[Tango-L] New "nuevo tango" Sacrifices Tradition and Grace

[Skip Augustine]

MACFroggy wrote:

>Here's a great article by Terence Clarke on Tango Nuevo, with the popular
DNI 
school in BsAs as an example of what he terms "Playground Tango":


Well, oddly enough, another topic has come up that I feel qualified to
comment on, but this is much more controversial: I am going to defend DNI
and nuevo tango...sort of.

First DNI. Over the course of my last two trips to Buenos Aires, I have
probably taken 30 private lessons and practices at DNI. I have studied with
all the female teachers including Dana Frigoli, and also one of the men. I
found the instruction to generally be exceptional. But here's the catch: I
didn't study nuevo. I am a, for the most part, a close embrace,  salon-style
dancer, and what I studied was basic salon stuff: walking, ochos, turns,
etc., all in close embrace. What Mr. Clarke didn't see was that the DNI
staff is also very accomplished at teaching more traditional tango styles.
All you have to do is ask.

I have also danced at milonga with Dana Frigoli. I danced in my standard
close embrace salon style. It was exquisite--one of the most memorable
tandas I have ever danced. It was a true conversation, subtly nuanced give
and take, suggestion and response in both directions. What we live for. So
please don't tell me she can't dance.

Now the downside. I will probably not be going back. Why? They have grown so
fast that they have lost the personal touch that sold me on the place two
years ago. It is much more difficult to schedule lessons there now. I
encountered no-notice cancellations and other scheduling gaffes. Also, you
may notice that I only talked about private classes. I took a couple of
group classes there and, while not as extreme as Mr. Clarke's, my opinion is
generally the same. The principal problem is that the classes are far too
crowded. They spill out into the lobby area and it is very difficult to get
any personal attention from the teachers. 

Well, I was also going to talk about nuevo, but this has gotten too long.
I'll save that for another time.

Regards,
Skip A.

P.S. Ira, I just saw your post as I was writing this. I respect your
opinions and I'm glad we agree.