[Tango-L] What's in a name?

[Michael]

Shakespeare answered that question in Romeo and Juliet with Juliet saying "That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet."

There have been a numerous posts in the thread "Tango Salon or Show?" Other terms have been thrown into the discussion: milonguero, apilado, performance, social and I don't remember the rest. A few years ago I thought it was important to know the difference. Today, I'm not so sure. These distinctions remind me of ballroom and Latin competitions. Each dance has bronze, silver, and gold syllabi with each level having prescribed figures. 

The National Dance Council of America (NDCA) wrote a rule book for ballroom and Latin competitions that defines the levels. Is this the direction the list wants to go, looking for a supreme organization to define tango terms?

The major divisions I see in tango are traditional music vs. alternative music; close embrace vs. open, and social vs. stage (performance.) To me, social dancing's objective is pleasing your partner; stage (performance) dancing is pleasing the audience or those not dancing. How many dancers ask their partner FIRST if they dance close embrace, nuevo, open, milonguero, apilado, salon, or some other style before going onto the floor?

These discussions read like a group of mathematicians discussing Fermat's theorem. It's very exciting to mathematicians, but not to many others.

I'm going back to reading a boring book for most people: Annuities for Dummies. If you're planning for retirement or have retired, this is a good book for financial planning. For most people on this list, it has no appeal.



Michael
Washington, DC
Milonga tonight, followed by snow tomorrow; what a wonderful combination
I danced Argentine Tango --with the Argentines