[Tango-L] Nuevo ? Here?s my opinion

[newtonr@mscd.edu]

Perhaps too, not everything from class is intended for the traditional 
milonga, but more so for the development of the tanguero/a as a dancer 
and understanding of the dance of tango. 

Some thirty years ago I was a tournament fighter in karate. In terms of 
karate, one can, by observation, identify karate styles, Japanese style 
(Shotokan), Korean style (Tai Kwon Do), and Chinese style (Kung Fu). 
For those who practiced Japanese style, one could, by observation, 
differentiate between the styles of the three major schools (or 
traditions) in Japan. As a North American teen, first exposed to karate 
in the U.S. in the late 1960s, it all looked the same. Afterwhich, 
anyone with some expertise in the martial arts began to say that Tai 
Kwon Do is not karate, but distinctly Tai Kwon Do, same for KungFu. 
This is the same contention within styles debated in Argentine tango. 

A karate fighter excels in tournament play by adapting his own personal 
style, within the style of his discipline, within the rules of the 
competition, relying only on a few techniques; timing, speed and 
reaction are far more important. This similarity in tango can be 
extended to the milonga. A leader only needs a handful of techniques, 
executed well and perhaps polished with a personal style, but 
musicality and connection are far more important. 

Karate training was separate from tournament play but essential for its 
success. Tango seminars on shared axis, volcadas, colgadas, and the 
practice thereof at practica can be separate from the traditional 
milonga experience, but are essential for development, understanding of 
the foundation of tango and tango style, and development of personal 
ability and style. 

The standard subscription in tournament play, to allow the many 
different styles to compete, was the tournament rules. In a miloga, 
these would be the codas, including line-of-dance, no lifts or high 
boleos, no zigzagging or passing, etc.