[Tango-L] The call to tango, and "gender polarization"

[David Hodgson]

Ok first, I am going to make a couple of comments then ask that the thread
focus to Tango.

Thank you Nina, and yes I trust your definition of Jung's work. You are
studying this and have a much more in depth knowledge of his work with in
this Psychological discipline than I do.

I believe we are approaching the same thing from totally different avenues.
With in your approach, what Jung brought to the forefront with dream work,
collective conciseness, etc. is amazing. It has helped not only
Psychological fields but other like fields as well. With in these fields
this is cutting edge information and allows these fields to develop
approaches, theory's, teaching methods, and advancements to helping people
that are phenomenal. I believe you could give a much more eloquent
description of what these aspects are and their ramifications.

>From my experience it would be an almost opposite approach. The same thing
happening in Jung's work is the same thing Shamans, medicine men and women,
Yogi's, mystics, etc. have been working with since time immortal. More than
likely if you were to sit down with a competent aboriginal shaman to talk
about dream work (as long as both either can speak the same verbal language
or have a good translator). My guess is you both would have to tailor how
you were speaking about this subject, and would be talking about different
aspects of dreams. But when it comes down to it, would be talking about the
same thing. Then the conversation gets really fun and the laughter, crying
and amazement ensues.
This would be the same type of situation of talking with a Buddhist about
the Bardo states, a Christian mystic about Gnostics, a Rabbi about Qabalah,
a native american (north and south) Medicine man or woman about the
relationship of totem animals. These are just a fraction of examples in the
world.

With the work Joseph Campbell did, absolutely monumental! Not only the
famous interview he did with Bill Moyers as an example. Have you seen this
guy lecture, there are a number of videos out there, and well worth watching
at least a couple. I remember seeing the original Star wars movie when it
first came out and just about any of the people I knew who saw this movie
already knew Luke would make the shot (this is Hollywood you know). What got
our attention was the act of trusting himself, his intuition and the way he
was going to make the shot. Now this is cool stuff!!! Even though our
approaches are different, your current education is different than mine, I
believe we could probably agree on this one point. So given this view, and
the shortest distance between two points factor. It would seem all paths are
pretty much on the same playing field. So it comes down to someone making a
choice for them selves which path they will walk down. Regardless if one
sits in the wilderness with a shaman, sits on a pillow being lead through
zazen meditation, or sits in an office with a Jungian analyst (unless of
course a person is dangerously psychotic, then it is a good thing the choice
will be made for that person, and get that parson meds now). This very thing
would be applicable to the way Nina teaches and the way I teach of which I
am sure we both would have no problem waking the sleeping guy a couple of
emails back. Our approach might be different but believe we have one or two
tools in our teacher's toy box that are similar.

For the codes with in Tango, they are simple. The approach I take is to step
in with my own codes that work very well. Then make a choice if I stand firm
or adjust my own codes to where I find my self and earn my way. I think the
only mixed (single/couple) milonga in BSAS I found was at Gricel on a Friday
night, La Divina and La Marshal. So are the codes new? yes and no. Are the
codes old? well,,, yes and no. If you expect that the codes will be handed
to someone on a silver platter arbitrarily and just because. I am with Nina
on this. However if you want to know if the platter is real or illusion (the
same with the codes). Then you have the hero's journey opening up in front
of you (it only takes one step). To add one quote from Joseph Campbell.

"In the absence of an effective general mythology, each of us has his
private, unrecognized, rudimentary, yet secretly potent pantheon of dream.
The latest incarnation of Oedipus, the continued romance of Beauty and the
Beast, stand this afternoon on the corner of Forty-second Street and Fifth
Avenue, waiting for the traffic light to change.
--Joseph Campbell"

Ahh, Harken. I have Flan to attend to that will be taken to a tango party
this evening.
I would like to ask Nina if she has any thoughts. Then ask the subject be
focused in on Argentine Tango.
But Nina one question, what we have been writing here. Was this all not a
nice dream.
Take care, have nice dances tonight, the Flan smells good.
David Hodgson  



-----Original Message-----
From: tango-l-bounces at mit.edu [mailto:tango-l-bounces at mit.edu] On Behalf Of
Nina Pesochinsky
Sent: Wednesday, September 27, 2006 7:53 PM
To: TANGO-L at mit.edu
Subject: Re: [Tango-L] The call to tango, and "gender polarization"

David,

You wrote:

What I understand about Carl Jung is that he took some concepts that
>have been around for a very long time. Added some new names and ways of
>looking at them, in a really beautiful and effective way. Then made it
>palatable and sale able to the intellectual community. Helping with the
>evolution of what we know as modern psychology (for as humans evolve, the
>concepts, ideals and explanations change as well).


Just a tiny correction... Carl Jung, mostly through dream analysis, 
but also through some other work, has presented us with a concept of 
the collective unconscious.  The implications of his work have been 
so profound, that one of the most effective, not ot mention 
interesting and extremely useful, instruments of assessment (MBPI) 
has been  based on his typology of personality.  This is not to 
mention the much more recent, monumental work of Joseph Campbell, as 
well as "The Star Wars", which is "the hero's journey" at its core in 
Jungian terms. (Where would we be without "The Star Wars"?!)

The codes and traditions of tango are very, very simple.  They serve 
a practical purpose - they protect people's dignity and emotions, and 
provide guidelines of conduct in a social situations that could 
potentially be uncomfortable.

Old or not, the codes of conduct have to serve a practical purpose, 
or they need to be changed.  One example of a situation where the new 
codes must emerge is for the milongas where both single dancers and 
couples mix.  I believe that such milongas exists only outside of 
Argentina.  Please correct me if I am wrong, but I have never 
encountered such milongas in Buenos Aires, with an exception of the 
artificial milongas created for festivals.

In this case, there seem to be no old codes of behavior that can be 
applied.  Again, please correct me if I am wrong.  And yet clear 
codes of conduct are much needed.  Common sense can provide some 
guidance, but people often do not share much of the common sense, and 
there really is nothing like that anyway because there is nothing 
common about it, but you know what I mean!

Warmest regards to every one,

Nina 


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