The Tango Codigos, or "codes of conduct", are behaviors that show respect to everyone attending a tango milonga. The key part of all social dance etiquette is to be kind and considerate and not rude or sanctimonious. 

Of course, a concert of tango music follows concert etiquette. But did you know that a live music milonga (social dance) has its own additional special etiquette beyond the codigos? Many people are not as familiar with the etiquette, because live tango music is not as common.

So here is a refresher on the etiquette of dancing tango to live music.

Don't Dance the First Song!

The first song is not danced, to honor the musicians by listening to them. Don't dance over their moment! In Buenos Aires, it's de rigueur not to dance the first piece played by the orchestra. Sometimes in other parts of the world, the person introducing the orchestra might say, "The orchestra will play a few tangos in a concert setting, after which they will invite dancing," but this is not always the case.

Applaud the musicians - each song

We don't applaud for social dancers no matter how talented they are, but it is courteous to applaud the musicians playing live music after each song. At the end of a night with a moving musical performance, feel free to encourage the orchestra to play one more piece with applause and shouts of "Bis!", "Otra!" or "Encore !"

Tandas in Live Music? Well, maybe... Cortinas? Don't Expect Them!

Background

Dancing tango to live music occurred at an earlier time than dancing to recorded tango music arranged by a DJ, so DJ'ed music became more structured. Even today, DJs arrange their playlists in "tandas" - musical sets of generally 3 or 4 songs, which

• have the same rhythmic structure,
• have the same orchestra leader, orchestra, and perhaps singer
• likely were all recorded within a few year range

Tandas of recorded music are separated by a "cortina" - that is, a short bit of non-tango music which acts as a music set separator. (Check out What Shaped the Tanda for more info on tandas.)

Effect

Live tango musicians may choose to follow this familiar structure of music sets. Or not.

They may choose to play a short bit of non-tango music as a separator between music groupings or pieces of different rhythms, or they may not.

They may use the microphone to announce what piece they will play in advance, or they may not.

What does this mean for your tango? It means that your requests for dancing with someone may need to be more flexible and negotiable. Be sensitive to when those on the dance floor switch partners, as you may want to switch then too.

Enjoy the Live Music!

Most importantly, enjoy and support the live music. Musicians put years of work into achieving their craft, and they share it with you for your enjoyment. Let them know you appreciate it!