[Tango-L] Given that it's a bit quiet here ; ) ... copied from Tango-UK

[Chris, UK]

*Subject:* Re: [tango-uk] Re: Bigotism
*From:* "Chris" <chrisjj.egroups at chrisjj.com>
*To:* Tango-UK at yahoogroups.com
*CC:* chrisjj.egroups at chrisjj.com
*Date:* Sat, 28 Oct 2006 03:46 +0100 (BST)

"hawkez99" <hawkez99 at yahoo.com> wrote:

> Chris - Surely that video is a demonstation of a single concept rather
> than a style (thus the repetition)?

I think you just hit the tango nuevo nail on the head... ;)

> I also see a few of chicho's videos on youtube
> this guy has incredible connection to the music 

I have to say I see no evidence of that in his nuevo numbers on youtube 
www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Chicho+tango or on his home site 
www.ar8.com.fr/gitango/ . Even allowing for the fact that as demos most of 
them are fake - the nuevo soundtracks we hear have been added after filming.

Whereas he does show great connection in trad numbers such as  
www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8TKp4ech7Y (Edgardo Donato's "La Tapera", 1936). 
That's the real thing. The live Chicho performances I've seen tell the 
same story.

As Paul reminded us recently, the music is the source of the dance. This 
is the only way social tango can work. Our shared experience of the music 
is what keeps everything together. Contrast the tango nuevo above, which 
seems to be just something done alongside the music. Perhaps that's OK for 
show tango and dance school tango, but for what we currently conceive to 
be social tango, it means nuevo "style" just does not work.

Happy music-sourced dancing, everyone! ;)

Chris






-------- Original Message --------

*Subject:* [tango-uk] Re: Bigotism
*From:* "hawkez99" <hawkez99 at yahoo.com>
*To:* tango-uk at yahoogroups.com
*Date:* Thu, 26 Oct 2006 12:13:25 -0000

Hoorah - a voice of reason.  Very nicely said florin - it's good that
there are still plenty (i hope) of open-minded people around.  Dance
how you want, however the music moves you, connect with your partner,
play with them, embrace them... try to have fun!  

Of course try to be safe, but accept that accidents happen - if they
do, apologise profusely, try to avoid it in future.  If you want to do
something "big", you need a big space, so crowded dance floor isn't good.

Chris - Surely that video is a demonstation of a single concept rather
than a style (thus the repetition)?  I also see a few of chicho's
videos on youtube - this guy has incredible connection to the music
and his partner... anyway, their choice of music is surely up to them
- maybe they love it.


--- In tango-uk at yahoogroups.com, "astorlazzaro" <florin.bilbiie at ...>
wrote:
>
> I thought I'd never write a message here but one thing I can't take 
> in silence is bigotism ... People, tangueros, where does all this 
> bigotism come from? Who has a patent on 'tango', and the way it 
> should be danced? Who is so sure to say 'this is not the way they 
> dance in BsAs' (not that it matters), when there is so much 
> interesting tango (call it nuevo if you like, I just call it tango) 
> coming out of there, some of which you got to see recently in London 
> too? 
> It may help you remember that 'tango' (viejo?) had to be accepted in 
> Europe, mostly in Paris, before it was accepted in BsAs. History is 
> cyclical ... tango grows, progresses, despite people who want to 
> restrain it to whatever they THINK tango is. It does so without any 
> boundaries, and sometimes it happens that the more interesting stuff 
> becomes accepted first in Europe and the States before it is 
> accepted in Bs As. 
> It's not always the case - when dancers started doing ochos and 
> giros la vieja guardia was of course revolted (especially when men 
> started doing them). They were probably 'nuevo' at the time, they 
> soon became 'viejo' ... you get the idea - examples abound.
> Do you know this ironic quote from Antonio Todaro? ''If you don't 
> know how to dance you always have the 'milonguero' style'' - funny 
> enough, most people would think of Todaro as 'milonguero' 
> nowadays ...
> Menatime, I'll just continue dancing how I like, switching between 
> and combining hardcore milonguero and what you'd call 'strange 
> nuevo' or whatever, and organising ad-hoc, alternative milongas on 
> streets, squares, subway stops or wherever around the world, with 
> music ranging from Tipica Victor to Bajofondo. I think this is, for 
> me -also-tango. 
> Just dance the way you like, and concentrate on your partner rather 
> than looking at what figures people around you are doing ....
> Bigheaded message? Definitely!
> Un fuerte abrazo tanguero desde Boston (for the moment),
> Florin
>