Modern Tango World N° 11 (Paris, France) | Page 17

Each pair was equipped with a dual-jack adapter that
plugged into a phone allowing the partners to share
their headphones. The Mona Lisa couldcould be ob-
served with the silhouettes of the pair sliding strangely
on the ground, in silence. No doubt that at that moment,
Mona’s gaze sparkled more, and her smile became less
enigmatic. Another memorable millégale took place in
the catacombs of Paris, among the walls of skulls and
bones of our venerable ancestors who never knew the
tango. The participants were provided with a helmet,
lamps and a square meter of cardboard with which they
assembled a makeshift dancefloor.
The creativity of the millégales us further illustrated in
other unique events such as a rendez-vous at dawn on
the Place de la Concorde and a sleepless night of the
summer of 2012 on the Pont-Neuf. The millégales have
also inspired others to organize outdoor milongas, in
additionto the group, Les Millégaux. The Milonga in the
Sky, at the top ofthe Parc de Belleville is as they de-
scribe it — A wild and ephemeral milonga inspired by the
famous millégales.
The millégales are not only creative, they are also very
convivial. Since they are free, they sheild themselves from
the consumer-vendor relationship that can distort the
connection between organizers and dancers. The mil-
légales are often the occasion for spanish-style picnics, in
which everyone brings something and shares it with the
others. At the level of the dance codegos, the dancers
are freed from the ritual of mirada and cabeceo, Both
leaders and followers may initiate the invitation which is
not prohibited from being verbal.
Paris, the City of Light, is an urban museum where tourists
roam by the millions every year. Many of these tourists
stop to watch the dancers at the Trocadero, the Opera
Garnier or the Jardins de Tino Rossi. They are surely
very numerous, and judging by their frequent applause,
we can only imagine that some will have taken the tango
back home with them.
If these public demonstrations of milongas are able to trig-
ger applause from tourists, we must now take into account
the importance of its effects. During the excitement of
the beautiful Summer season, most outdoor milongas take
place ar differnt places. The dancers meet once, twice,
maybe three times with the same dancer. At the beginning
of the season, they may propose to take a class together.
They become partners in this way, maybe even lovers,
Groups of friends are finally formed, and they will go to
milonga together during the rest of the year.
By giving less importance to the tango codegos, in par-
ticular to the ritual of the mirada and the cabeceo, the mil-
légales contribute to convivial environment reigning within
the tango community of Paris. Dancers may be reproached
fot being elitist and cold. It is true that Parisian milongas,
unlike their counterparts in the Rio de la Plata, are not built
on the triptych of concert-restoration-dance. Instead, they
are almost exclusively built upon dance. The environment
does not contain those large tables dining or listening tp
music. The dancers must rely on their natural affability to
eventually create the resources of a bar. Since outdoor
milongas often include large picnics, the issues of prestige
and reputation, that are so important in traditional tango,
become less important.
Over the years, an interesting phenomenon: taken place
at the millégales. The forecourt of the Opéra Garnier
and the Marches du Trocadéro have become unavoid-
able outdoor tango spots during the summer, where
there is dancing almost every night.
Open-air milongas inevitably evolve because
you practice more easily. It’s more open then
the milongas in dancehalls. So, you meet lots of
people. I find it essential to dance with different
milongueros each time. It is a discovery of the
other and it makes for good practice.
— Polina, a dancer of Urkrainian origin
— 17 —
TO SUBSCRIBE, CLICK HERE