[Tango-L] A word about argentines dancing from birth...

[Deby Novitz]

Of course since I know nothing and don't know how to dance as per the 
two "gentlemen" who emailed me off the list insist, I would like you to 
know that many Argentines  do not like tango...Oh yes!! I teach English 
to 15 adults between the ages of 34 and 47.  Every single one of them 
thinks tango is awful.  They don't like the music, they don't like the 
dance, they don't like the culture. They roll their eyes at the mention 
of it.  They remember being forced to listen to it as kids at their 
grandparents..(like me with ugh..Perry Como...) One of my students 
Alejandro loves when my visiting guests invade our class.  His favorite 
topic?  To tell them how much he doesn't like tango.  Always a 
revelation to my guests.  They cannot believe it.

Beyond that, many Argentines find it wildly funny that I as an American 
dance it.  Most are shocked when I tell them how many people come here 
to dance.  None of them know what CITA is or the Festival.  They simply 
don't care.  It is not a part of their life.  As Aberto says right now 
the rage is Cirque du Soleil.  Everyone knows what that is.  Ask someone 
who Charly Garcia is and they know.  Ask who Darienzo is and they 
haven't a clue.  Among my Argentine friends of varying ages almost none 
of them have been to a milonga.  Last month Roberto and I took my 
neighbor Mari to her first milonga.  She is in her 60s. She had always 
been curious, but it was never a priority for her to go.  She left after 
an hour.  She thought it was sort of entertaining but boring, plus the 
music got on her nerves.  Her music of choice? Anything from Brasil.

Beyond that, Tete, Miguel Angel Zotto, and many others did not dance 
since birth.  Both were rock and roll dancers who later found tango.  
Zotto was shocked when it was recommended to him to dance tango.  Women 
like Maria Rivarola were ballet dancers.  Many came just as we have from 
other dance forms.  It is very naive to assume because someone is 
Argentine they know how to dance tango and they grew up with it. (God 
just look at the dance floor here)  Being Argentine does not make you 
tango dancer just as being American does not make you a swing dancer.