The myth of women competition or my Girrrrlfriends

Untrue to the stereotype that women in Tango seat alone waiting for men to ask them to dance, Tango has opened a whole new world of female friendship for me.  I am un-freaking-believably lucky to be surrounded by gorgeous, smart and vibrant women.  They're my girrrlfriends.  I love hanging out at the milonga when my peeps are there. Sometimes I actually regret dancing so much because I dont' get to talk with them enough... Such is the life of a wannabe tanguera. While some women keep to themselves and see other females as competition for dancers, we have built ourselves a supporting, loving community.

We look after each other, we enjoy watching each other dance, we comfort, encourage, compliment, advice. We sit, whisper, laugh, exchange notes on creepy leaders with wandering hands, confess of tango crushes on weird characters, compare shoes, coo at new dresses and overall forget for a few delightful minutes that we have careers, ventures, responsabilities or even children and beaus.

All of them are educated, smart, funny, sociable and really, really, and I mean really, good dancers. So, without further ado, let me introduce you to a few from my gang (note: all names are real, if you come our way one day you'll surely recognize them):

Tracey has this glow that makes you want to get real close to her just in case some of her dust fairy would rub off. Add to this that she is the most incredible Yoga instructor that I had the luck to meet in the past 12 years. If she were a step, she'd be one of Michelle Erdemsel's adornment, her trademark rond-de-jambes, feminine and hypnotic.

Sabrina is strong and supple, fun and simple.  She has the most incredible grey skirt that looks as if it was made just for her. She also has a gift for writing poetic Facebook updates, which is a rare gift, don't you think? She's an enrosque, so difficult to master and yet looking so easy and elegant.

To me, Daphné would be a boléo.  Maybe because we had some much trouble together trying to execute a decent one, perhaps because it's one of those basic moves that you think you master but actually keep on re-learning all the time.  Swing dancer, singer, pillar of one of our tango schools, she is the listener we all need, the no-nonsense pal we wished we'd listened to.  We sometimes go to the Milonga just to be in each other's company.

Diane has the smile of chocolate and she faintly smells of caramel (probably because she is a caramel entrepreneur).  Her leopard printed heels fit her like a glove and signal to all other animals trying to water down that the feline is here! More than a position, to me Diane personifies a warm abbrazzo.

Julie is one of those woman whom you could swear is a professional dancer but no, she is "just" a professional musician. She is also fun and lighthearted, sophisticated and natural at the same time (a tour de force if you ask me)....  definitely a colgada!

Nicole was probably the inspiration for several nude paintings but she refuses to acknowledge it. Her laugh is more infectious than the scarlet fever. When we sit together I think you can hear us laugh on the other side of the... country. More than one specific step, she is, in my eyes, the embodiement of Milonga.

When I describe Daniela to a newcomer I talk of her pearly white smile and bouncy black curls, her understated sexiness that hides the wisdom of an old lady intertwined with the freshness of a 20 years old.  According to her enamored husband, she is a loving, explosive ball of passion and,  for him still, she'd be an enganche.

I think flowing chiffon dresses were invented for Leila.  Everything about her is petite, except her brains and her heart. She has the resilience and the flexibility of the green reed. Her volcadas make her stand on air, suspended in time. 

I did not include many others: Astrid, delicate Nordic goddess; Hinda, fiery and talented choreographer, but also Mélanie, Chantal, the other Julie, Evelyne, Kasia, Caroline, Geneviève, Marie-Noël, Hélène, Mylène, .... and my brain just blew a fuse.  Why did I pick these first ones?  Only because I talked to them that night I got the idea for this post and because there is some unspoken rule about what's a decent length for such blurbs so I do have to stop here!

I don't care if I don't get good tandas, as long as I've seen my girls. I hope you have your girls (or your boys) too.

Happy dancing....