[Tango-L] A man and a woman, la marca

[Sergio Vandekier]

I often wonder why people outside Argentina call the dancing partners "lead" 
"leader" and "follow" "follower". As Astrid says those terms are abstract 
functional denominations.

Tango, like the other ballroom dances is done by a pair of human beings, 
most of the time one is a man and the other is a woman.

Furthermore, it has two very well defined roles, masculine and feminine.  So 
we generally call the person doing the masculine role "the man" and the one 
doing the feminine role "the woman".

We know that there are all sort of possibilities when dancing: The leader 
could be a woman, the follower could be a man.  Both leader and follower are 
men or could be women.

IMO when a man is acting as a follower he is adopting the feminine role and 
when a woman is leading she is adopting the masculine role. No big deal 
about it.

As you know we, men in Argentina practice together all the time. When we do 
so, we say " I am going to be the woman, and you the man" . Period, there is 
no prejudice attached to those transient denominations; roles are changed 
during the practice again and again and everyone has the chance to be "the 
man" and "the woman".

Many of us use the Argentine terminology in reference to most tango aspects, 
such as name of figures, embellishments, dances, etc.

Why do so many people refuse to use the words "man" and "woman", after all a 
man is just that and a woman is a woman; both beautiful specimens of our 
human race.  Any shame derived from adopting the other sex role could be 
interpreted as an insult to the other sex. This meaning that you consider 
that sex inferior.  Or not?  And then is us (AArgentines) that are accused 
of being machistas.

Then you see some men dancing together like the Macana brothers,  they are 
elegant, humorous, amusing, masculine , they are spectacular and change 
roles all the time while dancing.  And you know what? one acts as the 
"woman" and the  other one is the "man" as they dance and change roles.

The other word that we use and foreigners refuse to use is "Marcar" or 
"Marca".

They substituted lead, leading for marca, marcar.

La marca in tango does not have anything to do with the dictionary 
definition of that noun or verb (marcar). (To put a signal on an animal, 
person or object so that it may be recognized, etc).

IMO "marcar" in tango means to indicate, to invite,  to suggest.   The woman 
waits for the suggestion, the invitation, the indication to perform a step.

So in tango there is a "man", a "woman" ; the man "marca" and the woman " 
sigue" (follows).

What do you think?
Un abrazo to you all, Sergio

PS.  but if you prefer to use follow, lead, leading, following please do so. 
I do not care one way or the other, I am merely explained some elements of 
Arentine culture.

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