159  Costumes/Suggestions

Date: Wed, 22 Aug 2001 10:36:36 +1000
From: Adam Liddy <adam.liddy@MAIL.COM>
Subject: Costumes/Suggestions

Hi everyone,

I have just joined the list and am after some advice. I am doing a showcase
at the end of the year and have started thinking about my costume. I am
looking for some suggestions on what would be a good male costume, or if you
could point me in the right direction to some websites where I can get a
little inspiration that would be great.

Thanks

Adam

Date: Wed, 22 Aug 2001 11:08:56 -0400
From: Nitin Kibe <nkibe@WORLDBANK.ORG>
Subject: Re: Costumes/Suggestions

>I am doing a showcase at the end of the year and have started thinking about my
>costume. I am looking for some suggestions on what would be a good male

costume.

My suggestion is to not costume but to wear "normal" clothes instead. Why so?
One of the problems with "costume", particularly the 40s era "compadrito" look
for males, is that it gives the dance an "antique", "vintage", "obscure", dated
feel. But as we Listeros know, tango is simply not so.

Much better to dress in the fashions of the day and show a lay audience what a
"hip" couple can do (assuming the lady dresses mod too). Attracts more people
to the dance too.

Good wishes to all.

Nitin Kibe

Date: Wed, 22 Aug 2001 10:32:54 -0500
From: Stephen Brown <Stephen.P.Brown@DAL.FRB.ORG>
Subject: Re: Costumes/Suggestions

Nitin Kibe wrote:

>>I am doing a showcase at the end of the year and
>>have started thinking about my costume. I am
>>looking for some suggestions on what would be a
>>good male costume.

>My suggestion is to not costume but to wear "normal"
>clothes instead.

What no gaucho costumes?? ;-)

The videos of the contemporary tango shows Tango Magic, Tango X 2--Perfumes
de Tango, and Forever Tango provide some ideas of what contemporary male
tango dancers wear in tango shows. The clothing is fairly close to what I
think Nitin might mean by normal hip. Some of the older dancers, such as
Eduardo Arquimbau and Juan Carlos Copes, have worn suits with exaggerated
pinstriping, black shirts and light colored ties when giving performances.

--Steve (de Tejas)

Stephen Brown
Tango Argentino de Tejas
https://www.tejastango.com/

Date: Thu, 23 Aug 2001 14:40:52 +0100
From: Mike Lavocah <mlavocah@IPWIRELESS.COM>
Subject: Re: Costumes/Suggestions

I just want to agree wholeheartedly with Nitin Kibe's comments:

>My suggestion is to not costume but to wear "normal" clothes instead. Why

so?

>One of the problems with "costume", particularly the 40s era "compadrito"

look

>for males, is that it gives the dance an "antique", "vintage", "obscure",

dated

>feel. But as we Listeros know, tango is simply not so.

>"Much better to dress in the fashions of the day and show a lay audience

what a

>"hip" couple can do (assuming the lady dresses mod too). Attracts more

people

>to the dance too.

In Argentina tango is not something exotic, it is something normal. It is we
Europeans who have over-eroticized the dance, stripping tango of its broader
aspects, whilst the Argentines, who still look up to Europe, cater to our
tastes with "Tango for Export" (sic).

Dressing up is fun but in Europe it is invariably not the good men dancers
who arrive at a milonga attired in pinstripes, chambergo (Homburg hat) and
lengue (white scarf). For an Argentine this dress belongs to their heritage,
but for us it is an imposture. We may be tanguero and some of us may even
become milonguero but we will never be Argentine.

In a recent interview Junior Soares said that he didn't want to dance tango
the way people danced it in the 40s because he was not of the 40s. This is I
think a profound comment. Tango has to be integrated into life if it is to
have any lasting value and it up to us to present to the public something
that is, whilst well rooted in its traditions, still something modern and
relevant to people. Just look at the impact that the different tango shows
have had. Each show has attracted a different public. Tango Argentino showed
older couples being sexy and a dance that was on the ground, something that
the public could imagine themselves doing. More recently the shows have
become ever more flashy and acrobatic, with ever more emphasis on the visual
spectacle. They are very impressive, if you like that sort of thing, but my
experience is that these shows have drawn less people to the dance. I think
this is because they present a dance that is clearly not something that a
member of the audience could do; and many of those that these shows have
drawn have come in search of a flashy, visual tango and have not stuck
around.

It all depends what you want to do. If you want to impress your audience -
break out your compadrito outfit. If you believe that tango could be for
them - better not to.

Mike Lavocah
mailto:mike@milonga.co.uk
https://www.milonga.co.uk/