[Tango-L] Dance what you like

[Nina Pesochinsky]

Hello, everyone,

I am picking up where Deby left off.

So why is it that as Deby had put it, it is the people from the U.S. 
that try these strange "innovations" and call it Argentine tango?

My theory is that in order to respect another culture, one has to 
have respect either for one's own culture that he/she was born into 
or a culture he/she has chosen as theirs.  In my experience, most 
Americans do not respect their own culture because they do not know 
it.  So how can they respect another culture, such as Argentine?

I am speaking in absolutes now.  There are exceptions and there are 
American people who know, love and understand their own 
culture.  However, in my experience, this is not the case with the 
majority.   American culture is rich and anyone who is fond of road 
trips knows it.  People in tiny rural places had taught me many 
things about American culture - its value of honesty and genuine 
friendliness, trusting the strangers and extreme politeness, among 
many other things.

On the other hand, what culture excepts trends such as re-making 
classic films?  What arrogance has to be there tor emake great films 
such as "The Manchurian Candidate", "La Femme Nikita", "Shall We 
Dance?", among many others?!

When I first heard that Americans were remaking great movies, my 
first questions were "What was wrong with the original one?  Was it 
not good enough?  Did it need improvement?"

If you look at diluted remakes of these great films, you will see 
that they lack intensity and they have "Hollywood endings" where all 
ends well.  Is it because the people who remake these movies feel 
that Americans cannot take the intensity or acce[t unhappy endings?

Argentine tango is intense.  It is disturbing.  True, differently for 
different people, but disturbing nevertheless.  It messes with deep, 
almost primal emotions.  It is not intellectual for most people who 
dance it.  The culture where it emerged is rich, joyful and 
tragic.  There is a reason why Argentine tango as a dance did not 
emerge in any other part of the world.

Perhaps, the alternative non-tango is the "tango light" (fat-free, 
sugar-free, will-not-disturb-your-illusions-about-yourself) of those 
individuals who cannot handle the real thing, who need a diluted 
version to never be disturbed, and to always have a happy ending.

Perhaps, there is a deeper psychological reason for thie ( I am 
speculating now).  Americans, as a cultural group, are known for 
their fear of intimacy (pilgrims, introverts, looking to live in 
great distance from others - long historical practice of 
this).  Perhaps the "tango light" offers them an escape from the 
intense intimacy of Argentine Tango where no one is safe.  After all, 
if you dance the real thing, you have to be willing and able to be 
close and intimate with another person in a real way, and yet to be 
able to say goodbye, and still hold it in your heart, and still feel 
its joy, and to never, ever try to possess it or the other person.

But then... if a person is crippled, you can tell them "Dance!" all 
you want and they still cannot do it.  So maybe the real thing is not 
for everyone.

Best regards to all,

Nina