[Tango-L] Social Tango: A Cultural Perspective

[Trini y Sean (PATangoS)]

So much for elevating the level of discourse on the 'L.
We've degenerated from 7th grade cliquishness to 4th grade
name calling.

To Jake: You lost your cool man, and I thought you were
going to be a voice of reason. So how do "the social
dancers, who move more slowly 
 tailgate unnecessarily"
Maybe they really have reached a sublime state, where the
laws of physics no longer apply? More to the point, when
did your definition of social dancers become so narrow?
Finally, D.C. is hardly representative of the US
population. ;) I'm inclined to believe Ron's reports of
Midwest prudity. 

To Ron: I sympathize with your complaints, but your use of
the term "social dancing" (even with the parenthetic
modifiers) was still contentious. Whether or not you
intended it, I understood an implied contention that
closeembraceallthetime (if I may borrow a phrase from the
lost and unlamented) is the only social form of tango.

IMHO, the problems Ron identified are not the result of an
anti-social dance style, but rather the result of
anti-social behavior; specifically, a lack of consideration
for the other dancers. Sometimes this reflects a dancer's
lack of character, as when some wanna-be hotshot disrupts
the ronda to perform his latest fantasia parodia. Tom's
anecdote is a perfect example.  (Fair warning Jake, an
ex-Pittsburgh narcissist is headed your way.) For the most
part, these cretins are few and far between, and easily
constrained by better dancers. It is far more common for
inconsiderate dancing to reflect a lack of dance skill
rather than a lack of character. One can hardly fault the
hapless beginner if he looses track of the other dancers
whilst trying to adjust to his partner's back cross when he
tried to lead her to cross forward.

And like it or not, unskilled dancers are prevalent in
every style. Thus Jake can match Tom anecdote for anecdote
with improbable stories of close embrace clothes-lining and
the more common close embrace shuffle. Nonetheless, the
mermaid story is more spectacular, since big fast clumsy
moves are a lot more disruptive to the rest of us than
small slow clumsy moves. So, in my imaginary milonga, Jake
and Dani zip around the floor with skill, panache and
grace. A group of one year old dancers try to emulate them
and careen around in an excited state of unbalance and
overcompensation. Ron proceeds at a more dignified pace,
and plays the S.B. ric-tic-tics with skill, panache and
grace. His one year old fans fall in behind him, perhaps
missing some subtleties of contratiempo, and never quite
remembering that they can also turn to the right, but
generally not interfering with anyone else.

My argument then is that social dancing has nothing to do
with style, and everything to do with respecting the other
dancers. Anti-social dancing likewise is never about style,
only rarely about character, and almost always about lack
of skill. Add to that the fact that unskilled close embrace
dancers are less disruptive than unskilled salon, fantasia
or nuevo dancers. My proposed solution is to teach only
close embrace to beginning dancers. When they have
developed sufficient balance, courtesy, common sense, and
maybe even the ability to take an occasional large step,
they might expand into other styles. Or maybe they will
choose to delve more deeply into the close embrace style.
There is a lot of depth there, often underestimated by the
practitioners of the more visual styles. 

Social dancing implies dancing with respect for the other
dancers. Could that respect extend to dancers of other
styles? Or is that too radical a thought in these
reactionary times?

Sean



PATangoS - Pittsburgh Argentine Tango Society 
Our Mission: To make Argentine Tango Pittsburgh's most popular social dance. 
http://www.pitt.edu/~mcph/PATangoWeb.htm


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