[Tango-L] The other side of the street

[Deby Novitz]

I never thought much about being filmed or photographed until recently.  
I get my picture taken a lot.  One day I was in a milonga and people 
were filming me dance with Pocho, my 83 year old partner.  We were 
dancing TRUE Villa Urquiza style.  The people filming me were from 
Germany.  The woman recognized me from my blog.  She never asked if she 
could film me.  She only asked me if I was Deby.  She told me she read 
my blog, she had read about my dancing with Pocho.

Another day, another milonga.  Some guys was taking pictures of me.  
Then he was filming me.  It was a little weird.  I did not want to be 
paranoid.  So I went up to him to ask him if he was singling me out.  
Another guy who reads my blog.  Asked many people if I was me to make sure.

End of story.  I received emails from people in Germany and the U.S.  
Both people USED the videos of me to teach their students.  The videos 
were not casual videos of a milonga.  Both people were filming me, 
because I was me.  Both wanted to show their students what my style 
looked like I suppose.  Who cares.  The point being that a video was 
made of me.  These teachers charge their students.  The teacher made 
money off of me.  I made nothing.  This is the point the dancers here 
are trying to make.

No one will be able to learn my style from a video.  It is flattering to 
be taped.  I do resent the video being used commercially.  Why do many 
dancers refuse to be videoed?  For the same reasons.  It is an invasion 
of privacy.  Filming a milonga is one thing.  Filming someone dance with 
the intent to use the film commercially (in whatever capacity) is not 
acceptable.

Semantics...semantics...semantics....why do we in Buenos Aires have to 
conform to your semantics?  Here, where tango is considered the heart;  
a professional dancer is one who makes their living from dancing - 
whether it be teaching or dancing or a combination of both.  It is not 
the house painter and his girl friend who teach when they can and then 
tour when someone will sponsor them.  It is the person whose career is 
only to dance and to teach.  It is not a milonguero who dances 20 hours 
a day and has no means to subsist other than a pension or the goodness 
of friends and family.  It does not matter if this person dances tango, 
salsa, or swing.  Just because you give lessons does not make you a 
professional.  Just because you are a professional, it does not mean you 
know what you are doing.  Sigh....