Seoul – a tango travel destination?

Last year I wrote (see here note ) about the reasons of the high success of tango marathons: I began with the observation that small tango communities never reach a critical mass that satisfies local advanced dancers. Advanced dancers are fragmented in small milongas and it is hard to find them all in one spot. Seoul sets apart from other places. Seoul have very large community of tango dancers. I visited many tango communities around the world and Seoul probably is the largest existing tango community after Buenos Aires. In Seoul, you have at least two regular milongas on a daily basis. Days like Friday and Saturday have 5 to 6 different milongas. Many tango schools have their own praticas. The milonga scene is dynamic, intense and vibrant and with many good dancers around. You easily find more than 100 dancers in a milonga. Koreans are reserved, but at the same time friendly and welcoming to foreigners. Korean are very proud of their country and their food and their cultural heritage. Milongas are mainly based Hongdea and Gangnam Areas. I danced in Seoul twice back in 2006 and 2011 (see my first note about Seoul) and I visited Seoul 5-6 times a year since 2014. I know many dancers around which make me almost a local. I stayed in Seoul 5 weeks during October/November 2017. During this time, I frequented Seoul’s milongas every day. And there are a few points which I would like to raise: 1- Milongas are well-attended and of good quality. On a weekend milonga one can dance all tandas without repeating. If you would miss someone, you easily can dance with them on next day. 2- Even when bigger events exist in town (like Workshops, Festivals or Marathons) local milongas always fill up. 3- I was in several guided praticas and even there, the level of tango is just great. Koreans work very hard to improve their tango skills. 4- People respect the “ronda” and do not over-take. If by accident a touch happens people very respectfully apologize. The floor is clear during cortina and people always change partner. People mostly use “cabeceo” for an invitation (see my note on Cabeceo). Always with utmost respect. 5- DJing is good and mostly focused on golden age tango, in very well arranged tandas. 6- I found new good dancers (along the 5 weeks stay) almost every day. I felt great tango passion and strong commitment on the embrace. 7- The combination of a very mature community and respectful behavioural way of the Koreans, make Seoul the ideal place for a tango dancer. Having said that, I will get to the main point of my note. One might ask: - Is Seoul tango travel destination? - Would you come to Seoul for a tango, instead of going to Buenos Aires? I reply to both questions: “yes”. Let me explain my position: - Is Seoul tango travel destination? Yes, it is. Seoul is already a tango travel destination. Many dancers from neighbouring Asian countries come to Seoul just for the local milongas. - Would you come to Seoul for a tango, instead of going to Buenos Aires? Yes, I would and I do! I do not have the time to be in Buenos Aires 3 weeks until I can mix with people in Milonga. The best dancers I get to dance in Buenos Aires are foreigners and I can get to them in events elsewhere. The best female Argentinean dancers are professionals and they do not dance with you unless you were with them in private or group classes. On Korea, one could mix immediately with locals. In the ladies, I do fell strong passion, musically and commitment. In men, I can feel their musicality/respect in dance “ronda” (see a related note). I am not saying that Seoul is replacement Buenos Aires. Actually, I think every person in tango should go to Buenos Aires (at least once) to try to see and feel the culture there. I have been in Buenos Aires many times and but now to dance socially I prefer to be elsewhere. Tango taught in Seoul schools is “tango salon”. Since milongas are completely packed with people, most dancers close their embrace and change from two axes to one axe (“salon” to “apilado”). I feel always deeply respected as a “milonguero” in Seoul. I hope I did not shock any one with my opinions. It is my aim to bring awareness of those facts. Seoul tango community is large and of great quality and I do predict that Seoul will be a tango travel destination. For my fellow Korean friends which make shoes, women clothes and organizers of milongas the future looks shinning. PS: . I am not english native, sorry for the minor errors I thank Dan Hayes for the review Local milongas website: https://sites.google.com/view/tangomilongaincorea/

Updated Apr 26, 2023 6:52:26 am

Nov 22, 2017 3:15:15 pm