What does it mean to go out to a night of Tango? For Marta Chaban, it involves the ritual of listening to greek music while driving to NYC from her hometown in New Jersey. Greek music places her into a positive state of mind prior to the tango event in itself. Its all about the people with whom she would be meeting as it is about the tango songs she would be listening to and dancing, revealing that the social dimension of tango is as important as its musical and danceable components. She emphasizes on the importance of avoiding having expectations about who to dance with throughout the night in order to experience unnecessary frustrations. For Marta, the milonga is a place where sound and social encounters triggers the process of activated memory, the remembrance of beautiful past moments and experiences brought to her by a particular song or person. For instance, each time 'Remolino' song by Alfredo de Angelis is played at a milonga, is an evocative reminder of Remolino Tango Festival held at her hometown in Ukraine; a festival she has been attending during the last five years.
Marta Chaban's sonic journey to a night of tango provides an insight into her personal experience on this fascinating dance.