[Tango-L] Milonguero style, style vs. technique

[romerob@telusplanet.net]

>Tango classes - and teachers - are merely a recent invention. As Christine 
 Denniston wrote on the subject of learning in the Golden Age v. today:
 there was no such thing as a Tango teacher and no such thing as a
 beginners' Tango class before the Tango revival began in the mid 1980s.<

May be not entirely true!

Some historical accounts:

The concept of formal tango instruction appeared to have been initiated I 
Buenos Aires after tango became popular in Paris. In Paris, 1912 the historian 
Andres Carretero lists about 100 tango academies or schools. This trend of 
formal Tango instruction was copied in Buenos Aires. In 1917 at the Grand Tango 
Ball opened in Buenos Aires for the upscale classes tango dancers were taught 
by tangos instructors named Castro and Silva.

Thanks to the open mindset of Parisians tango left its references by the Buenos 
Aires upscale classes as the dance of ruffians and prostitutes.

In 1914, Manuel Gil de Oto, Spanish writer and traveler, points out in one of 
his books that thanks to the French prostitutes, who commuted by boat between 
Paris and Buenos Aires, Tango was taught and introduced in Paris.

Before the 1900's the ports of Cadiz, Cuba, Lima, Santiago, Buenos Aires, and 
Montevideo were frequented by Cuban sailors who spread the word on what was in 
fashion in music and dance during their stops in Buenos Aires and Montevideo. 
The Cuban sailors may have served as surrogate dance instructors to local 
Buenos Aires dancers by contributing with their knowledge of dance figures from 
other dances. Then the Buenos Aires dancers in reference were marginalized as 
ruffians and prostitutes by upscale classes in Buenos Aires.

Some reference to tango style:
1. The apache (tango) dance (apache means pimp), which it was an acrobatic 
dance meant for the stage in the circus circuit.
2. The tango orillero (danced by compadritos or compadres).
3. The tango salon. 


Regards,

Bruno