[Tango-L] Change

[Keith Elshaw]

What times we live in, eh?

Best to have seat-belts fastened.

I've only been around tango for 20 years, so I'm a newbie. But my studies
and sense tell me that more has been changing in the last 15 years than
had been happening during the previous 4 decades.

We had the resurgence of tango which followed Tango Argentino in the
latter-80's.

Then we had the development which came from people going to Argentina
starting in the mid-90's and finding out it was a much different thing
than what they had been taught.

As well, I think a wonderful development coming out of the work of don
Emilio Balcarces's Escuela De Tango and Roberto Alvarez's Color Tango.
There were great musicians doing good things, but these two had great
influence which showed dancers tango music was a living thing.

Then the Gustavo/Fabian/Pablo/Chicho re-examination of movement, etc. And
the resultant nuevo strain which was propelled by the musicians going for
that, like Gotan (one can't deny their enormous success).

All these people were pioneers in their way.

Dancer/teachers grew in fame and travelled spreading knowledge.

Festivals came and grew.

Someone we know pushed for better quality versions of the great old
recordings and that has been going in the right direction.

A lot in a short time, relatively-speaking.

>From the death of Di Sarli in '59 to Tango Argentino, the story was
basically Copes, Piazzolla (always the infidel), Pugliese. And Tango por
export. 1, 2, 3, 4.

5, 6, 7, 8.

Well - everything those greats did tirelessly for decades - and everything
tango produced before that for decades - is now delicious fruit produced
hanging heavily on the vine.

As in every facet of our lives, the pace of change now is disruptive and
disconcerting.

Calling for calm. Like when we dance.

Change is life -  and tango is the dance which incorporated life and
change better than any other.

If things change, tango isn't going to die. It's success was
pre-programmed into it.

Just remember the narrow-minded people who were incensed when that
"stupid" bandoneon player started hanging around trying to play tango like
he belonged.

:-)