The Milonga of the Firemen of La Boca

01:30.
As far as I’m aware, my local firestation (Kentish Town) does not hold milongas. They should. I just got back from the Milonga de los Bomberos de La Boca and it was lovely. Milongas in Buenos Aires normally begin around midnight and frequently are not in full swing until 01:30 or later. This one was an exception. It started at 21:00. This is because children were invited. I left early as I have a lunchtime party tomorrow and there’s no way I’ll get up in time if I dance all night.

It was a pukka community fundraising do in a function room next to the firestation and all generations were present. The ratio of adults to children was about 5:1. When I arrived I was greeted by the families of my friends from La Boca and kissed by over a dozen adults and about twenty kids. The room was huge with a high ceiling, a gallery all the way round, an enormous central chandelier and an excellent parquet floor. There were home-made empanadas and cakes and drinks and volunteers serving, which made it feel like a fête in a church hall, in the way of the Crypt in London.

Many of the people were not there to dance tango but to meet up, socialise and fundraise for the firestation with their families and friends from the barrio. Most of my La Boca tango class was there, including our much loved teacher, Soledad. I invited a number of gringos to come along, but none of them did. Apart from one Japanese lady, fiancée of one of the firemen, I was the only other foreigner present. The standard of dancing was not high, but the feelgood factor was. Very. I felt proud to be part of the human race.

The kids were an important part of the event. They performed music and dance, some solo, some in groups. I was particularly struck by a girl of six who did some stunning belly dancing and a two year old boy who bowled me over with his karate. For me, the highlight of the evening was the hour long karate show by kids age up till the age of eighteen. La Boca karate club is led by a brilliant and dedicated female sensei. The kids were very disciplined and the displays were so impressive, they left me longing to take it up myself.