[Tango-L] Why are you dancing tango if they are not playing tango?

[Steve Littler]

On 5/7/2010 5:44 PM, AJ Azure wrote:
> Nothing wrong with having reasonable realistic standards.
> As for being able to predict the next footstep because you're used to a
> pre-recorded piece, you've just mentioned the most boring aspect of dancing.
> Predictability. That's a dance routine.
Ahh...the pre-recorded music may be the same, but my dance 
interpretation never is. And thus never boring.

I want to know how each phrase goes, when the next one starts, and plan 
my choreography on the fly and be ready to change on ANY beat if need 
be. And I want to know exactly when the song ends for my interpretation. 
The dance floor dynamic constantly changes - spaces close or open 
suddenly, new couples enter the floor, someone suddenly takes back steps 
against the line of dance. I want at least one variable to remain 
constant on a crowded dance floor.

If I am unfamiliar with the music, I have to be much more conservative 
and just dance on the beat (until I become familiar with the song) and 
if even that isn't constant - well, its not enjoyable for me. Which of 
course will transmit to my partner, which I never want to happen.

My goal in dancing Tango is not mastery of every possible step 
combination. But the intimate connection with this great music and with 
my partner and sharing an amazing magical 3 minutes together.

To me, the joy of the Golden Age classics is that they are sufficiently 
grand to remain fresh and full sounding time after time. Similar to how 
Michael Jackson or Elvis Presley classics still make me want to jump up 
and dance. Classics are by nature, timeless and make me want to hit the 
dance floor every time.

El Stevito de Gainesville