The other night I had the pleasure of providing lovely, danceable golden age tango music at the Milonga Presidencial in Lecce. I love DJing and was happy to have a chance to do it again. I was quite proud of myself as everyone danced the whole time, and I noticed that the circulation on the floor was particularly smooth. The energy was high but there was certainly no “quilombo”, disorder. I hope I can do it again!
I think some people don’t realize what a job it is to DJ. I had people make requests, and while I kept their requests in mind, I couldn’t simply play what someone wanted unless it went with the rest of the evening. I was mostly concerned with paying attention to the dance floor and how the people were reacting, so I could arrange my music accordingly. I like to think I did a nice job – I kept the floor pretty full at all times and there were smiles all around. Part of that is probably that it’s finally summertime and spirits are up in general.
Several people came up and invited me to dance. I felt bad saying no, but I really preferred to pay attention to organizing and playing the music. When I felt comfortable leaving the table, I would signal to someone who had invited me earlier, so we could dance. I missed a few guys and I hope they understand. I really just wanted to take care of the music and the people. But it was nice to be part of the dance floor as well so I could feel what they were all feeling.
A few people asked if I would include a rock & roll tanda, or maybe “tropical” (aka salsa, cumbia, etc). I really wanted to but the time flew by and I didn’t get a chance to. I promise I will next time. I always enjoyed the rock & roll tandas in Buenos Aires – even if I don’t dance rock & roll myself, it’s always great to watch.
Today I begin a month long course on milonguero style tango here in Lecce. And this summer I hope to DJ some more! Things are going pretty well for me down here. 
