[Tango-L] HouseDance - not just walking

[Tango Society of Central Illinois]

On 5/14/07, Igor Polk <ipolk at virtuar.com> wrote:
>
> There is no opposite between stage and good dance-floor dancing. It is only
> done on different scale and in different situations. Surrounded by other
> couples, it becomes more subtle, but it is still can be there, present.
>

Well, perhaps. Igor, what you say is true to some extent, although
some stage movements (e.g., ganchos, lifts & drops) are not part of
'social tango', as defined by the close embrace tango danced in Buenos
Aires milongas.

However, what one sees with the naked eye is missing an important
dimension of difference between stage and social tango - the tactile
dimension - the close embrace and its consequences for the dance
couple experience - dancing as a couple sharing a within couple
experience rather than projecting energy outward to gain the attention
of observers. Thus, dancing social (close embrace) tango 'feels'
different from exhibition tango in a way that goes beyond what the
outsider can observe.

Ron