Modern Tango World N° 11 (Paris, France) | Page 16

The tango ritual here is always the same. The organiz-
er-DJs fot the evening arrive in the late afternoon with
their sound equipment: and a hat which they will later
pass among the dancers for donations. The evening be-
gins with a free introductory course given generally by
the DJ and organizer of the day. The milonga begins
at 20:00 , and lasts to about midnight. Sometimes, it
might last longer, end at 1:00, 2:00 or even later. In the
2000s, when the greatest dancers came to Paris. they
often danced thru the night to the afternoon. The blue-
tooth speakers did not exist. But that did not stop the
Parisian tangueros from dancing in the early morning,
with or without prefectoral authorization.
The second most popular formula for outdoor tango in
Paris is called millégales. Every year, dances are held on
the banks of the Seine during the summer months. These
are dependent on obtaining a prefectural authorization.
However in 2009, this authorization was not issued for
reasons of safety or sound nuisances complaints from
thr nearby neighborhood. These are recurring problems
on the quays. This non-allowed-to-dance proclamation
triggered both banal and extraordinary. responses. Ba-
nal because nothing really happened: Passionate dancers
simply decided that the tango should not be dependent
on any authorization and they continued to dance on
the banks of the Seine, as they did before.
But, the response was also extraordinary, because
dancing at the edge of the water was now illegal. This
gave a flavor of rebellion to an act that was previously
almost ordinary. Henceforth, it would be crowned
with the prestige of the clandestinity, and the outdoor
tango was out to conquer Paris. Outdoor milongas
took on airs of rebellious outdoor drinking establish-
ments — guinguettes. The illegal milonga was born —
the millégale. The original ban against dancing on the
docks dates was June 24, 1922. So, modern dancers
found themselves following a tradition of being unau-
thorization. The idea quickly throughout Paris. Illegal
tango dancing seemed so absurd that the expression
and provocation has remained.
Some time later, the organizers of these millégales gave
genesis to the concept with a Facebook group. It was
born in a humorous and surrealist style has never left
them. Today,, a decade later, the Facebook group, Les
Millégaux, has more than 2000 members and is one of
the most popular in the world of Parisian tango.
The millégales have spread from the forecourt of the
Palais Garnier to Jardins du Trocadéro, to the Marché
Saint-Honoré, the Passerelle Simone-de-Beauvoir and
the Quai des Célestins. The guidinge principle was to
dance anywhere without asking for permission and
negotiating with the police; never ask the dancers for
money, except for passing a hat. In or-
der to avoid that the milongas were
not transformed into promotional
events, the organizers do not give
tango lessons elsewhere. A certain
amount of spontaneity is maintained
by the organizers. Often, they are not
announced until the last moment, at
most a few days before the event.
Keeping to these principles of clan-
destinity, gratuitousness, and sponta-
neity, the millégales have put a pre-
mium on creativity and conviviality.
Once rubicon of legality crossed, the
creativity imagination of the roman-
tic Parisian tangueros was released!
One millégale was organized in the
Louvre, in the museum’s rooms dur-
ing the visiting hours. The dancers
mingled with the visitors while being
connected to the DJ by a radio.
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