[Tango-L] Lo de Laura

[Crrtango@aol.com]

Jan's post about "Lo de Laura" is recommended reading   for historical trivia 
and helps explain one of several reasons why men danced together.   These 
clubs were not the places where respectable women were seen, nor was the dance 
considered respectable, so men had to practice with each other before going to 
these places, which were in many cases just thinly disguised bordellos. You can 
also hear about it in a milonga by Angel D'Agostino and Angel Vargas, "En Lo 
de Laura" on vol. 3 of "Tango de los Angeles" (Tango Argentino label)

Last night I saw Miguel Angel Zotto's new stage show "Buenos Aires Tango" 
here and in the Playbill there is a brief single-page synopsis of the history of 
tango which is surprisingly informative and concise. Several things were 
mentioned, which have often come up as questions on this list. One was about the 
shortage of women in Buenos Aires (another reason for men dancing together). 
Another was about the rise and separate growth of "tango americano" or ballroom 
tango, an attempt to allow people in the U.S. and Europe to dance tango 
together without body contact, still very taboo in those days outside Argentina. It 
continued to evolve into the ballroom dance we now know. Another was about the 
revival of "stage" tango due to the sensation caused by the original Broadway 
production of "Tango Argentino" which helped to create the split between the 
close-hold style of the social milongas (the traditional norm) and the new 
stage style which soon started appearing, unfortunately for some, in the social 
milongas. It even mentions the disruptive effects of rock and roll on tango. 

I don't know if the Playbill can be accessed but you could try at:    
nycitycenter.org

Cheers, 
Charles


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