[Tango-L] Social dancers

[Sergio Vandekier]

Tango is divided into different styles:

1- Salon : the one danced socially in dancing halls, clubs, home parties, 
private organizations, etc. improvised.

2- Stage; the one danced on stage choreographed or improvised.

Salon has several subdivisions:  Open embrace, close embrace.  Milonguero 
(also called del centro, confiteria, club), Fantasia, Nuevo, Elegante, and 
an infinite number of idiosyncratic personal styles.

All the styles danced outside the stage are considered to be social dancing.

Misconception #1 - Fantasia is stage dancing.

Tango fantasia is the one done with all the elements that belong to 
Argentine Tango. It is done with amagues, boleos, ganchos, enrosques, 
contrenrosques, barridas, calesitas, volcadas, colgadas, little jumps, etc.

Tango fantasia was the norm in social dancing till about 15 years ago when 
the dancing floors in Buenos Aires were not crowded as they are today.

In the 70s. and 80s. people went dancing to do all the possible 
embellishments, to see what the other dancers were doing, to try to copy new 
steps, to do little exhibitions exactly the same as they are done today.  
Dancers like Petroleo, Todaro, Virulazo, Lampazo, Nito and many others were 
not stage dancers . They were social dancers that went to the local milongas 
in the neighborhood to do social dancing.

Stage Dancing was developed by Carlos Copes and others that had the idea of 
promoting tango abroad in the form of musical shows. Many tango fantasia 
dancers joined those shows at that time.

It was in the 90s. when the dancing floors became crowded that people had to 
adjust their style to the lack of space to dance.  They had to limit their 
vocabulary and the amplitude of the movements.

So foreigners come to B.A. and see a style adapted to the circumstances and 
decide that that is the only social dance possible. They get a false idea, 
return home where they have plenty of space to dance, and put chairs around 
the floor to re-create crowded conditions and dance in a restricted form.

Misconception #2:  Most people in B.A. today dance 'Milonguero Style" 
(meaning the style taught by Susana Miller and others).

In reality most people dance Salon style in close embrace. They land on 
their forefoot, they walk on one line, they do ochos knee leading vs. heel 
leading, they use an embrace in "V", they do not dance apilado, etc. all of 
them characteristics of salon style.

Misconception#3: Navigation problems are caused by dancers of certain 
styles.

In reality navigation problems are caused by poor dancers of "any" style.  
Good dancers of any style know how to navigate the floor without disturbing 
the other dancers and adapt their dancing to the circumstances.

Summary:

You should dance the style you prefer

Fantasia or salon open or close embrace could be the preferred style by many 
dancers all over the world when they have enough room available to dance as 
generally is the case in the USA.

You should not limit your dancing to a few moves only because people in 
crowded areas dance that way.

The style of tango you choose should take into consideration your age, your 
athletic conditioning, the amount of time and dedication you wish to spend, 
your natural dancing skills.

So as Argentines say " vivi y deja vivir".    Live and let the others live 
as well.

Best regards, Sergio

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