[Tango-L] Calling our tango 'Argentine' tango

[Tango Society of Central Illinois]

On 3/11/08, Crrtango at aol.com <Crrtango at aol.com> wrote:
> Ron wrote:
>
>  <<< I started ballroom dance about 3 years before I was exposed to
>  (Argentine) [redundant adjective] tango.>>>
>
>
>  There is nothing redundant about the adjective (unless you live in Argentina,
>  or Montevideo perhaps) since many people here (the U.S.) only associate tango
>  with the ballroom dance. Obviously it is quite different.  Personally, I want
>  people to know that I DON'T dance or teach ballroom tango. Besides, believe
>  it or not, some people don't even realize that tango is from Argentina, or even
>  more specifically, from Buenos Aires. Perhaps it would be better to just say
>  "ballroom tango" as opposed to "tango" but I welcome the distinction between
>  the two, whichever way you parse it.

I understand this point of view. I teach 'tango' and I sometimes get
students in Tango 1 expecting ballroom tango. However, nearly everyone
understands we teach the tango that is danced in Argentina. Our ads
state we have studied tango in Argentina or that we teach tango as it
is danced socially in Argentina.

My objection to the use of the term 'Argentine tango' is that the
adjective 'Argentine' is a modifier used by ballroom dance studios to
differentiate this dance from 'tango', which is, of course, the
ballroom tango. In most ballroom dance studios where 'Argentine tango'
is taught, it is a sideline, an add-on to the main ballroom
curriculum, something a student may dabble in with one course. The
manner of instruction is often teaching of sequences with names. It
fits the ballroom dance instructional mindset. Rarely is tango
understood as an improvisational dance, Rarely is it taught in close
embrace, the way Argentines dance it. However, having said this is a
general phenomenon, there are exceptions. Our friends and neighbors in
a ballroom dance stuio in Indianapolis teach 3 levels of 'Argentine
tango', teaching tango milonguero. I'm sure there are other similar
cases here and there.

So, calling our tango 'Argentine tango' seems almost apologetic,
perhaps admitting some seecondary status to the 'tango' taught in
ballroom dance studios.

However, there is a point in calling our tango 'Argentine tango' when
communicating to an uniformed general public. It emphasizes that our
dance has Argentine roots. Ironically, I find this approach most
useful when communicating to people who dance 'tango' socially at
'milongas' in the US, but the tango they dance, based on large
conspicous movements designed for the stage, is not danced at milongas
in Buenos Aires. In other words, many people who believe they are
dancing 'Argentine tango' are not dancing the tango danced in
Argentina, at least not at the milongas.

Language is important because there is meaning attached to words. We
communicate so much more with words that carry associated messages
than we sometimes intend to communicate. Words often acquire a meaning
that was not originally intended. The associated messages differ
depending upon the audience to whom we speak. One great example of
this is the use of the terms 'milonguero style' and 'nuevo', which
have been responsible for more red ink on this forum than any other
terms, I believe.

My preference is to call the dance I dance and teach just plain
'tango', but to emphasize in accompanying descriptions that is the
'tango danced in the milongas of Buenos Aires'. If that is not already
understood, our goal is to teach people what it is.

By the way, for flame throwers out there, we teach 'tango milonguero',
but recognize and state in our classes that this is a point on a
continuum of (close embrace) tango stylistic variation that flourishes
in the milongas of Buenos Aires.

Ron