[Tango-L] Women dressed as men in tango

[Sergio Vandekier]

"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_. "

Hi Konstantin,  yes I agree with you, it is a very long stretch to draw such 
a conclusion.

I never did it, I said, that at the very beginning tango was a dance created 
by men that for fun ridiculed and mocked the moves Negroes executed in their 
Candombes.

Horacio Salas in his book "El Tango"  (page 27) says : " Without doubt as it 
is said by Ventura Lynch
in "La Provincia de Buenos Aires) 1883.  The Milonga as a dance was created 
by Compadritos of the dances of Negroes as a mockery .  It was danced apart 
at the beginning, exactly as it was done in the Candombes, later on  it was 
transformed into a couple dance with an embrace. Mostly done by men. It 
remains in that situation till it is adopted by the bordellos."

"The Magazine 'Caras y Caretas" in 1903 published a series of pictures 
showing men dancing in the street.  It was done to the music of "Organitos" 
that played a few melodies.  The poet Evaristo Carriego describes similar 
scenes ."

Horacio Salas adds (page 28)" but we do not wish to exaggerate: the dance 
was also acceptable as a done by couples of different sex.  In 1889, in the 
drama "Juan Moreira" at the end in a brothel, one could see mixed couples 
dancing a milonga."

In the same page this writer explains that in other theatrical 
presentations, men danced among themselves "as it was the general custom."

On page 32, he adds that during carnival ( 1904)
tango was played in most dancing halls and people (both sexes) covered by 
costumes danced as they could not be recognized.

On page 80, he describes some dancing halls with a bar serving alcoholic 
beverages called "Pirigundines" where men danced and practiced among 
themselves.  Women were added later on. Men had to pay them in order to be 
able to dance with them.

Then he adds that "the place where tango was usually danced and developed as 
a musical form and a dance, was in the brothel.  In the large patios or 
halls of these prostitution houses, as a complement to the main activity the 
women (pupilas- pupils) danced with the clients."

In summary this historical facts are well known by anyone that like me was 
born and grew up in Buenos Aires.
Another reason Azucena Maizani sang dressed as a man as late as 1936 was 
that the lyrics of tangos referred to a male world . The verses had to be 
said by a man.

In the Video that I presented  she is singing "Milonga del 900"

Me gusta lo desparejo
Y no voy por la vereda;
Uso fungi a lo Massera,
Calzo bota militar.

La quise porque la quise
Y por eso ando penando;
Se me fue ya ni se cuando,
Ni se cuando volvera.

Me la nombran las guitarras
Cuando dicen su cancin,
Las callecitas del barrio
Y el filo de mi facon.

Me la nombran las estrellas
Y el viento del arrabal;
No se pa' que me la nombran
Si no la puedo olvidar.

I am only to translate a few verses:

She is named by the guitars, when they say their song, she is also named by 
the little streets of the neigborhood, and the sharpnes of my knife.

She is named by the stars, and the wind of the arrabal (periphery), I do not 
know why they name her, since I cannot forget her.....

Summary: I do not draw a conclusion form a video or a picture, I offered 
them as examples of historical facts that are generally accepted today and 
largely ignored by the foreign public.

I am not willing to discuss this further, this couuld be time consuming. you 
are entitled to your own opinion.


Best regards, Sergio

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