonga I’d been to since getting back from Buenos Aires in mid-March. There is an imaginary parallelogram that describes the area with milongas in central Scotland. Its points reach between Edinburgh, Glasgow, St Andrews and Forfar (Padanaram village has the dancing).  Besides these there is some dancing in Stirling, also at Stirling university in the village of Bridge of Allan and some dancing run by a couple who teach in the town of Dunfermline and the nearby village of Dalmeny. Within this area, La Redonda is the regular milonga most attractive to me just now.

It is an easy decision because in the first instance I go where I think I will find tandas that are not in the majority, broken. That is, tandas where one or more tracks are not what I find good for social dancing or are all good but seriously mismatched.  The place also needs a good floor and a host that is at least not off-putting. Since few hosts are that off-putting the first two criteria tend to be those more often in play. 

I went to La Redonda once before, in mid-February with a Spanish friend, a guy brand new to dancing tango. One of the nicest things for me was the warm welcome. Ricardo, who co-hosted with Jenny also came out to say goodbye when we were leaving. It was the best milonga I've been to locally since Ksenija's one-off milonga before Christmas. The atmosphere was nice, very relaxed and people seemed tolerant of me and my friend in our swapped roles. The atmosphere contributes in no small part to new dancers feeling at ease, even more so when it is a guy dancing in (traditionally) the woman’s role. The feeling last week among those I spoke to seemed also to be that those who go like this milonga not least for its atmosphere. 

Music

The DJ both times I went to La Redonda was Claudia Esslinger though she does not DJ every time. The music was great for me. I liked most of it. The first time there was even good Fresedo - as opposed to Fresedo that is too early or too late. I say even because so few people seem to play what I think of as wholly good Fresedo tandas. All the vals and milonga were good. I heard the kind of OTV I don’t like as I was changing my shoes with only one good track but by the time I entered the room the tanda had changed and it was all good. I apologised to my partner and we sat down once during I think a Tanturi-Castillo for possibly the third track because it would have been worse to try to get through it than to not dance it. When I arrived the second time it was in the middle of a lovely Rodriguez tanda and I only wished I had got there earlier. It is no coincidence I think that not only is Claudia one of the most experienced DJs in Edinburgh, if not the most experienced, she is also very far from being a “me-jay”. I am sorry she is apparently not DJing at the Edinburgh Tango Festival. 

Floor

The floor I found good the first time. But last week I stepped on to it in flats with a friend and immediately felt my shoe gripping the floor. With a knee problem simmering away I could not risk pivoting. This was the main reason I did not dance again as the woman that night. Or rather I danced intercambio with a guy who said he would not pivot me. The floor is old though smooth. Someone said it had been mopped just prior to dancing so perhaps that explained how I found the difference. 

Ronda and dancing

I am delighted that La Redonda is class-free and indeed the milonga attracted a mix of people. In February there were about 40 including several from Glasgow. I think the idea is to attract a broader mix than had been the case at these hosts’ practica which had been on the same day as their main class night and had attracted mostly those doing the classes. On Thursday it was also busy, with a couple of solo experienced dancers who I find it a pleasure to see dancing. The picture was taken later on in evening of my first visit when numbers had thinned.

The first time I went I remember seeing a proper ronda with couple after couple as we paused between tracks. But a lot of the time it was a bit chaotic. This was partly from some experienced dancers who don’t recognise a ronda. Sadly, this then affects new dancers: there was a new guy who didn't move for ages, absorbed I think in a "tango moment" but oblivious to the pile-up behind him.  There was another new guy who overtook me and then came back towards me, passing me. It was like realising you have a car coming towards you in the wrong lane on a road.  Sometimes people do such amazing things in the ronda that it takes your breath away.  Two nights later in St Andrews a new dancer cut through an inner and outer ronda, drawing the diameter of the circle like some random meteorite crashing through earth's orbit.  

Generally in La Redonda the ronda could be tricky, all in quite a tight space. The second time I thought it was much better. When I danced it was with tall newer dancers. I moved into the centre for more space and realised all the tall people had done the same. I was tired though (and didn’t dance much) and did not feel I contributed to good ronda dancing.  I realised I had hardly danced in the other role for a couple of months but my partner was kind. I did not feel the connection with others in the ronda that I find in places with many experienced dancers (and most more experienced than me) but as yet this milonga does not have that kind of dancer in the majority. I am just pleased that new dancers are coming out and dancing in for the most part a recognisable ronda. Since I rarely dance in Edinburgh now it was nice to see and chat to people I hadn’t seen in some cases since last year.

The first time I went to this milonga, mid-way through there was a "dance with a stranger" announcement which I have seen turn into a license for people to walk up and ask you to dance. Last time I dived for the kitchen so I was relieved there was no such announcement the next time I went. 

Venue, room, lighting, seating, snacks

There was a rack for coats outside. There was only one chair upstairs on a landing to change shoes outside the room. With regards to getting changed/made up etc you might want to arrive completely ready as there is only one ladies room of which I am aware.

The room was nice with an attractive barrel shaped ceiling.  It is often difficult to get good lighting in a hall in the evening. The first time I found the lighting just about OK. Jenny told me they had tested various lighting arrangements beforehand. The room had wall-based uplighters quite high. Jenny said they had a nice glow but when they tested them before launching the milonga they were blinding because too much bulb was showing. She said the overhead lights were nice and started off warm but got very bright.  They made therefore an ingenious solution which hasn't come out well in the photos but they are fairy lights: many many meters wrapped around a rectangular frame of metal and plastic. These they hung from the wooden roof supports with bungee cords but the effect from a distance was nice - of rectangles of twinkly light. They also had a string of fairy lights at one end. Last week although I think the lighting was the same it felt dark and someone commented to that effect. In practical terms I thought a woman opposite invited me and whether she did or not my friend sitting at an adjacent table thought the same. Because of the lighting behind her the inviter was more or less in silhouette. Since I have not been sure for a while whether she still likes to dance with me, after that confusion I did not look that way again.

The tables were great. Although they are light and easily knocked they are small and ideal for milongas. In this respect they are like the ones you find in many central milongas in Buenos Aires. I have seen them more and more at Edinburgh one-off events. Note also how smaller tables tend not to get cluttered as in the picture here, and in my view create less of a sense of barrier than larger tables. But in both cases at least there are tables. Apparently La Redonda had started with larger tables and changed. There was no solo seating per se but I think if there were strangers sitting at a table alone or with others I don't think that would have been a problem. There is however the usual UK problem of new arrivals taking a seat you may have been sitting in for a while.

Snacks were in the kitchen along with tea, coffee etc. The first time there was some very good cake, tangerines and some chocolate later on. Last week someone had made truffles, I think there were some pretzels and chocolate.

This is for me the best milonga in Edinburgh just now largely because of music (at least the days I went) and atmosphere. It is interesting that many of the habitués of Edinburgh’s other main milongas at the Counting House were not present. 

Edinburgh however will never be a weekend destination to dance tango for those from other places while it has no regular Friday night, Saturday night or Sunday afternoon milonga. The Edinburgh Tango Society has long had a vice-like grip on the milongas that are run in Edinburgh. This has intensified under its current custodians who hold pretty much the monopoly on all the regular weekly and monthly dances. Edinburgh isn’t alone in being a city with a similar tango cartel. This causes fear in others who are quite simply afraid to start something new because of opposition and alienation from those controlling this scene at present. This situation looks set to continue.