[Tango-L] Interview with a taxi dancer

[MACFroggy@aol.com]

Hola List!

I think Eduardo makes several good points in the interview in La Milonga. 
He's obviously trying to bring more dignity to honest work. Don't forget he made 
the distinction between "taxi dancer" and "taxi boy:" (a taxi "boy" is a 
prostitute.) I think a better phrase for the service is "milonga accompaniment."

Huck asked,
"I wonder, would those who live in BA and post here
consider this taxi dancer's observations to be accurate?
Are most taxi dancers this discretely professional, or
are most on the sleazier end of the scale (or just plain
lousy dancers)?"

I can't speak for "most taxi dancers," Huck, but the best ones are 
unobtrusive and perhaps they just blend into the milonga and aren't noticed. These 
people are acting professional, like Eduardo.

Since tourists have been flocking to Buenos Aires to dance tango, a lot of 
bottom-feeders have come out of the woodwork to take advantage of foreign 
people's lack of experience and naivete. But this type of thing is as old as the 
history of the world. These people give me an "ick" feeling when I see them 
hustling somebody at a milonga.

The "just plain lousy dancers" are the young kids who work for an organizer 
on the cheap. They haven't been dancing very long, and in all probability, 
never in milonguero style. They are the obvious taxi dancers, but I wouldn't call 
then at all "sleazy."

Last week I posted on the topic of taxi dancers on my blog, tangocherie:

http://tangoch
erie.blogspot.com/2007/03/taxi-anyone-which-taxi-would-you-hire.html



In a message dated 3/20/07 11:01:26 PM, Jantango at feedback.net.ar writes:


> The March 2007 issue of the magazine La Milonga Argentina contains an
> interview with a taxi dancer.
> Their website contains the text, but only in Spanish.
> http://www.lamilongaargentina.com.ar/MAR07/otrasnotas.php
> 


Cherie

(54) 11 4932-5027
http://tangocherie.blogspot.com/



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