Last night I went to Triangulo in NYC, my last stop in the trifecta of tango personalities of the Big Apple(at least as far as I am concerned; NYC tango is extensive and I’m sure I’ve only scratched the surface) who I wanted to read my book.
I don’t want to scare women away when I say this place is man-friendly because the man-to-woman ratio is 1-to-1 according to my count last night at 7:00 p.m. I’ve been coming here for three years and have always felt welcome and uninhibited here when asking women to dance, which is not always the case for me in Manhattan.
A big reason for this man-friendly atmosphere is Maura Hays. I can remember meeting her on my initial foray to Manhattan milongas after an early afternoon of tango at Dance Manhattan, which is right around the corner, literally.
I paid my ten dollars and she came from behind the small counter at the entrance to the studio, put her arm around me and said, “Is this your first time here? I’ve never seen you before. We can always use more leaders.” She smiled at me when she said this and gave me a look that told me she was sincere and truly hoped I’d come back often…and I have! She is truly a sight to behold and an awesome woman to dance with.
It is difficult for a man to come to Manhattan and ask strange women to dance but there is something about Maura that inspires confidence, that makes you say to yourself, “I can do this!”
The studio is not big but there were 30 couples on the dance floor at any one time and navigation was never a problem. The food is cookies, wine, candy and chips; a refreshing change from the rectangle of cheese and box of triscuits.
One thing I’ve noticed about this crowd is it is not static. Only two of the people I saw two months ago were there tonight. I always meet new women here which makes it worthwhile to make repeat visits. There are milongas here Friday/Saturday/Sunday now and I’d attend all three if I could. If you are a guy looking for good tango, you will not feel a warmer welcome anywhere else in this great big town. If you are a woman and new to the Big Apple, then you have definitely found the authentic tango scene.
There is plenty of comfortable seating all around the room. Very few women sat for more than one tanda. There are quite a few experienced leaders. The windows are low and there is a great view of the street. If you know anything about people in tango, you will appreciate the painting on the back wall of all the prominent personalities in the world of tango. This is a very active studio with students coming in from outside the city, taking lessons and staying to dance the rest of the night.
For more info, go here: http://www.tangonyc.com/
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