[Tango-L] Parting thoughts from Buenos Aires

[Paul Shrivastava]

We have been in Buenos Aires for two weeks and getting ready to catch  
our flight back to Montreal.    We went to 8 milongas,  took a bunch  
of classes, talked to dozens of dancers and teachers,  while also  
reading this list serve discussion on what is and is not done here at  
Milongas.  I am reminded of what Hugo Daniel one young teacher said at  
the beginning of a class,  "There is no "Truth" in Tango".  He  
explained that Tango is in the relationship and there many ways of  
expressing it. There is no single truth about it.   With over 100  
Milongas every month, you can find examples or data to prove almost  
any dictum about tango.  I take that to mean this is a living  
tradition in art and evolving even as we speak.

Another Tango revelation for me occurred in a waiting room of Escuela  
de Tango at the Borges Centre, through a conversation I overheard  
among two dancers.  This guy was explaining how all of Tango was about  
"respect", respecting your partner, respecting fellow dancers,  
respecting the music, respecting organizers and teachers, etc.  The  
idea of respect seems pretty fundamental. It allows us to slow down  
and think but this passion in a relational way.  Tango is something we  
do with others, and if it is done with respect, people will forgive a  
lot of errors and mistakes.


Paul Shrivastava, Ph. D.
http://johnmolson.concordia.ca/sustainable
John Molson School of Business
Concordia University
Montreal, Quebec, H3H 0A1