The three of us; Jean Michel, Royce and I, we have been hitting the milongas (tango dance parties) together. Painting the town red.
We must present quite a strange phenomenom to the other tango dancers; a french man and two asian faces. Many times people would ask me if Royce was my girlfriend, or ask Royce if we were together (luckily no one really asked if Jean Michel and I were together).
But after a few clarifications, everyone in the milongas seem to know Royce and Jean-Michel are the real couple. News spread like fire in the world of tango.
Amongst the interesting questions and gossips, there was a particularly interesting one.
We were at the milonga of Porteņo y Bailarin, on a tuesday night. Royce came back to our table and told us an italian dancer asked her, "Are you a 'milonguera' or 'bailarina'?"
At first the question surprised Royce, but the italian man began to explain.
"Look at your surroundings, the long table opposite where you are sitting, sits Ernesto Balmaceda and his partner Stella Baez. With them, a crowd of their young students and friends.
On the table to their left, sits Diego Lanau and Negracha, with a couple of their friends and students.
On the table to your left, sits Giovanna de Vincenzo who dances with Aoniken Quiroga. The table in front of them sits El Flaco Dany.
Tonight, 70% of the dancers present are professional bailarinas (dancers). So which one are you?"
Looking at the dancefloor, the ambient of a majority crowd of professional dancers showed too. Many dancers were enjoying their full repetoire of performance tricks; waist high boleos and secadas, knees that go up to chest height while doing their embellishments, lapiz that resembles the leg sweep move my kungfu teacher taught me when I was young.
The dancefloor was not so crowded but it felt like a mess of people each doing a mini performance to the music. Of course they were having fun, but some dancers were dancing with a subconscious undertone of showing off; nice, flashy moves, but big. And it was dangerous just to dance around them. One would never know when that four inch heel would scrap the ankle or land on the feet.
Cacho Dante once said that the the essence of tango is your partner, the music and the people around you. "Milonguear." He would used this word to describe a person doing social tango. "Bailar bien no es igual que saber milonguear." ("To dance well doesn't equal to knowing how to dance socially.")
The young dancers, young in the sense of their dancing age, they are spectacular with regards to technique and expression of the music. But one thing that is fast disappearing is the consideration for the dancers surrounding them.
For a popular milonga such as Porteņo y Bailarin, with a dancefloor smaller than a badminton court, how important is that! To be considerate in managing your own dancing space.
As for the milongueras, the experienced social dancers. Not all of them have as great technique as the professional dancers (some of them do!). But what a good milonguera always have, is the social aspect of her dance; the ability to make you feel she is dancing with you 100% during the tanda, the ability to execute her boleos, embellishments safely and not hurting other people, the ability to not just make herself look and feel good, but to make you look and feel like the best dancer on the dancefloor!
Dear reader, I do not know who you would rather be. But Royce answered, and I can imagine with a certain amount of pride, "I'm not a bailarina!" 
