[Tango-L] Community Expansion Brainstorming

[WHITE 95 R]

>From: "Janis Kenyon" <Jantango at feedback.net.ar>

>
>Traditional tango dancing isn't respected today by many Argentine teachers,
>so how can foreign countries assume the responsibility?
>

You are right about the disdain for traditional tango dancing by some 
Argentine teachers. However, that does not absolve the people in the US or 
other countries of their responsability to respect and preserve the tango 
dance, music and traditions. Personally, I find it very easy to explain, 
teach and assert the value of the traditional tango dance to tango music and 
I do so at every opportunity I have.

The problem is that some people in the US and Europe have huge cultural and 
social arrogance coupled with ignorance. These people justify and promote 
their agenda of tango destruction and it's supplantment by their own 
creations. Maybe they are being aided and abetted by some Argentinean 
teachers or professional dancers, but in reality they operate out of their 
own volition. Many of these tango supplanters have gone to BAires, often 
several times and still debase the traditonal tango. One would assume that 
they had plenty of opportunity to see and learn about what tango is in it's 
birthplace. Personally, I think these people reject the traditional tango 
and for whatever reasons, they take the tango name and apply it to their 
creations.

In a way, I understand their position. It's not easy to really *get* the 
tango. It's really something that has very deep cultural, ethnic and 
language roots. The tango is very alien to these people. They do not 
understand the sentiments of the songs, the poetry in the lyrics or the 
culture and time they represent. It's much easier to learn and collect fancy 
steps and perform them with some more familiar music as a background. 
Electronic music, remixes with a bandoneon added or even totally alien music 
with a catchy tune or beat are easier to take than old scratchy, sentimental 
tangos in an incomprehensible language, which demand adherence to the rhythm 
in order to dance.

There are people in the US and other places who love and respect the 
traditional, authentic tango. They do all they can to preserve and foment 
its propagation, but they find themselves at odds with the non-tango "tango" 
aficionados. There's only so much that can be done and said to educate these 
folks without alienating them completely. Once this takes place, the pseudo 
tango takes on a live of its own and the tango community becomes a confused 
mass of people who don't know what to believe. This promotes the growth of 
more pseudo tango teachers and organizers and the vicious cycle continues.

Manuel

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