The first evening of the working week might not immediately strike you as the best time to throw your dance shoes in a bag and go hunting for some Argentinian moves in the centre of Athens, but this is exactly what happens every Monday night in the pedestrian stretch between Thiseio and Kerameikos metro stations. If you walk along here after 22:00 and follow the music until you reach its source, you’ll find one of the best street milongas in Athens. This is where a diehard group of tango lovers gather at the start of each week to dance until the early hours. And though the dance was born in Argentina, tango and Athens go incredibly well together.
Milonga, a dance born out of melancholy and passions that had nowhere to go, has found the perfect home in an ancient city facing big changes. The broken marble pavement across which the dancers slide is a world away from Buenos Aires, but tango lovers will tell you the feeling it produces is exactly the same, no matter where you dance. One of the best things about this casual outdoor milonga is that it attracts dancers of every ability, shape and size here, locked in the embrace of tango. If, like me, you love to dance and have spent a few years trying to brush up on your skills, you’ll be very familiar with that classic complaint of all women attending dance classes – where are all the guys? No such problem here, as one of my partners pointed out to me the first time I turned up.
“Look around,” he said, “there are always more men than women!” At a milonga like this, there are practically no rules except for the absolute basics that come with tango – the woman must wait to be invited to dance by the man, which is done simply by sustaining eye contact. That’s it. Once you’re in a dance, it’s common courtesy not to change partners during a tanda, which is a set of three to five songs played in sequence. The dancers are friendly and patient; they’ll happily ignore your mistakes and give you pointers if you ask for them. As a woman, you really need zero experience to join in. All you have to do is follow the lead.
The tango-crazy organizers always make sure they play a good mix of the classic stuff as well as more modern tango tunes such as Gotan Project. And if you’re still not feeling brave enough to join in, you can do as the regulars do – spread out a blanket, pop open some wine and just enjoy the music and dancing. The best part? It doesn’t cost a cent to participate. After all, an economic downturn should never stop you from wearing your tango shoes!
