[Tango-L] How Close is Close

[Deby Novitz]

I remember once in a Chinese cooking class we were taught to make won 
tons.  I experimented at home with various ingredients.  When I came to 
class I told my teacher that I had tried making won tons with rock fish 
and ginger.  My teacher's comment to me was "You can do that, but it is 
not authentic."  The reality was and still is, the restaurants that made 
variations on the authentic versions of dishes never last long.  People 
always ended up at the "real" Chinese restaurants eating the "authentic" 
food, because the "neo" Chinese food was not something anyone wanted on 
a regular basis.  In Chinatown in San Francisco those "old" places have 
been around for years with their tacky ambiance, while those stylish new 
places seem to last less than 5 years. 

Can we draw a parallel between dancing tango and Chinese food?  An 
interesting concept to be sure.  I live in Buenos Aires.  While some 
young people may get bored dancing close embrace and simple steps, how 
many of them stay dancing?  On Friday one of my guests was snapping 
pictures like mad in La Baldosa. She wanted to show people back home not 
only all the young people who were dancing tango, but were dancing in 
close embrace, and dancing beautifully. She did the same at Gricel later 
on that night.  The people who stay with me are always surprised to find 
young Argentines dancing "traditional" tango.  They incorrectly assume 
as many on this list do who have never been here, that only people 120 
years old dance tango in close embrace.  It all depends on where you go 
to dance.

How close is too close?  Being mashed up against someone so that you can 
barely turn or move is not close embrace.  It is bad posture and no 
axis.  When this happens to me I squirm like crazy trying to get the guy 
to loosen up a little so I can move.  How I can turn properly when I 
cannot move?  Have you ever wondered why some of the good dancers here 
in Buenos Aires select visiting women to dance with that do not dance 
well?  Especially if she is attractive? It is called a cheap thrill.  
They rub their whole body across the man when they turn.  
Disgusting...but true...one of those great mysteries of tango life 
unraveled to me a few years ago.

There are to be sure variations on the close embrace.  However none of 
them have anyone dancing separately.  Show tango - yes.  Tango nuevo - 
yes.  Traditional tango? No.   There is a reason traditions are honored 
whether you agree with them or not.