4196  Correction to Michael's comment on Denver dance

Date: Mon, 1 May 2006 16:09:21 -0600
From: Tom Stermitz <stermitz@tango.org>
Subject: [Tango-L] Correction to Michael's comment on Denver dance
floors
To: tango-l@mit.edu

I need to correct something in Michael's comments about the dance
floors at the Denver Tango Festivals.

Only the Friday night milonga is in a crowded night club setting
where it may be "difficult to breath". This is the charm (for some),
and the bane (for others). But, most would agree that the atmosphere
at the Mercury Cafe feels like their image of a Tango Nightclub.

The Tango Colorado Outdoor Milonga and BBQ is in a huge greek-column
pavilion in a park, and 450 people find plenty of room to move.

The Hotel Ballroom Milongas have plenty of space for someone with
decent navigation skills, but would probably not work for someone who
wants to do a lot of bigger movements.


CREATING CONTEXT FOR SOCIAL DANCING

The floors and ballrooms are carefully arranged for social dancing:
- The floor has a clearly indicated perimeter
- The floor is rectangular, without obstructions.
- Walkers have space OFF the floor so they don't disturb the dancers
- Tables are arrange OFF the floor so you can sit and watch
- Lights are bright enough so you can signal to a partner
- Sound system is good and sound levels are uniform

More importantly, the dancers are experienced and courteous. Half
have been to Buenos Aires, and probably 80% have been to festivals
before and understand the codes for good navigating:
- Lanes progress steadily around the room, neither racing nor
staying in one place
- Dancers don't run into others, race up close to them, or do wild
kicks
- Starting out, the leader waits, then merges onto traffic

The DJs are very experienced. They use sets of like-music and breaks
(tandas & cortinas) for people to mix with each other. They know how
to manage the ebb and flow of emotions and energy, moving from
traditional to more modern music with artistry and sensitivity.


HITTING ON ALL CYLINDERS

I raise these ideas because they are kind of universal for social
dancing. First, it is up to the dancers to fit in courteously with
the rest of the dancers. Second, the milonga organizer has the power
to "create the context" for good dancing.

If you think about it, setting up a good milonga (for social dancing)
is about arranging all the factors to make it work well. You can miss
one or two details and it still usually works, but people have an
electric experience when it all comes together.

The result: You get everyone navigating nicely and dancing above
their normal ability.

That is why I disagree with Michael's comment about difficulty of
breathing.


IT IS ALL ABOUT CONTEXT

The arguments about close or open, nuevo, fantasy, social-salon or
milonguero are really about what is appropriate to the context, not
which style is good or bad.

On stage, slick back your hair, wear a slit skirt and boa, or a
fedora and a scarf. At a practice, wear dance sneakers and jazz
pants. At an elegant salon in Buenos Aires, wear a suit jacket. At an
afternoon or evening neighborhood milonga, wear a party dress or
slacks and a dress shirt.

Or break all the rules if you want: Wear torn jeans on stage, suit
jacket to a practice...


OTHER CONTEXTS?

I'd be interested in how other milonga organizers create the context
to encourage Fantasy, Social Salon, Milonguero or Nuevo.


On May 1, 2006, at 2:23 PM, Michael wrote:

> When I say social dancing, I mean dancing on a crowded dance
> floor where there is insufficient space for wild figures.
> Based on Sergio's description of the video, it sounded like
> a lot of room is necessary because he wanted to see somebody
> execute Andres's figures in close embrace.
>
> If Andres and his partner have the entire floor to
> themselves for their video, they can do anything. If they go
> to Tom Stermitz's Memorial Day Festival in Denver, they
> won't have the space. I went to last year's festival and
> found I barely had enough room to breathe.
>
> My definition of social tango is dancing on a crowded dance
> floor where navigation is more important than figures. At
> the last all night milonga in New York, a careless woman
> executed a very high boleo, kicking my partner in the ribs.
> The second time she kicked the table we were sitting.
> ...
> Michael
> Washington, DC
> Allergies better today

"Suspicion of strangers is a common human trait. But so is
curiosity, even fascination. There's a reason that Romeo and Juliet
is considered timeless. The social structure has to fight hard to
keep each new generation in line."

Tom Stermitz
https://www.tango.org