[Tango-L] Women dressed as men in tango

[Konstantin Zahariev]

Hi Sergio,

Yes, Azucena Maizani is known for her dressing like that. I feel that
it is a very long stretch to go from a _singer_ stage clothes to
concluding that it must have been an exclusively men's _dance_. Two
very big assumptions are made - that singers accurately represent
dancers, and that stage performers accurately represent social
dancers.

Those were the times (1910s to late 1920s, or 1920s and 1930s in
Azucena's case). Tango musicians that travelled to Europe in the 1910s
and 1920s were encouraged/required to dress in ridiculous fake gaucho
outfits. So what? That's what stage performers did to draw attention
or conform to the fashions or stereotypes of the era. More generally,
developing a stage persona to attract an audience is an art older than
tango.

Exotica was "it", not just in tango. In the world of classical guitar
at the time, for example, guitarist Agustín Barrios (1885-1944)
developed this character and performed dressed in full Indian tribal
costume. He called himself Agustín Barrios Mangoré, Chief Nitsuga -
the messenger of the Guarani race, the Paganini of the guitar from the
jungles of Paraguay. Shall we conclude that guitar playing originated
in the jungles of Paraguay?

Numerous tango dancing manuals exist from the 1910-1925 era - most of
it before Azucena ever stepped foot on a stage. They all assume a
man-woman dance.

Separately, men and women danced together all popular social dances of
the times, from as early as the 1820s in Argentina. Newspaper ads or
descriptions of gatherings survive from these times as primary sources
of evidence.

This is the picture I see from looking at research, and it makes me
revisit some of the 'known facts' about tango and its origins. The
question is, will the Tango Gods get angry, or be pleased?

With best regards,

Konstantin
Victoria, Canada


On 9/13/07, Sergio Vandekier <sergiovandekier990 at hotmail.com> wrote:
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxJwG9k2oVw&mode=related&search=
>
> http://www.deremate.com.ar/accdb/viewitem.asp?idi=14179056
>
> http://www.mustrad.org.uk/articles/gangster.htm
>
> http://www.musicargentina.com/es/cantores/azucena-maizani.html
>
> Tango in its beginnings was created as an amusement, jokingly immitating
> moves   negroes executed in their candombes.
>
> It was a dance of men.  The lyrics represented the masculine world.   It was
> not proper for a woman to either dance or sing tangos.
>
> So when women were finally included in tango shows, at the beginnings they
> were dressed as men.
>
> Above You may see Videos and pictures of Azucena Maizani singing and acting
> in theater dressed as a man.
>
> Best regards, Sergio