[Tango-L] Estilo Villa Urquiza

[Tango Society of Central Illinois]

On Sun, Jun 29, 2008 at 11:20 PM, Sergio Vandekier
<sergiovandekier990 at hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> Here you have some samples of simple dancing and also more elaborated dancing in villa Urquiza.
>
> Villa Urquiza Style http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7HmCGjYRYE
>
> Gerardo Portalea y Susana http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pORg6wxeV6Q&feature=related
>
> Mariano y Cosima http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qqovx7d2nfs&feature=related
>
> Roberto Leiva y maricel Gomez http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wlk8wGZQX7c&feature=related
>
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGTQ6pBYRsk&feature=related
>
> Alberto y Ester http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbtAx1qrQqE&feature=related
>
> Roberto Leiva y Natacha Poberaj http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAZ9_ywdIhQ
>
> Finito http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wlk8wGZQX7c&feature=related

Except for the first video, these are videos of exhibitions, not
social tango. The first video gives a historical account of social
dancing by renowned dancers to whom the 'Villa Urquiza' style has been
attributed.

Listed below are links to videos of social dancing in milongas in
Villa Urquiza recorded during the last 3 years. The dancing in these
videos does not closely resemble the dancing in the videos listed
above. Is it possible that Estilo Villa Urquiza is not danced much in
the milongas of Villa Urquiza today? Indeed there are some differences
I have seen in the distribution of dancing styles in the milongas in
the outer barrios - Sunderland (Villa Urquiza), Glorias Argentinas
(Mataderos), Viejo Correo (Caballito), compared to milongas closer to
downtown, e.g., Plaza Bohemia, El Beso, Lo de Celia. Club Gricel. In
'downtown' milongas there are more couples dancing in an apilado
embrace, whereas in the barrios way from downtown there are more
couples dancing with an upright, possibly offset embrace, possibly
with the woman's head directed inward rather than over the man's right
shoulder, possibly in a V-frame (opened a little on the open side of
the embrace), and these latter couples may open the frame a little
temporarily for ochos and turns. All of the elements are probabilistic
- they are sometimes present, sometimes not, and in just about every
milonga in Buenos Aires one can see many variations along all these
dimensions.

However, whereas at some of the 'downtown' milongas mentioned one can
sometimes see about 3/4 or more of the couples dancing in an apilado
embrace, this embrace also appears to be present in at least half of
the dancers at Sunderland Club.

Is it possible (and this is said with sincerity rather than sarcasm)
that Estilo Villa Urquiza is not very popular in Buenos Aires milongas
today but that it is something from the past that is being marketed to
provide tango instructors a niche?

Videos of dancing at milongas in Villa Urquiza:

Sin Rumbo:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdN4SuMD50I

Sunderland Club:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ip2Xe19-VOk&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRYbFPoT_Lk&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_2xPvJSry4&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PpDr6TDoIs&feature=related

- Ignore the couple with bad technique in these 2 videos. They are
obviously out of their element:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEJ2py7tNwA&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bi1N22L5h9w&feature=related

Ron