[Tango-L] Expanding social dancing to exhibition level?

[Tango Society of Central Illinois]

I've noticed a trend over the past few years towards development of a new
tango market niche -  close embrace with exhibition elements - volcadas,
ganchos, barridas, boleos, and the like. Sometimes a cute term like 'nuevo
milonguero' is used to link the new to the traditional. This suggests that
tango milonguero is suffering in sales in the North American (and probably
European) market, so perhaps if some compromises are made to attract
norteamericanos to something that is comfortable ('cool steps' to impress
the audience) within the familar cultural context, fueled by Hoolywood, that
places value on exhibition dancing, then dancing tango in close embrace with
exhibition elements will compete successfully for market share with nuevo
tango. However, doing this abandons the attempt to dance tango the way
nearly all porten~os do in milongas in Buenos Aires, without these
exhibition elements. (The exception is exhibition dancers recruiting
tourists for lucrative private lessons.) What this does is create a new
version of tango, which can can proudly stand beside Arthur Murray and Fred
Astaire's versions of tango as North American aberrations of tango. However,
this is not tango milonguero. Go to Buenos Aires milongas to see the real
thing. If you come back doing nuevo milonguero, at least you made an
informed decision.

Ron


On 8/23/07, ceverett at ceverett.com <ceverett at ceverett.com> wrote:
>
> On Thu, 23 Aug 2007 14:31:35 -0300, "Janis Kenyon"
> <Jantango at feedback.net.ar> said:
> > CLOSE EMBRACE SALON TANGO FOR EXHIBITION
> > Wednesday 7-9 PM Sept. 12, 19, 26
> > A COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH TO EXPAND YOUR SOCIAL DANCE TO EXHIBITION
> > LEVEL...>
>
> Oh, it's the Jon and Judy show.
>
> > I give them credit for knowing what sells in the USA tango market.
> > That's
> > all that is being taught (sold) these days as tango in BsAs.  Is social
> > dancing for exhibition?
>
> Um,
>
> Osvaldo and Coca do exhibitions regularly.  They also enter contests, as
> you say some of the guys on your approved milonguero list.
>
> So the answer to your question is yes.
>
> > <They are true milongueros and strive to bring the milonguero culture of
> > Buenos Aires to their students.>
> >
> > True milongueros?  Writing this about themselves only proves they don't
> > understand the meaning of the word.  Besides, no milonguero would teach
> > for the purpose of exhibition.
>
> People have to pay their bills somehow.  Obviously what they've been
> doing in the past does not suffice, so they are trying something new.
>
> Christopher
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