I have already written about some of these rules.
And here’s another important rule.
After the tanda, escort the lady to her seat.
In a traditional milonga, the gentleman escorts the lady he was dancing with back to her seat after the tanda.
If the place is difficult to reach (for example, a table far from the dance floor), he takes her back to the place at the edge of the dance floor where they met at the beginning of the tanda.
It is, I think rightly, considered impolite to leave the lady standing on the dance floor after the tanda and simply disappear, without further ado, probably without even saying a word of goodbye.
There are a few ladies who find it strange when the gentleman escorts them back to their seat, somewhat old-fashioned. However, the vast majority of women like it and you can be sure that they will remember and like to dance with you again (unless, of course, you are an unpleasant dancer with poor hygiene. The women remember that too. But you don’t want to be that guy, or want you?)
I was credibly assured by several Argentine tango ladies that they would never again dance with a man who was so rude not take them back to their seat.
Of course there are exceptions to these rules.
For example, when the lady after the tanda meets friends on the dance floor with whom she would like to chat a little, if she has to go to the toilet, or does not want to go back to her seat for another reason.
Then all you have to do is to salute friendly and go your own way.
Incidentally, I’ve had very good experiences with the old-fashioned way of offering my arm to the lady I’m accompanying back so that she can hang her arm on mine. Then I am not just simply traipsing next to the lady, but I close the tanda in style. And, as I said, most ladies love it.
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