[Tango-L] "Nuevo" Dancing to Di Sarli: "Don Juan" - Gustavo & Giselle

[Trini y Sean (PATangoS)]

--- On Thu, 8/13/09, Brian Dunn <brianpdunn at earthlink.net> wrote:

> Here's Gustavo & Giselle dancing their majestic version
> of "Don Juan" 

> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5FOjT959J0


Thanks for the video, Bryan.  They dance it beautifully, but to my eye, it's not quite right.  As if there's a little too much work involved.  Personally, I would have preferred touches of nuevo instead of swaths in their performance.  However, this was a performance piece and perhaps the swaths were there mainly for his audience.

This goes back to music being a key part of the evolution of a dance.  When I watch people at a milonga, more nuevo steps come out during Bajofondo or non-tango music.  It looks right and feels right.  The movements developed during the modern era.  What would using those same movements in older pieces serve, other than to say "because we can"?  We keep sayng that back in the day, the dancers were part of the orchestra.  That the orchestras were motivated in part by the dancers.  The nuevo dancers weren't there back in the day.  Yes, you can dance nuevo to older music, but I think nuevo looks best when done to modern pieces, especially with the average dancer.

Yesterday, during a private I decided to work on nuevo moves with a student.  The logical choice for music was Carlos Libedinsky.  Use DiSarli?  Nah.

I like experiencing the different characteristics of the 3 main styles of dancing.  I think dancing each in the most suitable music (I suppose it's actually the other way around at a milonga) brings out the best of that style and the music.  Know what I mean?

Trini de Pittsburgh