The Cuartito Azul milonga was outside, beside the Maas river with a superb view. The skies were huge. The cityscape stretched across the opposite bank. There was a light wind but it lovely, especially when sunny, provided you danced so you didn't get cold. Although I was still surprised to be here, I loved it and would recommend this milonga next summer in good weather, mostly for the wonderful setting. I was told this special event runs only occasionally in the summer so you need to stay informed.
The dance floor was on the decking of a hotel with a special temporary floor laid on top just for the day and was better than I had expected. With people helping clear it away at the end it was done in five minutes. It was a kind of soft plastic taped down to what turned out to be many MDF? boards which surprised me. These had been laid on top of the restaurant's outdoor decking. The whole, plus I imagine, the speakers were loaded into a small trailer. Nice chairs and tables were provided by the restaurant.
The dancing attracted many spectators - more than I've seen at any outdoor milonga. Some of them sat at the tables around the dance floor but many stood watching, taking photos and even filming.
The entrada was only 4 euros. There was a bar outside, provided by the hotel and a restaurant inside. A very small glass of wine was I think 3 euros, a European sized bottle of water 5 euros. Though the water was expensive I thought as an overall package it was good value for what was nearly 5 hours of dancing in a wonderful setting.
The music was mixed, probably 70% trad. It started with a wholly great Donato tanda which got me immediately in the mood. I’ve noticed that before when rhymthic upbeat Donato starts a milonga. There were good trad tandas in e.g. Biagi, D'Arienzo, Donato, half good Lomuto, mostly good Fresedo and some repeats of all those orchestras (and some tracks) at the expense of other orchestras. There was very late De Angelis vals with singers which style I also heard at the Waterlelie milonga in Leiden. When my friend arrived later, I said:
- "You said the music was traditional!"
- "If I had told you it was a mix you wouldn’t have come", he said, probably correctly and I was very glad that I had.
Amazingly, I kept my seat, though for a while people came and went from it. A woman appeared and shared the table, then moved. Another woman arrived with whom I became and remain friends and after that it became definitively ours for the duration. With the chat and the fixed place although I knew next to no-one there it became very relaxing. She and I danced Biagi, under the sun, beside this capacious river, beneath huge skies and to this great music. Dancing in these conditions with this nice person and others there I became aware that it was one of the closest ways to heaven I expect to get. It was during this afternoon that I started to think I wanted to come back to the Netherlands again.
I only wanted to dance with four guys besides the guy who had told me about the place. One was a scruffy, trendy young guy. I heard he was a teacher but danced well. I didn't try to dance with him. He looked like he was out to have a relaxing afternoon with a beautiful girlfriend and some cool friends. I didn't dance either with a much older guy because I was told he was shy/reserved and mostly only danced with one woman. Of the two guys I did dance with one was heavenly, matching the day. I thought he had tried to invite for ages, but I was not yet convinced. Eventually he walked up to invite me during an alternative track and I said no thanks. Later, when the choosy lady had joined me, she told me he was gorgeous. Still, I waited until I saw him dance. I was sure it would be great but now I had refused him directly. When I happened to be passing behind his seat on impulse I went up during the D'Arienzo and asked if he still wanted to dance. This guy was quiet and playful, great for me. He was my guy dance of the weekend.
In general the guy dancing wasn't great with many couples in a simulacrum of an embrace. Rotterdam apparently has a reputation for a nuevo style (see the website image for a clue) and while the DJ, Hugo, danced that way almost no others did.
I only danced with three women that day through choice but am still friends with two of these. One walked up to invite me towards the end of the milonga to an alternative track. I was surprised but realised I recognised her from chat in Leiden. I don't like turning down women in circumstance like these but I cannot dance to this kind of music. I tried to dance it, failed and apologised. Then it was late De Angelis vals which were a bit better. Later still we danced D'Arienzo tangos. Finally, we were dancing properly, "intuitively" she said. "What a difference!" we agreed. Another woman said another time that this partner was a very sensuous dancer and I realised it was true. Of all the women I have danced with, few fit the description better. I was astonished and delighted to discover she is a grandmother!
The ronda was busy at times especially later on and hard to move. The photo is taken when it was quiet. Generally though floorcraft was, despite the style of dancing, amazingly good, better in general than I could manage. I bumped into a Latin looking guy who was very kind about it and there was a slight collision with someone I couldn't see. I automatically waved a "sorry" hand to the couple I couldn’t see and - adorably - an invisible someone caught my hand and stroked it which must rate as one of my top moments on any dance floor.
I had dinner nearby with a friend before getting the train back to Amsterdam. All told, it had been a simply lovely day.
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