[Tango-L] IV Campeonato Metropolitano de Baile de Tango -- tango finals

[macfroggy@aol.com]

Many thanks to Janis for writing such immediate and comprehensive
reports on the Campeonato. Even though I was there backstage last
night at the Finals, I had no idea the fabulous music we heard while
waiting to dance was played by Balcarce's orchestra. We had seen and
loved the film of his Escuela de Tango Orchestra. The event at the 
large
venue of La Rural in Palermo was well organized, but they told us, the
dancers, nothing at all about what was happening during the program;
just when and where to line up. I would love to see a video of the 
whole show someday.

Anyway, as to my part in the Finals, I am proud to say that Ruben Aybar 
and
I made the final cut down to 16 couples out of the 32 finalists. When
I consider that more than 500 couples entered the contest back in May,
we were very proud to be in the final 16, especially as 13 of the 
couples
were youngsters. The other 3 couples who finished in the finals of the
Finals were over 50, including Ruben and myself. I am also proud that
since the Semifinals, I was the only foreigner in the Tango de Salon 
competition.

As in any arts competition, there is a lot of subjectivity. How can you 
choose
between the 5 best movies, or 5 best actors, or books, or paintings, or 
dancers?
It's not a science, and that is as it should be. Many people gripe 
about the politics
of the Campeonato, saying you have to know the judges or have taken 
lessons
 from them or whatever, but we didn't "know" anybody and we still made 
it
almost to the end. Of course there are issues like how Ruben and I 
followed
the written contest rules --feet on floor, no pauses, no choreographed 
figures,
total improvisation, no breaking of the embrace, etc.--and yet the 
youngsters'
legs were flying all over the place in high boleos and the judges went 
for that.
The rules stressed elegance and musicality, but the kids, who perhaps 
someday
will dance more elegantly, didn't show a lot of it last night. To me 
they looked
as if they were gearing up for a stage career, not for dancing socially 
in the
milongas where there's no room for that stuff. This contest was 
supposed to
be about social dancing in the milongas --Tango de Salon. There is a 
category
for stage tango in the Mundial, which begins today.

Anyway, it was fun, and great experience. Now back to real life and the 
teaching
of milonguero style tango and how to dance in the milongas of Buenos 
Aires--no high boleos, for one thing!

Cherie Magnus




-----Original Message-----
From: jantango at feedback.net.ar
To: TANGO-L at mit.edu
Sent: Sat, 19 Aug 2006 2:36 AM
Subject: [Tango-L] IV Campeonato Metropolitano de Baile de Tango -- 
tango finals

    The pavilion at La Rural was full to capacity on Friday night.   On 
the
program was Yotivenco, an ensemble of three guitars, bass, conga drums 
with
singer.  They were wonderful and entertaining in their interpretations 
of
tango.  Later the Orquesta Escuela de Tango directed by the phenomenal
Emilio Balcarce delighted the audience with their performance.  
Balcarce is
insuring the future of tango by training young musicians from all parts 
of
the world in the school's two-year program. The evening  included an
exhibition by Pedro and Graciela Vujovich, winners of the 2005 
campeonato
metropolitano.

Judges were  Juan Manuel Fernandez, Olga Besio, Osvaldo Zotto, Maria 
Nieves,
Juan Belsito, Corina de la Rosa, and Sergio Cortazzo.

After four preliminary rounds and two elimination rounds, the ten 
finalists
were:
(A) 18-49 years; (B) 50-80 years.

Tenth place: Jimena Hoeffner y Hernan Leone (A) (El Pial)
Ninth place: Noemi Casoli y Antonio Yuffre (B) (A Puro Tango)
They had my vote.  What elegance!!!!!
Eighth place: Paola Klinger y Ernesto Suter (A) (El Esquinazo)
Seventh place: Maria Blanca y Maximiliano Copello (A) (Bien Pulenta)
They danced tango for exhibition and were the only couple in the entire
competition who ended each dance with a stage pose.
Sixth place: Melisa Parra y Bruno Mayo (A) (El Cachafaz)
Fifth place: Paula Rampini and Guillermo Cerneaz (A) (El Cachafaz)
Fourth place: Sofia Saborido y Andres Molina (A) (Club Espanol)
Third place: Yanina Bassi y Lucas Amerijeiras (A) (Sentimental y 
Coqueta)
Second place: Norma Chaves Fernandez y Ricardo Sotelo (B) (Milonga del
Centennario)
First place: Laura Molina y Hernan Rodriguez (A) (Mi Milonga)

Notice that the majority of couples are in the younger age range.  My 
guess
is that all of them are under 35.

The brochure for the competition states, "besides the category of
traditional tango salon, milonga will be added."  After the 
competition, I
chatted with one of the competitors who danced in the milonga finals.  
She
told me that they were told that this year's tango competition was 
changed
to permit more styles than in previous years, which included anything 
that
could be danced on a milonga floor.  Last year it was called the III
Campeonato Metropolitano de Tango Salon, but this year it was the IV
Campeonato Metropolitano de Baile de Tango.  It was no longer just a 
tango
salon competition (although the printed brochure states traditional 
salon
tango).  I found what she said interesting for several reasons.  The 
winners
go on to compete in the Tango Salon category at the Campeonato Mundial. 
 The
rules for this year's campeonato metropolitano weren't revised from last
year.  The rules still require circulating the floor in a 
counter-clockwise
direction. The rules require a couple to stay in an embrace once they 
begin
dancing.  The rules don't permit choreography for stage.  If that 
doesn't
define tango salon, I don't know what it is.  And yet the champions and
others did anything but tango salon.  I expect next year's Campeonato
Metropolitano de Baile de Tango will include nuevo tango, for afterall, 
it's
danced on a milonga floor, too, isn't it?

I found it interesting to see the judges disappear off-stage with score
sheets in hand rather than being collected for tabulation.  Who knows if
there was deliberation among them about who should place?  Do the scores
really mean anything in this competition?  All we know is that the 
decision
of the judges is final, as stated in the rules.

I have hope.  Among the many objectives of the new Argentine 
Association of
Teachers and Dancers of Salon Tango is to organize a competition.  This 
will
be a good arena for the regular milonga dancers to enjoy a friendly
competition with others their age and who are interested in preserving a
pure tango of elegance for generations to come.



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