Being a North American, I prefer to be more direct and ask a lady to dance.  Of course, it still helps to check for eye contact. If a follower avoids my eyes, I’ll usually move on and not ask her. At milongas I’ve noticed that followers are rather particular and have little patience for beginners or for those whose dance styles they cannot easily follow. Their attitude is: “I’ve worked hard to be a good tango dancer and I deserve to spend my time at a milonga with an experienced dancer; I don’t time for beginners.”

She doesn’t have 3 minutes now and then for a beginner?

At ballroom dances, it seems that followers are more patient and understanding with beginning leaders.

I’ve been reading a really ancient book called The Gentleman’s Book of Etiquette, published in the 1870′s.  A lot of the information, of course, is out of date, but I love the suggested way of asking for a dance. I’m going to try it.   The suggested way to ask for tango dance would be:

Shall I have the honor of your hand in a tango?

I’ll let you know in a future post how it works.
– Phil Seyer, Creator of http://tangovideos.ning.com

A pretty good complimentary dinner is also provided. About 75 to 100 tango lovers typically attend these parties which feature Argentine tango (not American tango)

For more details, click the following link:

Argentine tango parties on Sunday in San Francisco