[Tango-L] Bs As dancers are not so hot

[larrynla@juno.com]

When I went to Buenos Aires one fact I noticed was that, on the 
average, tango dancers there were not nearly as good as those in the 
places where I had danced in the US.

I thought about this quite a bit after I returned home.  Finally I 
realized why the difference in quality.

The key is that phrase "on the average."  The situation in Argentina is 
unique - the tango there is genuinely popular.  Elsewhere it is a niche 
phenomena, drawing a lot of very dedicated people who work hard and 
long to be better.  And in recent years that means not just physically 
but also better in other ways.

In Bs As there are, as of a few months back, more than a 160 milongas - 
ten to twenty times the number of those in other large metro areas in 
the rest of the world.  Plus the milongas are often much larger.

Thus there is a much larger range of dancers.  Those that are good are 
very very good, in all ways.  Not just in athleticism and body control, 
but in feeling and interpreting the music and making the dance 
experience special.  And there are many who are mediocre, and some who 
can barely dance the tango at all.  Or who go to dance the non-tango 
tandas, usually swing and "tropical" (meaning latin dances except for 
salsa, which has its own large fan universe in Bs As).

There are also plenty of people who go but do not dance any dance at 
all.  Some go just to listen to tango music, which is an important 
musical and poetic art form on Argentina, whereas in the rest of the 
world for many if not most it is just an excuse to dance.  Some go to 
socialize.  Most likely they live within walking distance of the 
milonga.  They snack, smoke, and gossip, and watch the crazy foreign 
tango fanatics with amusement - if they bother to watch them at all.

In this forum there has been much discussion about the different styles 
of tango dancing.  Many tango dancers in Argentina specialize in one 
style or another, and are contempuous of those who dance a style they 
themselves do not dance.  That is human nature.  But many are 
comfortable with more than one style.  In the large and varied tango 
venue in Bs As most people have long been exposed to all the styles.  
It is all tango to them.

There has also been much talk in this forum about the milongueros and 
how tango is dying in Argentina as the elders die out.  This is utter 
crap.  It ignores all the younger people who have been taking up tango.  
Some do it because of a parent or grandparent or other relative gets 
them interested and nurtures their interest.  But tango is quite 
capable of grabbing people - young and otherwise - who have no family 
or friends to help them get interested.

In forums like these it is natural to assume that young people will be 
drawn to tango nuevo and ignore or abandon other and earlier styles.  
And certainly there is truth to that.  But it is a limited truth.  Each 
tango style has its appeal and advantages.  What is certain about young 
people is that they are more willing to try, and often learn, several 
different styles.  And to use a style that suits the situation.  When 
the milonga is tight, and some of the young-people's milongas are VERY 
tight, they will use one of the compact styles.  And when the evening 
nears its end and the floor becomes loose, they will use one of the 
looser styles.

Thus the average quality of tango dancer in Bs As is less than the 
quality elsewhere.  But that is all to the good.  It means we non-
Argentines can go there confident that there is a place even for those 
of us who are not especially good.

And there is the chance to see dance, and to take lessons from, the 
very best tango dancers on the planet.  Look for them on the tight 
dance floors.  They may be very old, or very young, not even in their 
teens yet.  Look for the ones who are like fish in water, sliding 
easily and quietly through the crowd, not seeming to do anything 
special.  Then look for the same ones the hour before dawn, when the 
floor empties out, and these quiet fish spread their iridescent fins 
for all to see.

Larry de Los Angeles
http://shapechangers.wordpress.com


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