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Friendship fuels Jakartans' passion for tango
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DJ Yerpun Castro (right) of Buenos Aires, Argentina, dances with a partner at Paciencia's 5th anniversary Milonga (social event for tango dancing) in Central Jakarta over the weekend. (JP/Liza Yosephine)
M
any Paciencia dance community members were already old friends when in 2012 they began to gather weekly on Mondays for a Milonga (social event for tango dancing) to practice sensual Argentine moves of tango-style dance.
Paciencia founder Fuchong "El Tanguero," a Spanish nickname he took on which translates to "the tango dancer," said the community for the past five years slowly grew after starting with an average of 25 people during each week's attendance.
"Now every week we can have have around 50 people coming. Although the number has doubled, it's arguably a bit slow since it took five years. But we're here and we're growing," Fuchong said during Paciencia's 5th anniversary celebration over the weekend.
Ina Utomo, a dancer of the community, said she had long been friends with would-be fellow dancers of the community before joining. Ina helped organized the anniversary's 17-hour Milonga on Saturday, saying the duration was a nod to 2017.
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Looking back, she said the friendship was what inspired her to join the community, as it provided an opportunity to attend a social gathering that was in line with her interest in dancing.
Ina, who first began to dance the tango after joining Paciencia, said her husband would also sometimes come to dance with her.
"At the Milonga, we find our own dance partners and that's also how our friendship in the community grew," Ina said.
Friendship within the international community also supports the growth of tango popularity in Jakarta, Ina said, through exchange of experiences, lessons and mutual support.
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Colombian tango dancer Maicol Mira said he was first introduced to the Indonesian tango community by a student he taught in Japan. Mira, who splits time between Indonesia and Japan, has now been teaching the tango in Jakarta for two-and-a-half years.
"Actually, I think the community in Jakarta is a little bit smaller [compared to other countries] in Asia, because in other countries I think there's about 2000 to 3000 people, but in Jakarta it's very small. We're talking like 100 people. But it's growing with more people joining," Mira said.
Mira expressed enthusiasm for the positive outlook, saying that more people should join as it is a fun opportunity for people to stay active and socialize in an increasingly digitized world. (kes)
