[Tango-L] Abusing the available space

[Shahrukh Merchant]

"Brian Dunn" <brianpdunn at earthlink.net> said:

> At some of these traditional milongas, I have seen younger or
> relatively more energetic dancers in the middle of the ronda making more
> complete use of the available space not used by the dense outer ronda.  They
> generally dance WITHOUT causing conflicts with the older dancers in the
> outer ronda, even though their orientation to available space is different.

and a similar sentiment repeated a few days later:

> I did say that some on this list might call what they do "nuevo",
> because they are making, for example, more use of the available space at
> times than those dancers who immediately go for
> "dense-ronda-on-the-outer-edge" dancing even when there is plenty of room.

Something about this "nuevo dancers make more use of the available 
space" claim really rubbed me the wrong way (nothing to do with the 
"nuevo" part of his statement), so I had to respond the second time I 
saw this.

First of all, I have never ever seen a *crowded* milonga where everyone 
is on the outer edge while there is still plenty of room (presumably on 
the inside). It just doesn't happen. People expand to fill the available 
space. There is no dense single file, it is more like a swarm that moves 
counter-clockwise on the whole (or should) and sure, there has to be 
lower density in the very middle, because that's the place either side 
of which people are moving in opposite directions. But the implication 
that people who accommodate themselves within this "swarm of dance" are 
MIS-utilizing the available space is disingenuous at best.

Sure, there may be teachers who during a class or workshop will force 
people to dance in an artificially constrained tight circle to help 
build the skills needed to do that (or at least make the point that it's 
a necessary skill to acquire--it's not that easy a skill to teach, 
certainly not in a class or two). But in a crowded milonga situation, I 
just have never seen that (or maybe we just dance in completely 
different circles ... no pun intended :-)).

But it's the implication of "go right ahead and dance in the middle of 
the floor and let the old fogies stick to the outside--that's what they 
want to do anyway and besides they just don't know how to make use of 
the available space" that I find particularly objectionable (yes, I'm 
exaggerating what you said, but I *do* read just that sentiment). It 
really comes across as nothing more than rationalization to abuse the 
space, overuse ones fair share of the available space and blame any 
problems it causes on others (or perhaps just deny that it causes any).

It's like a glutton at a cocktail party who's scoops all 25 canapes from 
the serving tray into his plate saying, "Well, I was hungry and simply 
making complete use of the available food; besides, I didn't see anyone 
else rushing over to the tray--they probably already ate the one or two 
that they typically eat anyway." (a) He's making unfounded assumptions 
about other people's wants or needs and (b) Even in the unlikely event 
that he's right, he comes across as a boor anyway.

To go back to Brian's original quote:

"At some of these traditional milongas, I have seen younger or
relatively more energetic dancers in the middle of the ronda making more
complete use of the available space not used by the dense outer ronda. 
They generally dance WITHOUT causing conflicts with the older dancers in 
the outer ronda, even though their orientation to available space is 
different."

What *I* see FAR more frequently is in fact very different--my version 
would restate it as follows:

"At most milongas (not just traditional ones), I see more vigorously 
moving dances (not just younger ones, but generally those less able to 
control their energy or direct it inwards) disregarding the available 
space because they felt constrained dancing in the ronda. They almost 
always cause conflicts to the other dancers (though others dancing like 
them don't seem to mind or notice, and they certainly don't), since 
their mental orientation on what constitutes available space is ... well 
... 'different.'"

This is not about nuevo vs. classic at all (I am not in any "camp" nor 
do I think it's even relevant, productive or even accurate to consider 
them as largely incompatible "camps"), but it very much is about what 
constitutes appropriate social behaviour in a social setting (which a 
milonga is, and not just a traditional milonga--all milongas and even 
practicas are social settings too).

But if I were a nuevo "campista" (whatever nuevo means ... different 
post), I would not appreciate "my" style being associated with bad or 
inconsiderate navigation skills. Ironically, even though the "Ron vs. 
Brian" debates seem to put the two of them on opposite extremes of, 
well, something (still trying to figure out what exactly :-)), to my way 
of thinking both of them are unfairly associating nuevo with bad or 
inconsiderate floorcraft (Ron says so in so many words, Brian more 
subtly, and unintentionally, by advocating and admiring a type of 
floorcraft that he associates with nuevo that I would consider 
inconsiderate and hence bad floorcraft).

Shahrukh