[Tango-L] Definition of Social Dancing

[Igor Polk]

You are right, Manuel, but you look at it from a little different angle.

The festivals with Masters and a lot of good dancers fall in the Social
Category.
It is not the presence or absence of Masters makes the festivals social or
teaching. The more better Masters is always better. I mean Masters Who
Teach.

It is the average level of participants independently of the style what
defines the level of a festival. Every style has its Grand Masters of
Dancing - Who do NOT Teach. They dance only. And particularly their presence
defines the level of the festival. May be not exactly in the sense of
social-vs-teaching.

In your message I still see the attempt to divide festivals into styles. I
can not go into details too much, just some thoughts:

Each style including close embrace: Apilado, Milonguero, Salon Close
Embrace, or Nuevo Close Embrace ( these are all different to me ) has its
masters. Artistry in close embrace is mostly invisible.

I would say that there are Social Masters who are Masters of this Invisible
Dance. In social dancing, that what counts most - feeling and
micro-technique which can mostly be evaluated on one-to-one level. (Woops,
did I say something? )

Hmm..I would say exactly the same for open embrace social dancing. It is
quite invisible in open too!

Can it lead to anther thought?
Like this:

Social festivals emphasize dancing for feeling. In open or close. That is
what you can do on the crowded floor - no space is required.

Well, it goes too far away... I do not want to go there. It is not the
direction of social vs teaching, it is the direction of dividing in
accordance with a dancing style. I do believe too, that every style is
social as soon as it is large enough gathering of participants. Or, may be I
force myself to it?


Or may be social is something totally different: a simple dance.

A simple dance? What the....

I like it!

* * *
It is much easier for me to give a definition who is a Social Dancing
Master.
It is the one who can dance every beginner or intermediate into a great
dance!
Give them a Tango Moment.



Igor Polk