[Tango-L] On similes and such like...

[Floyd Baker]

On Mon, 31 Mar 2008 00:31:19 -0400, you wrote:

>Mash: 
>
>"allow us to lead": OK: "responsibility for direction": OK; "decisions"; OK. All nice and humble. 
>But then we have ..."lift you up" and "free you so that you can ...". With all due rspect Mash, 
>that doesn't sound very humble. How do you think it sounds to the ladies on this list who may 
>be far better dancers than you with many more years of experience. And you're going to lift 
>them up and free them. What is is it about Tango that makes regular, normal guys suddenly 
>feel like mini-gods?

No one has inferred mini-gods.., or anything even close..   

But leaders are needed.., else the ladies would be out there dancing
by themselves.  To whatever degree one 'accepts' it.., the ladies can
do nothing on the Tango floor without a leader.   Leaders 'invite' the
followers, or 'allow' them if you will, to the extent of the leaders
imagination and ability.., to move and dance to the limit of *their*
imagination and ability.   To be as free as they can and wish to be..,
but limited and governed by the leader's ability to bring it on.   A
good leader will 'free' them more than a poor leader.  But no
matter... The concept in itself is *not* derogatory.  

>IMHO there is only one way to think about Tango and that is as a 100% equal partnership. 
>And there's nothing equal about a musician and his Strad. At the end of of the day, the 
>musician gets the glory and adulation while the Strad goes back into its box until needed 
>again. Is that how we think of our partners?

Iow, the Strad goes back to its table until the very next dance?  :-)
The applause was certainly meant for both, and everyone there knew it.
The Maestro was better because of the Strad.., and the Strad just
happens to be deaf. 

Partnership is the key-word.   Neither is anything without the other.
One gives the leads, the other takes the leads.  No matter how anyone
wants to put it as an individual, it still takes two to Tango and
that's the way it's done.  Tango is what the couple is out there for.
Not to compete.  Neither going for Alpha.   With the Tango couple or
the Maestro/Strad pairing, neither 'half' is the product.   They work
together to produce it.   

In any case, Tango allows people to have the freedom to express
themselves.   Driving laws were created to protect the weakest, oldest
and most incapable of drivers so they're able to get behind a wheel
and manage the road...   Are we to control and censor Tango's
expression to the point where the most sensitve of people can bring
themselves to be a part of it?      We need to stop trying to put
Tango itself in a box.   

But that's not all...  To me I do understand that society keeps women
more in a 'cage' than a box.., and for most of the time.   So much so
that most women don't even realize how much they are restricted. But
Tango is one of the few ways they can come out of it.    Freely,
safely, and vicariously sexual as women.    It seems that people
should try to enjoy it for what it is.    

Else we may end up with plain vanilla Tango...,

and be plain vanilla people...   ;-/

IMHO...   

Tango on...  

Floyd



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