Last night's milonga had a busy floor for Sydney, the music was excellent - as always at this milonga - and dancers from beginners to those who had been dancing for 10 or more years was there. Sadly it was a handful of the more experienced dancers who were causing many of the problems. You can't blame beginners for stopping as they work their way through the steps they are bravely trying to master. A good leader can navigate around these couples knowing that they were once beginners and making allowances. You can blame dancers, some of whom teach, for stepping backwards into line of dance and stopping while they show-off numerous fancy moves from adornos to volcados... frequently with the woman kicking her foot up high behind her. It is the other leaders who have to navigate this kind of selfish dancing, hoping to avoid being kicked or stepped upon as they endeavour to get around the log-jams.
Sydney has it's share of Petulant Princesses, concerned only that they show off their ability to kick high and quickly without a thought, frequently in poses that wouldn't look abnormal if they were wearing a bustle; and smug Helicopter Dancer Leaders who seem to think that doing numerous enrosques is the essence of the dance. They have every right to dance this way - at home or on a practice floor - but not where they are part of a line of dance at a milonga. I don't hold out much hope that most of these 'dancers' will acknowledge their selfish ways and mature into better leaders and followers, they already think they are at the top of their tree. It does intrigue me as to why some nights at some milongas the floorcraft is worse than it is on other occasions. Does it depend on the number of show-offs on the floor? Any ideas?
