[Tango-L] No place left to dance

[HBBOOGIE1@aol.com]

Tom
We have attended all of the San Diego  Festivals and look forward to Dec 
31st. 2009.
We enjoy the music and the way  you organize the floor and of course the 
opportunity to dance with strangers  from all over the country.
This year we are putting our trust in you as the  organizer to provide a 
respectful floor so we can all enjoy the traditional  milongas “By Dancers for 
Dancers” that has always been your  hallmark.
Respectfully
David y Gloria


In a message dated  10/19/2009 11:10:58 P.M. Pacific Daylight Time, 
stermitz at tango.org writes:
As  the organizer for the Denver & San Diego festivals, I can reassure   
you that the concept of festivals for social dancing remains: "By   
Dancers; for Dancers". The milongas are arranged for social dancing:   
good djs, rectangular dance floor with tables and chairs around the   
periphery, tandas of traditional social tango, and cortinas for   
partner changing.

For Larry: Navigation is never as good as we would  like; It's not  
really as bad as we fear; there are often a few loose  cannons;  
tolerance helps.

For Ron: Homer Ladas is famous as a  skillful nuevo dancer. He is also  
extremely good at navigation and  social dancing. Jaimes Friedgen is  
not far behind. Brigitta Winkler  has studied extensively with Gustavo,  
has a long history at  performance dance, and was instrumental in the  
introduction of  milonguero to the US and Europe.

So, yes, all three are famous for their  nuevo talent, yet all three  
are extremely good social  dancers.

LOOK.

There are good navigators and bad navigators, no  matter what style.  
I'm well known as a milonguero teacher and  organizer, but the  
navigation issue is about social dancing, and  context (class, stage,  
practice, milonga), not style. The good nuevo  dancers all know how to  
dance socially and courteously in the milonga  context.

I agree that the loose cannons can be irritating, but I have  noticed a  
steady maturation of skill at the festivals over the  years.

I've also noticed as steady decline of navigation skill and  courtesy  
in Buenos Aires milongas since I first went there almost 15  years ago.


On Oct 19, 2009, at 10:37 PM, RonTango wrote:

>  ----- Original Message ----
>> From: Larry Richelli  <larryrichy at yahoo.com>
>>
>> This is good. I just wish  we could have separate festivals. For  
>> instance,  Denver
>> is advertised as a close embrace festival but man, it is not  longer  
>> this way.
>> You have two or three guys that  can dance open nuevo pretty good  
>> and 20 other
>> guy  that want to be just like them that can't. This has really  
>>  screwed up this
>> festival and the line of dance, even though they  have an alt  
>> milonga on one
>>  afternoon.
>
> I've been to Denver twice, in 2004 and 2005, and to  San Diego in  
> 2007 (same festival concept). Navigation was pretty  good in Denver  
> the times I went, but some of the locals in San  Diego didn't realize  
> it was a festival for social dancing rather  than showing how well  
> you could weave quickly in and out of the  line of dance. Now San  
> Diego 2010 has 2 prominent nuevo  instructors scheduled. One has to  
> wonder if Denver will follow  suit. It's beginning to look like there  
> may no longer be any  festivals in the US where a tango milonguero  
> dancer can find  solitude away from the nuevo invasion. It looks like  
> we will have  no other option than to go to Buenos Aires to find  
> milongas with  a supportive social dancing atmosphere. That wouldn't  
> be bad if  it weren't so far away.
>
> Ron

Tom  Stermitz
http://www.tango.org
Denver, CO  80207



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