[Tango-L] Looking for demo advice

[Trini y Sean (PATangoS)]

Hi Jeff,

Last year, I had a 2-minute televised demo with Daniel
Lapadula for the local PBS station and picked up a
couple of things.

1.  Asses your space in which you'll be dancing and
pick the dance style and music accordingly.  We had a
tiny space to work in, so Daniel chose a piece by
D'Arienzo which let him focus on rhythm rather than
large steps.  It worked out pretty well.

2.  Make sure the camera guy knows to focus on your
feet.  Polish those shoes!  You'll also have to worry
less about your facial expressions.  

3.  It is easy to impress people who do not know much
about tango.  A simple boleo can be impressive if your
partner has good footwork and sexy heels (if she has
really sexy shoes, no one will be watching your feet
so there's less pressure on you!).  

Demos are a little nerve-wracking so I'd recommend
just sticking to the vocabulary you know without
having to think about it.  Just practice using it more
musically or in different combinations. 

When I watch couple demos, what impresses me is the
connection between the people, for example, if they
are having fun or how they handle a mistake.  Also,
doing something simple but really musical can be
impressive.

Hope this helps,

Trini de Pittsburgh

--- Jeff Gaynor <jjg at jqhome.net> wrote:

> Listeros,
> 
> By an extremely weird confluence of events, I might
> have to give a short 
> tango demo. Now, I've not been dancing that long and
> the context is that 
> this is part of a documentary about me in which they
> want to show I 
> dance. I therefore won't be expected to dance like a
> pro (*phew*). I do 
> however need to figure out something that will look
> nice, stylish and 
> tasteful since this will probably get some national
> US coverage. So, 
> drawing upon your vast experience and refined
> sensiblities, what do you 
> suggest for
> 
> * music (I gravitate to older classics, not sure if
> those will work)
> * movements to avoid (e.g., too gaudy, or just can't
> be seen by an audience)
> * movements to include. Any simple figure that look
> good but I am 
> unlikely to screw up?
> * general suggestions for costume or any of those
> other particulars of 
> staging I'm completely cluesless about?
> 
> I'm not sure what the timeframe is on this, but I
> just found out about 
> it and might have to have something thrown together
> inside of 3 weeks. 
> One other little topic is that the filming location
> is not set as yet 
> (Chicago or New York have been mentioned). If it is
> local to me I might 
> be able to do it with one of my regular partners but
> otherwise, I might 
> have to try to find someone nice who wouldn't mind
> some media coverage. 
> This would require a demo that can be done in very
> short order indeed 
> and with limited practice. I'm thinking that we
> might have to engage a 
> professional. Thoughts?
> 
> In any case, I'm trying to wrap my head around this
> and would appreciate 
> any information you'd care to give.
> 
> Thanks!
> 
> Jeff


PATangoS - Pittsburgh Argentine Tango Society 
Our Mission: To make Argentine Tango Pittsburgh's most popular social dance. 
http://www.pitt.edu/~mcph/PATangoWeb.htm


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