[Tango-L] Social Tango + Puppy Castello on "style"

[Nina Pesochinsky]

Joe,

You can read the archives of the tango-l.  There is a story in detail 
about how Susana Miller invented the term "milonguero" when she began 
teaching in the early 1990s.  The reason that Puppy and others didn't 
say that they danced "milonguero style" is because they didn't know 
that they did!:)

Best,

Nina




At 04:40 PM 8/6/2008, Joe Grohens wrote:
>Trini wrote:
>
> > With male students, I can often tell early on whether he is more
> > suited to a milonguero style or salon and will teach accordingly.
>
>So, are those the two main choices? (And if so, why?)
>
> > For me tango is an emotional, artful expression and I don't want to
> > intellectualize when I dance.
>
>But isn't that what you are doing if you categorize the guy you are
>about to dance with?
>
> > As for my personal style, my base is milonguero.  Though I dance all
> > of the others pretty well, I recognize my limitations, physical and
> > otherwise.
>
>OK - so you dance milonguero, plus "all of the others." And that would
>be called "dancing a style."
>
>Next time someone asks me what style I dance, that will be my answer
>too: "all of the styles."
>
>Now, thankfully, everyone can know in advance what it will be like to
>dance with me.
>
>Yow -- all these years not knowing what my style was, but finally,
>I've got it.
>
>..............
>
>Speaking of "milonguero".....
>
>The BBC "Confiteria Ideal" 2005 documentary is sampled on youtube.
>(It's nicely done, and includes interviews w. Javier & Geraldine,
>Puppy Castello, and Chicho.)
>
>Check out Puppy Castello in this clip:
>
>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5CmBLdEY9A
>
><transcription>
>
>Puppy: The most difficult thing is the tango walk. Anyone can do the
>steps -- me, for instance! But very few people can walk.
>
>[...]
>
>Puppy: Most of the old milongueros, other than Portalea, are dead now.
>Times change. Maybe youngsters are dancing the tango of the future.
>But I like my own style.
>
>Interviewer: What  style do you dance?
>
>Puppy: It's the style of the 40s. It has rhythm and elegance. Young
>people move like elephants. For instance, look at Geraldine, who
>dances our style of tango. She's 20 but she dances like us.
>
></transcription>
>
>What I want to know is - why didn't Puppy say "my style is milonguero
>style"?
>When you think of the kind of people you could classify as
>"milongueros" - wouldn't Puppy Castello have fit the bill?
>
>If Puppy Castello was a milonguero, why didn't he dance milonguero
>style?
>
>Maybe he is not a milonguero. In that case, what do you call him? A
>dancer? A salonero?
>
>Puppy himself called Portalea a milonguero. (But Portalea didn't dance
>milonguero style either.)
>
>-joe
>
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