[Tango-L] Now that I?m here in BsAs

[Tom Stermitz]

Well, those wacky foreign guys are not dancing by themselves.


Less facetiously...

You have set up a straw argument, trying to get us to imagine a  
strange follower who would just do big boleos or ganchos on her own  
without being led. That's pretty uncommon.

The steps and navigation are chosen by the man. As Argentines  
frequently say (apologies for the false cognate), "In tango the man  
proposes, the woman disposes." But, there are plenty of ways for a  
woman to dispose poorly. For example, forcing the wrong technique  
onto the style offered by the leader.

A woman going to Buenos Aires without the ability to adjust her  
technique to the style or styles prevalent in the milongas would be  
labeled as unable to dance. A strong leader could force her to adapt,  
but she won't get many dances from the better dancers.

I have certainly heard the same comment ("Wait a minute, Where did  
you learn? You don't dance like a foreigner"), applied to women who  
visit argentina. It makes you wonder what their experience has been  
with foreign women, for them to make such a comment.


In other words, the same issues about learning how to dance ("the way  
they do in milongas in Argentina") applies equally to women. Caroline  
admits that with her first sentence: "I've realized that what I  
thought I knew about tango, I actually didn't know at all."


On Nov 11, 2006, at 1:17 PM, Nina Pesochinsky wrote:

> Hello, Tom, Caroline and everyone,
>
> I think that there may need to be a clarification.  It is not that
> foreigners focus on steps and dance them at the milongas of BsAs, but
> that it is foreign men that tend to do so.  I have not heard from
> men, Argentine or not, that foreign women insist on dancing stage
> tango at the milongas against their partners social dance
> intentions.  Has anyone?
>
> Warm regards,
>
> Nina