[Tango-L] Prologue to an aesthetics

Sergio Vandekier sergiovandekier990 at hotmail.com
Thu Jun 8 12:29:32 EDT 2006


This will be my last note for a while, I will join Derik and the many others 
that over the years discovered that there are many interesting ways to 
employ their time in a productive way.

Jake welcome to the reality of Tango-L.   My advise is that if you wish 
everybody to be able to understand you; you should speak at a level of 7th 
grade, primary school because the list is formed by people of different 
degree of education and intellectual level.  (the ones that are highly 
intelligent will understand you anyways).

Even if you do so you can expect that some, who never contributed a useful 
line to the list will come up with some misinterpretation of what you say 
and a smart remark.


To be clear one could say:

Women are the ones that have the breast more developed.  In biology we know 
that they carry the chromosome X : they are XX.   Remember that there could 
be some obese males with big breasts but they are not women because men 
carry the chromosome Y : they are XY.

Foreign personal styles and gender roles may leave authenticity behind.  
This means that when you  dissociate a tango style from its native culture 
it loses its pristine form and content and could become something else.

Remember children this does not mean that a tango that lost authenticity is 
a bad tango, rest assured you can continue doing whatever is that you are 
doing.

Tango( the way you dance it) represents society codes, gender roles and also 
your personality.

You can change roles, content and form even while attempting to mimic the 
original dance but the result may be another dance or a caricature of the 
authentic one.

  Argentine culture has developed different styles of Tango (Traditional, 
open, close, embrace, milonguero, Nuevo, canyengue, etc) . They all have a 
common vocabulary of movements and expression in the way they are danced 
with some changes in technique and embrace but all those styles belong to 
the same generic dance.  They overlap in this regard and they are 
characterized by improvisation.

Finally I never said that Argentine society has no problems, actually it 
probably has more problems that other societies.  But I am not discussing 
Argentine societal problems I am discussing Tango and the elements of that 
society that are represented in it.

Tango has followed in its form and content every change in Argentine 
evolution, the dance as well as the music and the lyrics. there is plenty of 
literature in this respect such as "Tango testigo social"
9tango social whiteness) of Mr. Carretero.

Argentines (IMO) ( I speak for myself and not for the entire A. population) 
are family oriented, the most important things in life for them is family 
first, friends second and their job in a far third position.  They feel 
realized in that context and performing the roles that are traditionally 
conducive at obtaining a good, healthy family and a large group of faithful 
friends. In that context the woman occupies an important place, as a 
treasure in young times and as a saint later on as a mother and a grand 
mother.  Further more our entire education is left largely in the hands of 
women, mother, grand mothers and aunts during childhood,  women teachers 
(over 90%) in primary school, women professors in Secondary school (over 
60%) and also at the University level where they are well represented.

Many tango lyrics are dedicated to the woman in their different capacities, 
to the mother and to their self denying virtues. And yes also to the many 
women, that failed the men that loved them, but those were another kind of 
women, product of a bad form of life. Many tango lyrics make reference to 
friendship as well...but

This is another subject.

Have a good time, Sergio

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