[Tango-L] Tango in the Spring - festival report

[Myk Dowling]

Trini y Sean (PATangoS) wrote:
> To Myk Dowling's question, the Ann Arbor tango group initially started
> May Madness as just social dancing and a BBQ, but workshops were
> eventually added on.

Interesting.

>  This is an event that people will drive from at
> least 4 hours out, so perhaps they figured that adding workshops will
> make it more worthwhile for those coming in from far away.  

We had people flying in from all over Australia and New Zealand for
this event. Of course, Australia's geography is fairly unique and
Australians are generally more willing to travel long distances for an
event. We'll drive to somewhere four hours away for a day trip!

> To be honest, if it was just social dancing, I'd be less likely to attend.  

Can I ask why?
> 
> For Mario:
> 
>>   I once spoke with a woman who had attended a festival in
>> Wash. D.C. (she from Phila.) and was very disappointed
>> because no one asked her to dance. 
> 
> So why wasn't she asking men to dance?  My observations are that
> "cliques" form from personal friendships, not classes.  

That's what I gather happens at other festivals, yes. I'm still fairly
new to tango, and haven't been to many festivals myself, but the way I
hear it, after many hours of workshops, people are tired and don't want
the extra stress of dancing with unknown quantities.

> And what about the rank newbie,
>> the person who never danced before? Are they uninvited by default?  
>> I've never been to a 'festival' and so, my questions could seem
>> ignorant but thems my questions. 
> 
> I don't feel that most festivals are a good place for a complete
> newbie who doesn't know anyone else there.

It seems frankly strange to me to start a new activity by attending a
major festival. Why would a complete newbie think they can gain anything
from such a festival? Or from the alternative perspective, if a festival
is catering to complete newbies, then how can it provide sufficient
challenge and value for those with more experience?

> Women can have a more difficult time getting dances unless they're
> "young and blond", so to speak.  But there are lots of things she 
> can do to still get dances - like asking the men to dance.    

I was asked to dance by women a few times over the festival, and was
happy to do so. Of course, I'm no Sean. I judge a person's dancing by
dancing with them, not watching how they dance with other people. And
I'm still enough of a newbie myself to want to dance every tanda I can
while my feet hold me up.

-- 
Myk from Canberra