[Tango-L] Rampant serious misunderstandings about "Gustavo"

[Brian Dunn]

Dani, you wrote:
>>>
On the other hand, Brian, as much as I thoroughly agree with you about
Gustavo, I have to say the following to you:
I get annoyed about peoples' ideas, which often flies in the face of the
natural concept of what tango (in fact, almost any partnered dance but more
so tango), in my opinion is... machismo vs femininity. The man is the
predator, the woman is the prey, as has been since time immemorial (which is
undoubtedly the reason why seeing women leading irritates me so much). To
hear what should be a machismo tanguero talking of "sitting with tears in
our eyes watching them dance" really turns my stomach. Men (even more so in
the tango world) should be men... not wimps (American equivalent, I believe,
is "wussy" or something).
<<<

Hey, Dani, relax.  I agree with you about men and women in some ways that
might surprise you, even if I'd extend and modify your metaphor
considerably.  "Sitting there with tears in our eyes" was a phrase motivated
by watching my wife Deb ruin her makeup.  

On the other hand, I seem to recall lots of tough Italian guys in the
"Godfather"-vein of our popular mythology who let themselves go emotionally
at an opera, for example.  In these popular portrayals, these guys seem like
fellows that I wouldn't want to call a wimp, except maybe over a phone from
an untraceable location. I'd say context is important in evaluating whether
tears convey strong passionate emotion or "wussy-hood".

In any case, I wish I'd been there in Rome with you!

Abrazos,
Brian Dunn
Dance of the Heart
775 Pleasant Street
Boulder, CO 80302 USA
303-938-0716
www.danceoftheheart.com
"Building a Better World, One Tango at a Time"