[Tango-L] I think that the nebula has lifted

[Tom Stermitz]

On May 2, 2006, at 10:43 PM, Sergio Vandekier wrote:

> Here we have a tango community that apparently had been controlled  
> by "close embrace all the time dancers" who if I remember well used  
> to write in the list asserting that their's was the "real tango"  
> the only one that could offer all the benefits of the dance.

Ummm...


Controlled communities a figment of the imagination?

What tango community are you talking about? I don't know of any tango  
community that advocates or is controlled by "close-embrace all the  
time" dancers. Can you name one tango community that has only one style?

I'm sure there are a few single-teacher communities. Some communities  
only get one teacher from the nearest tango capital who presents only  
one style. I have met people from some Midwest US communities who  
have never seen milonguero. One teacher didn't know it existed.  
Others didn't know what it was, but knew it was bad.

Personally, I have never seen a milonguero - only community.



Who ever said anything about the Real Tango?

I don't know of anyone who claims that "close-embrace is the real  
tango". This accusation is called a "Strawman Argument". In other  
words, make up a stupid or easily-contradicted assertion, attribute  
it to someone, then repeatedly attack it. A few individuals on this  
list have flogged that dead horse for years. (Google it, and you will  
see it is always the same three or four people.)

It is true, that social tango in the US in the late 90s was  
frequently danced at arms length, something that would be very  
unusual in Buenos Aires. But, I've noticed in the past 5 years that  
more-and-more salon dancers are dancing closer.


Authenticity?

Same thing happened with the authenticity strawman. Nobody ever  
claimed that one style is authentic and another is not, yet you hear  
that accusation being repeated. (Google it if you want). Authenticity  
is about emotion, musicality, energy, and what tango FEELS like, not  
about a style.

It is true that if you want the Argentine women to dance with you in  
a tradtional milonga of Buenos Aires, then you need to make a study  
of what it means to "dance like they do in argentina". With the huge  
percentage of nuevo and show dancers traveling in the US, it is  
possible to learn tango, without learning traditional social tango  
"like in Buenos Aires".

Yes, I know you can go to Buenos Aires and study with teachers,  
attend practices, learn a lot of tango (or not) and never set foot in  
a traditional milonga. I've also heard that some of the milongas  
these days are half-foreigner, but I didn't see that personally.



Tom Stermitz
http://www.tango.org
2525 Birch St
Denver, CO 80207