1726  BA now, was Absurdities, etc.

Date: Mon, 18 Aug 2003 12:33:41 -0500
From: "Frank G. Williams" <frankw@MAIL.AHC.UMN.EDU>
Subject: BA now, was Absurdities, etc.

Greetings Friends,



Robert wrote:

>>The old dancers I have seen and admired dance as complex a dance as they

want regardless of the crowding. They know how to dance in the space they
stand in. They know how to share the space around them with the other
dancers. ... This skill is necessary if you want to dance among the
milongueros in Buenos Aires.<<



One thing I enjoy about Rick McGarrey's posts is they expose the breadth of
tango experiences one can find if willing to look. Last time down (a couple
weeks ago) I was not so adventurous (and was busy with other things) so I
just went to places in Palermo where the air was not so smoky (air
conditioning).



There were a few of the good older milongueros around. Robert is right-on
when he says they know how to share the space. It's not that they're giving
gifts, it's that they're not being boneheads. The number of 'challenging'
leaders in the milongas I visited remains a testament to the increasing
number of beginners in BA. The best way to enjoy oneself is to get in the
ronda behind one of the 'venerables' (and if possible ahead of another one,
but that's a lot to ask!), and then just stick to the outside. Without the
predictable conditions they provide, you can plan on an experience similar
to driving on the streets. That is, you alone are responsible for
protecting your space! It's a bit disruptive, though sometimes necessary,
to fend somebody off with your right hand or an elbow. Its more subtle for
your follower and almost as effective to let the on-rusher encounter a solid
right index finger that doesn't yield. My advice, guys, is to watch not
only for the followers you might like to invite, but just as importantly,
watch for other leaders around whom you can enjoy yourself.



Those who place great intellectual importance in the 'style' of tango to
which they adhere probably haven't had to deal with conditions like these.
You're at Canning at 2AM on a weekend? Have fun dancing on a postage stamp!
Forget about walking - in one whole song you may be able to move 40 feet
down LOD. ...better to go someplace else where there are fewer
'dignitaries' but a little more floor. Even then, you have to be able to
use space when it's there and still enjoy when it's not. IMHO, If you want
to enjoy and interpret *the music* under typical BA milonga conditions, no
single 'style of tango' is sufficient.



Best,



Frank in Minneapolis



Frank G. Williams, Ph.D.

University of Minnesota

612-625-6441



Department of Neuroscience

6-145 Jackson Hall

321 Church Street SE

Minneapolis, MN 55455



Department of Veterinary Pathobiology

205 Veterinary Science

1971 Commonwealth Ave.

St. Paul, MN 55108