Day 2. Sunderland club.

A 22 peso cab ride and half an hour later, I was at the famous Sunderland club. The first driver didn't even want to go. The one who took me there was pissed because I didn't have exact change. The moment I got off the cab, I saw a guy from New York. Great!

Inside, I asked for the table of Maxi Copello. It was the last one, the host told me. I couldn't find it, stood there like ten minutes and finally caught my friend. The place was jammed packed. I saw two gringas whom I know from last time. Some greeting and they were surprised to see me again.

Danced with my friend for a milonga tanda. The floor was impossible. Even though the place was packed with stars, but the people on the pista were mixed. Some good ones, but a lot of showboats who danced with no regards of the others.

One of the woman whom I know danced with me a tanda and got kicked three times. Even though it was not my fault, as she said, but I felt stupid and embarrassed. I was very good at floor craft. This tanda was the worst one because never in my life before I had a woman in my care gotten kicked three times in a tanda. She was upset about the whole scene, I can't blame her.

The other gringa was so much better, yet still some fucking hot shot made a hugh step and had his partner's heel in my partner's foot. The fucking guy just danced away without a blink of an eye. I guess that our foreigners are second class dancers on the floor. Fuck you very much, asshole.

J, the other gringa who I met at the milongas last year, impressed me. We danced a tanda of Pugliese and I must say that was the best tanda that I had. Her embrace was so good. And in three months time, she got so Argentine, I felt like I was dancing with Andrea Misse. She told me she will be coming back to the states later this year. I lobbied her to move to New York. Gee, how can some one get so good in the matter of three months, I mean other than myself. :)

But seriously, she made me feel hope about American tango dancers. Or is she just an Argentine transplant? I long for a partner like her.

Anyway, I sat around and had another dance with a chica. Still other than having seen the known names like Geraldine y Ezequiel and every one else, the place is not yet my favourite. It is too far, too crowded, not too good floor craft ( Some young hot shot was blocking an obviously well known milonguer, whom was frowning at the young guy while trying to protect his partner.). I would have gone to Maipu 444 if it weren't for the invite of my friend.

The stars are just some normal people who happen to dance better than the rest of us. It makes no sense to be there just for the sake of seeing them. After all, for me tango is between two people. I would care less about everything else. I enjoyed Los Consagrados better. Thank god I had a great Pugliese tanda with J. Otherwise, Sunderland would be on my not-to- visit-again list.