201  Styles, Freedom, Etc.

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Date: Mon, 10 Sep 2001 13:57:53 -0700
From: Linda Valentino <lindavalentino@PRODIGY.NET>
Subject: Styles, Freedom, Etc.

Dear Listees:
We were fortunate to have just had those wonderful milongueros Gloria and
Eduardo Arquimbau here in L.A. for the last week. Some of us had many
conversations with them over several days, and I will here summarize, as
accurately as I can remember, what Eduardo had to say.

First, he had a different definition of tango styles (based on his more that
45 years dancing tango in the barrios of Buenos Aires, as well as on the
stage). He stated that salon tango was the old style of the walked
tango--no figures, not even ochos--just walking steps done very elegantly.
Tango of the '40s encompassed many more figures and turns, done either close
or with some separation (as Eduardo said, the man in '40s style tango has a
"brazo elastico" that opens and closes, thus creating the space he need for
dancing whatever figure he wants). Tango of the '50s (what we variously
refer to as club, milonguero, apilado, close embrace, etc.) is danced
without separation, using the "contra-tiempos" and lots of "playing" with
the rhythms. It does not pause and does not use a lot of complicated figures
and adornos, because they simply don't work with the music that is used most
commonly with that style. He also distinguished between "fantasia" and
"tango show." He says that fantasia is an elaboration on '40s-style tango
that added steps that required a complete breaking of the embrace and
separation of the partners. It also added extended stops and pauses for
adornos by both partners. "Tango show," according to Eduardo, fiurther
elaborates on fantasia, adding jumps, lifts and elements of other dance
styles, e.i, ballet, modern, etc.

In Eduardo's opinion, it is all tango. The problem is that there is a
confusion about WHERE these different types of tango are appropriately
danced. According to him, the social dance in the clubs of Buenos Aires was
and is limited to the styles of the '40s and '50s, depending on the club
you're dancing in, the space on the floor and the music being played. It
involves no ganchos and limited, low boleos because you must strictly
respect the other couples around you and the line of dance. Tango fantasia
and what people are calling "tango nuevo" were, according to Eduardo, born
in the practicas and remain there, as that is where it is appropriate to
experiment, play around, etc., and where you do not have the strict codigos
of the milongas. According to him, fantasia, tango show and "nuevo tango"
are appropriate for exhibition, but are NOT done in the milongas, as just
about anybody who has had a lot of experience down there can tell you.

Frankly, although I may have my personal preferences, I don't care whether
people do '40s style or '50s style or some of the more "primitivo" forms of
tango, i.e., canyengue, in the milongas, as long as they dance to the
music, follow line of dance and don't crash into the people around them. If
you wish to do fantasia, show tango or nuevo, who cares? But just do it in
the practicas, on the stage or in exhibitions where it's appropriate and
doesn't interfere with everybody else's dancing. Why is this so difficult to
understand?

The other observation that Eduardo made is the tendency for Americans to mix
styles within one tango, which he thinks looks really bad. He (and other
teachers I've spoken to) believe that it's fine to dance more than one
style, but that you dance only one style within one tango, depending on the
music. If you're dancing to D'Arienzo, for example, you don't start off
dancing '50s style and then start throwing in elements of '40s style.

I know that Eduardo and Gloria gave some wonderful lectures on the history
of tango at Norah's tango week and maybe some who were there can add to this
or correct me if I misstated something he said.

--Linda Valentino


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