[Tango-L] Tango Tower of Babel - Different Language, Different Dance

[RonTango]

It is apparent there is a Tower of Babel (or is it 'Tower of Babble'?) in the tango world. Words like 'connection' and 'social dancing' have different meanings for different people. 

The problem stems in part from two groups with very different perceptions laying claim to the same name 'tango'. 

Nuevo is very creative. Based on tango, it has developed in new directions. It takes a lot of talent to learn it and teach it. But in its focus on movement possibilities, its exploration of new territory, it has left drifted away from the focus in tango de salon on connection with partner, music, and other dancers on the floor. This is not something I made up; I am just restating what the milongueros who have danced tango their whole lives say. 

Many nuevoists say that nuevo is the evolution of tango. Many traditionalists would say nuevo is an evolution away from tango. 

Why can't you accept that nuevo is a new species with its own niche, separate from tango (de salon)?

One could take a cynical view and say that nuevo positions itself as the heir apparent to tango because 'tango' has name recognition and it is easier to market nuevo under a popular known name than to spend time and effort in gaining name recognition for 'nuevo'. 

Sometimes what appears at first to be cynical is reality.

Why do nuevoists feel the need to share the same floor with tango de salon?

This argument doesn't go away. Nuevoists want to be on the same floor with traditionalists. Traditionalists want to have the floor to themselves. Again from a cynical perspective, there are several popular explanations for this:
- Nuevoists want to intimidate traditionalists, driving them off the floor and perhaps away from 'tango' in their community so that nuevo can lay sole claim to 'tango'. 
- Nuevoists want a conspicuous presence everyone so they can recruit new dancers. Outside Argentina, flashy dancing is effective in recruitment; the subtlety of tango de salon is lost on the naive dancer. 

Just face the reality, Nuevo is a different dance. It is separate from tango de salon in Buenos Aires. Why do nuevoists continuously try to impose nuevo on tango de salon in the rest of the world? 

One request. In future responses, please refrain from personal attacks. Stick to the issues. Don't attack the person expressing different ideas. 

Ron
    
  


----- Original Message ----
> From: Alexis Cousein <al at sgi.com>

 
> YOU, on the other hand, do appear to be overly sensitive (since you perceive an
> attack on all members of the group where there is none -- note the singular
> "a traditionalist" in the quoted message, which clearly tells you what is meant
> in propositional logic, and no, it doesn't mean "every")

 
> And YOU weren't building a Feindbild?



 
> Perhaps YOU can't fathom someone dancing nuevo who has 
> that type
> of connection or dances to music, but that's simply lack of imagination (and a 
> lack of
> curiosity: I haven't seen YOU ask *how* that would work, simply imply that it 
> doesn't).
> 
> Perhaps that's because YOU are cursed with a particularly egregious local 
> community of
> "nuevo" idiots, but even then, that doesn't allow YOU to generalise in any 
> logically
> valid way.
 

> 
> Perhaps YOU don't have a willingness to understand anything but YOUR own world 
> view (what a smug reply!)
> 
> I thought we were having a productive argument, but YOUR last reply is simply 
> nothing but empty
> name calling and attempts at painting something in a negative light in the most 
> unreasonable ways
> possible, and a consistent attempt at doing nothing but polarising the debate.
> 
> In other words, it's no longer *reasoned* debate.