The twenty first of July, 1937
(My sixth week in Buenos Aires)

Dear Milonguero Friend,

Buenos Aires and its milongas… The swiftest hours, how they fly when one is dancing every night well into the small hours!

I say, corners are nothing but splendid. This might sound like the most extraordinary thing but here, corners are an essential part of the dancing. Consequently, lines of dance do have the shape of rectangles rather than that of concentric circles.

Corners are where gentlemen pause, breathe, enjoy the moment and savour the connection with their dance partner. A bit like pausing to savour a balloon of liqueur brandy on a peaceful autumn evening. Corners are also where ladies have a chance to make an impression with their ever so lovely adornments.

So my friend, let’s take our time and make our partner shine at corners (even more than our shoes) and she shall thank us for it (not in the tango way, of course).

Antonio, my Milonguero friend, is quite keen to sit only at corner tables. I suspect him to scrutinize potential partners,
as they approach one way, pause and then leave the other way…

I shall write again next week. Toodles!

Arthur