[Tango-L] The Tango Trojan Horse (Misrepresentation of Argentine social tango)

[Tango Society of Central Illinois]

Anyone who has spent a significant amount of time in the milongas of
Buenos Aires in recent years realizes that nearly everyone dances in
close embrace, uses a relatively simple vocabulary of steps, and that
embellishments are rare and subtle with feet kept on the floor. The
focus of the dance is the connection with the partner and the music,
not the steps. After the tango revival of the 1980s, Argentine stage
performers dancing a different kind of tango, that used for the stage,
spread tango around the world. Due to this exposure, the social
dancing at milongas outside Argentina did not resemble dancing at the
milongas in Buenos Aires. However, interest in tango led many
foreigners to visit Buenos Aires and many of these were exposed to
tango culture at its source, with the consequence that the social
tango style of Buenos Aires milongas was transmitted (albeit not
always so accurately) to non-Argentine cultures. Although exhibition
tango still remains the predominant version of tango danced socially
outside Argentina, there is a significant foothold of Argentine social
tango outside Argentina as well.

 In recent years a new version of tango - tango nuevo - which was
developed by Argentines, has been exported as another tango art form.
Tango nuevo extends the boundaries of tango, incorporating elements of
social tango and exhibition tango, as well as elements from other
dances. Tango nuevo expands upon the possibilities of tango by varying
the embrace (in both open and closed positions), varying rotations
(angles) of movements, as well as adding off-axis elements (volcadas,
colgadas), among other things. In Buenos Aires, there are several
practicas (Villa Malcolm, Practica X) where tango nuevo is practiced.
Except as an exhibition, tango nuevo is rarely danced at the 100+
milongas in Buenos Aires, and when it does occur, usually performed by
foreigners, it is frowned upon by porten~os.

 Tango dancers outside Argentina who do not visit Buenos Aires and
become immersed in some of the 100+ milongas may not understand the
boundaries of social tango within these milongas. Thus, they may be
exposed to a misrepresentation of Argentine social tango and not
realize it. Thus, the Tango Trojan Horse - a gift that invades tango
communities around the world - a vehicle of deception.

 Probably the greatest misconception of Argentine social tango
surrounds the embrace. Although a maintained close embrace is a
characteristic element of Argentine social tango, not all dancing
tango in close embrace is within the culturally defined boundaries of
Argentine social tango. This misunderstanding has led to the
acceptance of non-social elements characteristic of exhibition tango
as Argentine social tango. For example, a variety of ganchos can be
performed without breaking the embrace. Some boleos that lift off the
floor can be performed without breaking the embrace. Volcadas rely on
a close embrace. Large movements and extensive use of embellishments
can be performed without breaking the embrace. Elements of this type
have been promoted more frequently recently, with such terms as 'nuevo
milonguero' used in advertising, giving the impression that 'tango
milonguero' (a term used to label a particular stylistic variation of
Argentine social tango) is evolving to include nuevo elements. This
may be the case in the repertoires of some tango performers and
instructors, many of whom are Argentines teaching abroad, but it is
not the case among the porten~os dancing in the 100+ milongas of
Buenos Aires. 'Nuevo milonguero' does not exist in Buenos Aires
milongas, except as a frowned-upon aberration.

 So, beware of Argentines bearing tango gifts. They may be offering a
Tango Trojan Horse, something which is not what it appears to be and
may, in fact, be designed intentionally to deceive because the
incorporation of nuevo elements into social Argentine tango is
marketable outside Argentina. This 'nuevo milonguero' (or whatever
else it may be called to sound like it is based in Buenos Aires
milongas) offers a danger of successful cultural misrepresentation
that is greater than tango nuevo itself because it may be marketed
subtly or not so subtly as Argentine social tango. It is even more
likely to be accepted as Argentine social tango when it is taught by
Argentines.

 These arguments are only important and relevant if one cares to
accurately adopt Argentine social tango culture. If one is more
interested in creating a form of tango derived from Argentine social
tango that has been liberated from the cultural context of its origin
with the incorporation of elements that are more pleasing to the
values and expectations of the recipient culture, then one is, of
course, free to do so. However, deception occurs when one represents
this adapted version as Argentine social tango, which it is not.

 Ron