What you should or shouldn’t wear is not really an aspect of Códigos. But it is something that affects it in a distant way. And we do get the question now and again. So we’re putting this information here.
If you’re new to Argentine Tango, you might want to know what you should wear to a Milonga ? The obvious answer is Clothing, instead of rags, bags, or plastic wrap. 😉😂‚ In all seriousness, in today’s modern Tango world, you can wear whatever you want. Just as long as you’re comfortable in the room, that’s what matters.
You may get a little intimidated if you walk in and people are all dressed to the 9s, and you’re in jeans and a T-shirt. That’s to be expected. What we see is that a lot of people treat the Milonga environment like it’s a dress up event, and that’s because traditionally, it is one. In Argentina, decades ago, this isn’t true now, but most dancers wore their best to each Milonga. Meaning ? The men wore a suit and tie, and women in fine dresses. As times changed, the custom didn’t. It stuck around for a long while. But slowly and certainly, most dancers began to show up in whatever they are comfortable moving in. However, you will still find some of the old guard of at Milongas dressed in their finery. Which is to say that a Suit and Tie/Fine Dress is NOT required at all. We may be an ‘Elegant dancing experience in Atlanta’ but we’re not zealots!
So here’s our advice for what to wear: Wear clothing that will not compress you, stick to you, or drag on the floor. Wear clothing that is loose fitting for you and allows you to breathe and to be comfortable.
It should be noted that SOME Milonga environments do get quite warm, excessively so. While we do have A/C at our Milonga, and remember that it is HOTlanta, there will be times when the A/C is overwhelmed by the heat outside and the heat inside. Which is to say, plan accordingly.
See Post On ‘Shoes’.
