[Tango-L] Argentine Tango, a "folk dancer's" perspective

[Norman Tiber]

Dear fellow Tango dancers (addicts),

I have read with interest, and at times amusement, the postings about  
the origins of the Tango, learning the Tango, “world class” dancers etc.

Let me offer a Tango perspective, from the world of international  
folk dancing.

I have been a student of Argentine Tango (not American or  
International Ballroom) for three years. I consider it to be one of  
the most interesting “folk dances” I have ever tried to master.

I consider it a folk dance, based on it’s origins. It did not start  
out being a dance taught by dance masters. It evolved by people  
dancing in a purely social context (with a wide range of dancing  
ability and styles). In this sense it is no different than many folk  
dances from all over the world.

True, it is one of those folk dances whose origin is primarily  
associated with an urban setting, not a rural village (Tango - urban,  
Chacarera - rural). The same thing can be said for dances like the  
Greek Hassapiko and the American, Ragtime, One Step (an interesting  
sister to the Milonga - different country and music, but similar  
rhythm and steps).

Unfortunately, far too often, something happens when dances move from  
being dances of the folk, to dances taught by dance masters. Now, I  
realize that I can not learn the Tango by growing up in Buenos Aires  
and going though a complex dance acculturation (beginning with my  
hearing Tango music as a fetus in the womb). I do have to rely on  
dance masters, listening to lots of music , and practice/practice/ 
practice. But when I dance Tango, I try to do it like a social folk  
dance, not a performance. My goal is to dance in a way that takes  
into account and respects:

1. The venue I am dancing in.

2. The music.

3. The other dancers on the floor.

4. My partner and myself (especially my partner).

5. The language of the dance (steps, syntax).

This allows for a wide range in variables like dancing ability and  
style.

I have had the experience, at social dances, of having someone tell  
me that I was doing something “wrong” (different?).  If I am sure  
that I have respected 1-5 above, I usually say “Thanks, but that’s  
the way they dance it in my village.” For Tango, I will substitute  
“neighborhood” for “village,” more urban sounding.

Norm