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

[Gordon Erlebacher]

You are correct Michael, we like to dissect. By the way, any dance that 
is not improvised, is by definition, not social. Of course, if 
improvised, it might be show or social.

I like the following from your post:

"social dancing's objective is pleasing your partner; stage 
(performance) dancing is pleasing the audience or those not dancing"

although I have found out that one can make your partner do ganchos, 
high boleos, colgadas, etc. and she will be really pleased if she likes 
that kind of stuff (quite a few women do). That does not make it social 
dancing. Personally, as long as people do not crash into each other, and 
respect the space or lack thereof on the dance floor, which changes 
continuously, they can dance as they wish. I will simply say that I was 
at Gricel with my teacher a year ago, we were seated at a table at the 
edge of the dance floor, and my teacher got kicked by a woman dancing. 
Surely that woman might have been pleased by her partner, but she was 
NOT social dancing.

    Gordon




On 12/25/10 2:10 PM, Michael wrote:
> 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
>
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