[Tango-L] Musicality and embrace of B.A.

[Floyd Baker]

On Fri, 2 May 2008 19:06:11 +0000, you wrote:
>
>People dance from their environment. Besides our obvious cultural disadvantage we simply don't set up the situational environment or the collective conscious mental state that produces this kind of dancing.
>
>We need smaller more crowded floors. The kind of creativity this produces is superiour. The leads throw out the bullshit and get down to business. This, that can seem like a limitation, actually makes the more intelligent lead with the best reaction time to the floor but also musical options.
>We need leads that educate other leads of the unacceptability of poor floor craft.
>We need to give followers the ability to say no to leads who don't feel good. This will set an unspoken hierarchy and healthy competition between leads that is based on dancing for the follower's pleasure. Our scenes have too many obligatory dancing going on based in being 'friendly'. Followers need an embrace with substance and cadencia. Standardized boring musicality doesn't feel good, neither does over elaborated musicality that is just out to fit in his best moves and prove his knowledge of the music.
>We need dancers who aren't dancing to be admired by the people watching. This means followers too. If your pretty shoes and your perfect boleo are occupying your consciouness...somethings wrong there.
>We need dancers who develop a true sincere emotional attachment to the music.
>
>You can talk to individuals forever about the embrace and musicality of Buenos Aires and it won't change anything until we purposely manipulate the environment and prioritize mentally what is the most important in the dance experience.
>
>Oh Yeah, one more thing- We need to stop letting any instructor come into our communities and teach unless, trivial moves, under the name of 'creativity', that take us farer and farer from what really matters.


 
Heather...

There were some awsome posts yesterday.   Between you, Jeff, Stephen
and Michael, it seems many people have been to Buffalo recently.  ;-) 
Of course there are a lot of very nice people here in Buffalo.., but
for the most part they have stalled out at the 'pattern' level. Being
very busy running the weekly dances, promoting and organizing events,
and not having a money motive, I made little effort to actually teach
Tango myself.   A major mistake.  Unfortunately the job was taken on
by amateurs, carpetbaggers and 'push-pulls', and now most here have
bonded with the wrong ideas.    And they're happy with them. 
So I've already started to do one of the things mentioned in
yesterday's posts. Trying to build a small group of dedicated people
who want to dance Tango as it was meant to be.   A group who'd like to
rise above 'mediocrity'.  

It will be tough.  Most will be new.  And as they start Tango with me,
they'll come in contact with the others.., to hear about all the 'fun'
they're having over there.  But if that's what they want, at least
there's a place for them to go this time.   Tango's not for
everyone.., and hopefully this core will then remain more solid than
the last.   

I'll be running another weekly dance soon to lessen this mixing and to
give the new group a chance to 'get it'.  It will be free to them but
we'll charge for everyone else who shows up.    If they still come,
I'll charge more.

It's not easy teaching a buffalo to Tango.   :-)

Floyd  

     Buffalo Tango - Argentine Tango - How To Tango
     * * * * * *  www.buffalotango.com  * * * * * *