[Tango-L] Secret Tango Party Revealed

[Korey Ireland]

Central region tango agents have recently uncovered evidence  
suggesting that Kansas City's Stone Soup Tango "Festival" (June 1-4)  
is really a 56 hour tango party masquerading as a festival!  "We were  
skeptical about the huge staff of amazing instructors, and the rather  
ambiguous descriptions of festival events," says Ida N. Geddit,  
director of the TIA's festival oversight committee.  "Then we saw the  
pricing for the event, (less then $3/hour for the full pass) and we  
were certain that something radical was happening in Kansas City."

Following a tip from an unnamed informant, TIA's agents trailed  
festival organizers Ireland and Vigdorova throughout the US and  
Europe, discovering a disturbing pattern of affiliations and  
distinctly un-festivalian activities.  "These guys were teaching in  
remote locations with crowds of tango addicts who would gather to  
dance for absurd amounts of time; the so-called festivals they taught  
at are characterized by all sorts of nefarious activities:  group  
meals, large blocks of un-scheduled time, relatively few real  
workshops, and the most disconcerting facet -- there was often actual  
interaction, even collaboration between festival staff and  
partcipants," reports TIA field agent, Willy Everdance.  It seems  
clear that this is event is using the term "festival" to lure tango- 
starved  participants from around the region to a four day tango  
indulgence.  Potential participants should be warned that they may be  
forced to enjoy tango in their own way, to share their own  
perspectives on the dance, even to help in preparing and sharing meals.

"This in an outrage!" reports Dr. Tan Goforsale, director of quality  
control for the North American division of the International Tango  
Trade Organization.  "These people are proposing that dancers can  
learn from each other, and benefit from practicing or taking private  
lessons in an unregulated environment.  Even the lessons are priced  
below market standards, its simply scandalous, even dangerous!"

Consider the choice of staff for this event:  Stefan & Komala, Robin  
& Shorey, Carlos & Tova, Nick & Tara, Ben & Thuy...All of these are  
the same seedy characters who loiter at all-night milongas around the  
nation, embarrassing organizers and dancers with their untiring  
enthusiasm for social dancing.  One can only imagine the momentum and  
dance-crazed hysteria that this group will provoke.  To make matters  
much worse, a disturbing number of this so-called tango staff, are  
actually musicians as well as dancers.  Which leads one to suspect a  
dangerous tendency to spread the perspective that tango might be a  
living music tradition that could evolve along side the social dance  
tradtion.  This idea is dangerous!  Where would we be if dancers and  
musicians everywhere started to exchange ideas and influence each  
other?!?

True festivalites beware.  The Stone Soup event is stretching the  
credible limits of the term "festival," and challenging the very  
foundation of consumer tango.  Examine the website with care and you  
will see signs of rampant sharing, lack of structure, and a general  
disregard of festival conventions ( http://www.ko-art.com/ 
soup.htm ).  Be warned.  Be careful.  [ed. note: Be there.]


[because of the dire nature of this discovery and because our posts  
are not currently getting through to Tango-A :-), we've elected to  
cross post...flame away...]