Chicago Tango Encounter

               In Chicago, at a milonga called ‘Esquina’, I had a very delightful encounter with a woman who played the part of the tanguera very well. I invited her to the dance floor with cabeceo, walked over to her table and offered my embrace.

               I wasn’t sure of her ability so I held her in open position. Two minutes into the first song I could tell she was not satisfied with open embrace, she was having trouble discerning my lead. With a stern demeanor, she pulled me in closer to her ample bosoms. I enjoyed this very much but there was nothing sexual in her body language, she was merely getting me to a position where she could read my ‘intention’ much more clearly.

               In between songs we didn’t speak at all. I refrained from smiling or any other show of emotion. She was a stone, staring past me at a window or the wall. The music began again and we joined in close embrace. We were not in total unison and my lead was not perfect but the music was good. I was dancing tango, the stress of traveling, after a week of night shifts followed by five hours of sitting on a bench in a stadium listening to speeches, began to ebb away.

               The tanda ended. We both waited for the cortina to begin before nodding at each other and parting company. That was the best dance I had in Chicago but I would not know it until the flight back. Most of the women I danced with in the Windy City were charming, graceful and educated in the ways of tango, yet only this encounter was unique and memorable.