[Tango-L] No dancing before the music

[Anton Stanley]

To clif. Yes I exaggerated to make a point with the term "Enforcers".

But please don't by association, attribute your erroneous and simplistic
interpretations to me. The thrust of my comments were (as appears to
me), the trend to welcome people to Tango who don't like the music. In
itself that's ok. Whilst some get to like it over time, a large
percentage don't, even when their skills get to beyond intermediate
standard. At this point they acquire considerable influence over the
music that gets played and in fact prefer a new genre (in my opinion) of
music. Eager to hold these elite dancers, Milonga organisers (outside
BA) in my opinion, have considerably changed the make up of the tangos
(a term loosely used) played at their events. 
In my opinion dancing develops from the music. You hear a sound; you
like it; your body and senses respond to it. I really can't entertain
the opposite, where the feet start moving and you seek some music to
accompany them. So you tell me why anyone would want to foster would-be
dancers who don't like Tango music into Tango classes?
Without the slightest pinch of proof, I assert that Portenos are exposed
to Tango music throughout much of their life. Either at Milongas or
through passive exposure in the general community. So if they feel
inclined to dance Tango or take Tango classes, they probably have a fair
amount of the exposure to music that Janis was alluding to. I can also
accept that many younger Portenos find traditional Tango too sedentary
which I attribute to (my opinion only)  their comparatively immature
emotional costume, which  through the passage of life will change. I
believe, to them, Tango is an activity, rather than the emotional
connection of two people on a dance floor. Yes, I can hear the screams
of outrage, but how is it different from a couple in a rowing scull
trying to combine skillfully on water. There's a connection, but it
ain't Tango. (Of course I'm colouring it a lot to make the point Clif).

I've danced many music genres over the years, although rather poorly, as
I'm much more comfortable on the football field than on a dance floor.
Yet I don't believe there's one I haven't liked. So it's not the "nuevo"
aspect of Tango music I dislike. It's the bastardisation of a music
genre to appease those dancers who don't like Tango music.

Anton