Roone Auditorium
Columbia University 116 Street and Broadway

Thursday 4 • 10.00 pm • at Party Space, Alfred Lerner Hall, Lower Level.

WELCOME MILONGA, DJ TINE HERREMAN.

Friday 5 • 9:30 pm • Roone Auditorium (Alfred Lerner Hall)

LIVE MUSIC WITH PABLO ASLAN, DJ KO TANAKA

Saturday 6 • 9:30 pm • Roone Auditorium (Alfred Lerner Hall)

PERFORMANCE BY MASTERS, DJ RAMU PYREDDY

Sunday 7 • 9:30 pm • Roone Auditorium (Alfred Lerner Hall)

LIVE MUSIC WITH ETERNAL TANGO , DJ ROBIN TOMAS

The invitation to dance comes by way of eye contact—it is a polite, subtle, and secret question between the potential partners. The leader makes eye contact to gauge the follower’s interest; the follower responds in one of two ways: either with her eyes and a slight nod of the head to indicate she accepts, or with a polite look away that says “no” while it also keeps open the possibility of a future invitation; if the invitation is accepted from a distance, the leader should walk around the dance floor, make a more formal invitation, and introduce himself.

A tanda is a full set of dances, usually 4; it is broken by a cortina, which is then followed by another tanda, and so on. As a leader, if you are a stranger to a potential dance partner whom you would nonetheless like to ask for a dance, you might wait for the third tango in the tanda, so that you will be obliged only to two dances before the cortina. Similarly, as a follower, if you don’t wish to dance a full set, avoid eye contact until the third tango of a tanda.



• During the dance, allow your partner to determine the distance of the embrace, and you will find a mutually comfortable one.

• Never “teach” your partner anything during a milonga!

• When you don’t want another dance, say “thank you” politely.

• If you intend to dance another tanda, it’s a good idea to create conversation during the cortina, while you wait on the dance floor for the next set.

• Remember you’re dancing for both your partner and you—for your mutual pleasure.

• Communicate through the dance, never with verbal language. Speak tango!

• After the dance, remember to thank your partner; leaders, walk the follower back to her seat.

• Stay within the line of dance (counterclockwise); don’t dance against it, don’t hold it up.

• On the dance floor, be mindful of other people—you’re sharing the floor with others!

• If you bump into someone or someone bumps into you, apologize politely, regardless of culpability.

• Leaders should remember that they are responsible for protecting the follower from possible collisions; followers can prevent a leader from colliding with the couple behind him by applying gentle pressure to his back with her left hand.

• Don’t stand on the dance floor for a chat, thereby holding up the flow of dance; don’t pass through the dance floor to cross the room – use the margins of the floor to go around the crowd.