[Tango-L] Segregation of Tango Events

[Tango Society of Central Illinois]

It's amazing that less than 5 minutres ago I posted a message to the
'Argentine Tango' network that expresses the same sentiment. There are
probably more of us thinking the same thing. I am replicating my
message here:

Ron

----

As is evident by the messages on this forum and even more so from an
ongoing discussion on Tango-L, there is considerable conflict between
nuevo and traditional tango in many parts of the world. There is
conflict over musical preferences (classic tango from the 30s, 40s,
and 50s versus a wider variety of music for dancing tango, including
non-tango music). There is often conflict over the use of space
(space-exploring nuevo versus compact milonguero). There is a simple
solution for this conflict – segregation of events. This is what is
done in Buenos Aires. If you want to dance nuevo to non-traditional
music, there is Villa Malcolm, Practica X, La Viruta, L Marshall and a
few other places. If you want to dance tango milonguero, there are
about 100 traditional milongas to choose from. If you go to a
traditional milonga, it is understood that you hear only classic tango
music and that your movements should be compact and follow the line of
dance. If you go to a nuevo event, you can expect to hear
non-traditional music and find people who will use space consuming
moves and not necessarily progress along the line of dance. Most
people in Buenos Aires respect the culture of the tango venue they
attend. Some people attend both types of venues and modify their
dancing style to fit the environment.

If venues for dancing tango in the US (for example) were clearly
labeled as ‘alternative’ or ‘traditional’, most dancers would know
what to expect if they attended. If these same dancers then followed
the customs of the event they attend, the conflicts would be
minimized.

In most US tango communities, expansive space-consuming dancing with a
desire for non-traditional music represents the majority of people who
identify themselves as tango dancers. Even when a milonga is organized
by a traditional tanguero, there is a good possibility that the
majority of the dancers will be nontraditional, and this mode of
dancing will create the atmosphere for the event. This is because
there is insufficient sensitivity to the desires of traditionalists to
create an atmosphere where dancing has an introspective
partner-oriented quality versus an extroverted quality. Thus, it
becomes difficult for tango traditionalists to find a suitable milonga
environment. Even at tango festivals advertised as oriented towards
‘social dancing’, the increasing influx of nuevoists, causing an
increased need for defensive navigation, has made achieving an
introspective, partner-oriented atmosphere more difficult.

If dancers cannot respect the aims of milonga organizers, then there
is another option – attendance by invitation. About a year ago, after
repeated frustration at the chaotic space utilization environment set
by some dancers in our local community (some nuevoists, some just
poorly skilled in navigation) we made a decision to limit the
dissemination of information about our milongas to dancers who we knew
would respect the atmosphere we have been trying to create. Attendance
has decreased so we moved to a smaller space. However, despite this,
the atmosphere at our milongas has improved significantly. We have
been able to achieve an environment of almost everyone dancing space
conscious tango milonguero to classic tango music. (Since we advertise
on our website, we still occasionally have people attend who have not
yet mastered navigation.) In the absence of the need to take evasive
action when navigating on the dance floor, the morale of our dancers
has also improved significantly.  I suggest that other milonga
organizers consider this option if you cannot achieve the atmosphere
you desire otherwise.



On Mon, Oct 5, 2009 at 7:16 PM,  <HBBOOGIE1 at aol.com> wrote:
> Here’s my opinion.
> There are many styles and  techniques taught around the world and also with
> that teaching we were taught to  respect the line of dance and to respect
> others on the dance floor. I would hope  everyone agrees with this statement.
> Let’s face it we have good and bad  dancers in all styles that either don’
> t know this rule or simply choose to  ignore it. The problem is we have all
> learned to cope with these people who  dance “traditional tango” open or
> closed embrace because even though they are  disrupting the floor it’s on a
> relatively small scale.
>
> Now along comes  Nuevo and the disruption is bigger and more dangerous to
> others because they are  being taught big sweeping moves and changes of
> direction which makes it hard for  others to cope with on a social floor.
> I don’t think the discussion should  be “What is Nuevo?” come on people we
> all know what Nuevo is. The discussion  should be “Where should Nuevo be
> danced?
> Ask yourself this, can I dance Nuevo  on a Saturday night at El Beso or Lo
> de Celia ? It’s not a trick question and we  all know the answer.
> Nuevo should be treated like Salsa or Swing and have  their own venues they
> could be very popular and profitable too. How about a  Nuevo Festival “By
> Nuevo dancers for Nuevo dancers”  This could solve a lot  of disputes.
>