484 Generic Tango and Personal Expression
Date: Wed, 27 Mar 2002 13:24:04 -0600
From: Stephen Brown <Stephen.P.Brown@DAL.FRB.ORG>
Subject: Generic Tango and Personal Expression
I think we all recognize that dancing tango offers an opportunity for inner
expression. (At least many of us pay lip service to that homily.) In
watching people dance tango in a number of communities, however, I have
noticed a number of dancers who have adopted one of several generic styles
of tango and use complicated moves to separate themselves from the rest of
the dancers.
These seemingly accomplished dancers still look generic to my eyes... If
one is interested in personal expression, it would seem fairly obvious that
the use of a generic style has little to recommend. What seems to be less
obvious is that the addition of complicated moves does not transform a
generic style into one that is uniquely personal. The use of complicated
moves in a generic style may express someone else's vision, a lack of
grace, an inability to create, ignorance (willful or otherwise) or a desire
to show off (but with little that is of oneself).
With best regards,
Steve
Stephen Brown
Tango Argentino de Tejas
https://www.tejastango.com/
Date: Wed, 27 Mar 2002 15:51:46 -0500
From: Tanguero Chino <tanguerochino@NETSCAPE.NET>
Subject: Re: Generic Tango and Personal Expression
Stephen Brown <Stephen.P.Brown@DAL.FRB.ORG> wrote:
>These seemingly accomplished dancers still look generic to my eyes... If
>one is interested in personal expression, it would seem fairly obvious that
>the use of a generic style has little to recommend. What seems to be less
>obvious is that the addition of complicated moves does not transform a
>generic style into one that is uniquely personal.
>
What is the definition of generic style anyway?
Contrary to Stephen's conclusion, these dancers are expressing what they wanted expressed. They are saying "Look at me. I am a good dancer." Sort of like the teenager who dresses to shock.
> I think we all recognize that dancing tango offers an opportunity for
> inner expression.
The dancers who insert complicated steps for show purposes are certainly not concentrating on anything "inner". However, two accomplished dancers, with the right music, chemistry and inspiration, do have the possibility to achieve a tango nirvana that seems very external, able to create seemingly complicated steps. However, this is always accompanied, if not preceeded, by that inner tango nirvana that is not obvious to the audience.
Tango nirvana to all.
--
Date: Wed, 27 Mar 2002 14:05:03 -0800
From: david hodgson <tangoman7@YAHOO.COM>
Subject: Re: Generic Tango and Personal Expression
> What is the definition of generic style anyway?
Hmmm... interesting question.
My take on the topic of generic style is someone who
gets dressed up in an all white outfit and has the
word "lead" or "follow" embrodered on their chest in
black/bold letters.
David~
=====
Apocalypse---An important event that you probably can't find a Hallmark card for.
Date: Wed, 27 Mar 2002 18:44:19 -0600
From: "Frank G. Williams" <frankw@MAIL.AHC.UMN.EDU>
Subject: Re: Generic Tango and Personal Expression
Friends,
Tanguero Chino wrote:
> What is the definition of generic style anyway?
>
> Contrary to Stephen's conclusion, these dancers are expressing what they wanted expressed. They are saying "Look at me. I am a good dancer." Sort of like the teenager who dresses to shock.
Excellent question. What IS generic style? We could all recognize
dancing that might seem very generic, but we might not agree well about
what that is...
I read Stephen's conclusion as: dancers who are saying, "look at my
flashy technique" often show that they are NOT well developed in tango.
The insecure dancer who thinks that their stature depends on how many
figures they know is like the insecure teenager who thinks that their
attractiveness depends on what they wear. A preoccupation with the
superficial, outwardly evident elements of tango is typical of beginners
for whom 'tango feeling' is little more than an abstraction. I recall
as a beginner watching dancers who were very much swept away by the
music and thinking that they were skilled in creating the *illusion* of
emotionality! How naive of me! I could have not guessed back then that
such a connection could exist, nor how to achieve it.
Now I understand that every dancer develops uniquely - technically,
musically and emotionally - each quality at its own rate and in some
measure to the dancer's talent. I've met beginners with elementary
technique who transmit more tango feeling than some seasoned teachers.
[Fortunately, one came out of the woodwork just this month here in MSP]
I would never criticize dancers who only want to 'play with' tango
movement and music. But those who look generic seem to only copy the
tango movements of others without insight into the musical and
interpersonal context in which they were created. I prefer to watch
those who understand the *inner beauty* of tango and let it shine
through their movements. Their dance has magnetism. It transmits
feeling and personality. Regardless whether their steps are simple or
complicated, it is totally obvious when they 'feel the tango'.
un abrazo tanguero,
Frank - Minneapolis
Frank G. Williams, Ph.D. University of Minnesota
frankw@mail.ahc.umn.edu Dept. of Neuroscience
(612) 625-6441 (office) 321 Church Street SE
(612) 624-4436 (lab) Minneapolis, MN 55455
(612) 281-3860 (cellular/home)
Date: Thu, 28 Mar 2002 11:49:22 -0500
From: Maria Lemus <mlemus@THE-BEACH.NET>
Subject: Generic Tango and Personal Expression
Hello all,
I am new to tango but having been studying dance for most of my life.
What I can tell so far is that as in other forms of dance, there are
dancers who move from the outside in, intellectually; there are
dancers who move from the inside out, intuitively. This is the
difference between a technician and an artist. It's true that after
hard work and practice technique becomes second nature, opening up
the possibility for personal expression, passion, artistry -- making
the movement your own, but with the freshness and magic of dancing
the same dance for the first time. Still, I've been bored to tears
at some ballet performances because everyone on stage was a fabulous
technician. Clean, but no personality. It's all about ego and about
communicating superficially with the audience but not really saying
anything meaningful. But I've also been brought to tears by some
handicap performers who danced straight from the heart, where every
single move meant somet hing profound.
I suppose that in tango, as a woman, I've caught myself dancing too
intellectually wondering what I look like or what the next step is.
When I just move from the heart and follow the lead, the dance goes
smoothly. This is a major leap of faith for dancers coming from other
disciplines, used to dancing by themselves. I see some dancers in
tango class who are not classically trained but move beautifully,
spontaneously, not at all "generic" and very personal. I think
that's one reason why I've fallen in love with tango, because whether
or not the steps are wholly "correct" one is definitely "dancing" and
speaking a beautiful interior language with another person. It
doesn't matter if there's a public audience or not, your partner is
your audience. It's a wonderful "performing" space to be in.
Best,
Maria
Date: Fri, 29 Mar 2002 12:04:57 -0700
From: Tom Stermitz <stermitz@RAGTIME.ORG>
Subject: Re: Generic Tango and Personal Expression
>Hello all,
>
>I am new to tango but having been studying dance for most of my life.
> What I can tell so far is that as in other forms of dance, there are
>dancers who move from the outside in, intellectually; there are
>dancers who move from the inside out, intuitively. This is the
>difference between a technician and an artist. It's true that after
>hard work and practice technique becomes second nature, opening up
>the possibility for personal expression, passion, artistry -- making
>the movement your own, but with the freshness and magic of dancing
>the same dance for the first time. Still, I've been bored to tears
>at some ballet performances because everyone on stage was a fabulous
>technician. Clean, but no personality. It's all about ego and about
>communicating superficially with the audience but not really saying
>anything meaningful. But I've also been brought to tears by some
>handicap performers who danced straight from the heart, where every
>single move meant somet hing profound.
>...
>Best,
>
>Maria, mlemus@THE-BEACH.NET
My wife who is a dancer has the same perspective.
Tango is interesting because it is a revival dance, with much of the
growth taking outside its formative culture, Buenos Aires.
What does it mean to teach tango to a non-argentine, someone who has
never seen the dance, or perhaps only carries images of Ballroom
Tango, or the acrobatic stage tango?
How do you teach the cultural aspects? The "authentic" (there it is
again!)? The male-female energy? The Music?
Things are a LOT better than 5 years ago. Most of the local US
teachers in most communities have visited Argentina, once if not
several times. Most of the DJs have good collections of music, and
have also been to Buenos Aires to hear and watch how the Argentine
DJs nurture the energy, and which music works best.
More and more people understand the difference between social tango
and performance tango. Even if they love and study fancy figures,
when they go out to dance socially they know how to fit into the
energy and circulation of the social floor.
Most of all, communities have core groups of dancers with 4, 8 or
even 10 years of experience, who have taken time to learn tango well,
and have practiced it until it is "in their bones" if not in their
hearts & souls.
Beginners and newcomers now have good examples to watch, so they
start with a better understanding of what tango really should be.
When I started 7 years ago, it wasn't anything like that!
The way I first learned tango didn't get me very far on my first trip
to Buenos Aires. I came back determined to figure out how to dance
and teach "the way they do it in Buenos Aires".
Oddly, I've seen a lot of "master" teachers who don't seem to have
this perspective.
What do I value?
- Rhythm: The basis of musicality. The real "Basic" of tango.
- Connection: This isn't stylistic, it is key. It may also be cultural.
- Tango has four connections: The Ground, The Music, Your Partner & The Crowd.
- Male-female energy: Confident masculine chest, confident feminine surrender.
- Internal not external: Tango comes from your heart & soul, your
gut, your center.
I wouldn't describe any of these things as "technique"?
--
Tom Stermitz
2612 Clermont St
Denver, CO 80207
home: 303-388-2560
cell: 303-725-5963
Date: Fri, 29 Mar 2002 15:35:08 -0600
From: Stephen Brown <Stephen.P.Brown@DAL.FRB.ORG>
Subject: Re: Generic Tango and Personal Expression
Maria wrote:
>This is the difference between a technician and an artist.
>It's true that after hard work and practice technique becomes
>second nature, opening up the possibility for personal expression,
>passion, artistry -- making the movement your own, but with the
>freshness and magic of dancing the same dance for the first time.
Tom Stermitz replied:
>What do I value?
> - Rhythm: The basis of musicality. The real "Basic" of tango.
> - Connection: This isn't stylistic, it is key. It may also be cultural.
> - Tango has four connections: The Ground, The Music, Your Partner & The
Crowd.
> - Male-female energy: Confident masculine chest, confident feminine
surrender.
> - Internal not external: Tango comes from your heart & soul, your
> gut, your center.
>I wouldn't describe any of these things as "technique"?
Some might go a little further and argue that technique and artistry tend
to be mutually exclusive. Casual observation may suggest that thought is
true. But I would question such observations. The development of
technique can free the dancer for self-expression. It is only the
development of technique to the exclusion of personal expression that
creates a lifeless, generic-seeming dance.
Furthermore, no style of tango--milonguero, salon, fantasia, nuevo, or a
salon-fantasia blend--means anything without the personal expression that
creates the artistry that Maria and Tom are discussing. To unknowledgable
observer, however, generic dancing in one of the more showy styles may be
more interesting to watch. The question for each dancer, who is not an
entertainer, is which styles allow that individual to express oneself more
fully.
Abrazos,
Steve
Stephen Brown
Tango Argentino de Tejas
https://www.tejastango.com/
Date: Sat, 30 Mar 2002 17:08:40 -0800
From: "Larry E. Carroll" <larrydla@JUNO.COM>
Subject: Re: Generic Tango and Personal Expression
Steve writes
> Some might ... argue that technique and artistry tend to be
> mutually exclusive. ... I would question [this]. The
> development of technique can free the dancer for self-expression.
> It is only the development of technique to the exclusion of
> personal expression that creates a lifeless ... dance.
I agree. If tango is like speaking, think of a robot talking - or
some of those people who speak as if they were robots. No changes
in volume, no pauses, no emphasis on some words, no emotional cues
from face or body.
Think of all the people you know who dance like robots. Their
technique might be great, but it is all and only acrobatics. Fun to
do certainly, but shallow.
But this is not the fault of technique. Technique is the first and
absolutely necessary step. In dancing or in speaking, to develop a
personal style, to express profound feelings in a moving way, we
must first have vocabulary and grammar ingrained in us so well that
we no longer think about them. Know words and structure so well
that we can creatively break the rules and mangle the words. Like
deliberately saying a malaprop to make a joke - or (as I am doing
in this paragraph) punctuating phrases to make them look like
sentences. To "sound" like separate sentences as we silently
"speak" them while we read them.
Tango dance can be an order of magnitude more expressive than any
other social dance. We can speed up or slow down on any step of a
figure. We can even stop completely for short times. Tango has a
larger vocabulary of basic moves than any other social dance.
Indeed, we can use almost any movement that we find in other
dances. Tango has adornos, which can be used like raising an
eyebrow while speaking, or smiling wryly - to add to the apparent
meaning of something said or done. And so on.
In the end, as some milongueros say, we dance who we are. If we are
not creative, we cannot dance creatively. If we are people of
shallow emotions, faking deeper ones will usually seem fake. If we
only want to impress onlookers, we are unlikely to speak to the
inner being of our dance partners.
But without technique, no matter how deep our hearts and large our
minds, we are mute Miltons, unheard even by ourselves.
Larry de Los Angeles
https://home.att.net/~larrydla
Date: Fri, 29 Mar 2002 16:48:15 -0700
From: "Bruno E. Romero" <romerob@CADVISION.COM>
Subject: Re: Generic Tango and Personal Expression
<How do you teach the cultural aspects? The "authentic" (there it is
again!)? The male-female energy? The Music?>
My two cents worth:
Perhaps one way to begin is by showing the students our definition of what
is "authentic".
Authentic for me is:
To understand the character of each dance style tango, milonga, waltz and
how each style differs in terms of its compas(rhthym), beat, interpreters,
etc.
To understand how each dance style influences my dance. Which tango dance
style goes well with my personality and character?
To understand that connecting to my partner is more important than fancy
steps I can lead her to do.
To understand that tango is a feeling and not a set of choreographed
routines.
To follow knowledgeable advice from Tango Masters in how to dance Tango. For
example, to dance Tango is not necessary to get your partner to do jumps, or
perform many firuletes basically the essence of tango is shown or kept on
the floor (Antonio Todaro?).
Bruno
Date: Mon, 1 Apr 2002 21:43:47 -0500
From: Natarajan Balasundara <rajan@EMC.COM>
Subject: Re: Generic Tango and Personal Expression
Stephen Brown wrote:
>Some might go a little further and argue that technique and artistry
> tend to be mutually exclusive.
I wonder if one might be going too far in saying that.
Perhaps there is a middleground as Stanley Kunitz seems to have
( in the audio segment
https://realserver.bu.edu:8080/ramgen/w/b/wbur/connection/audio/2001/09/c
on_0903b.rm
around 23rd minute into the 51 minute conversation, using the slidebar,
part of https://www.theconnection.org/archive/2001/09/0903b.shtml)
Both gardening, his hobby and writing poetry, his work are:
"An adjudication between the concept of wilderness which is also
desirable and the concept of form -- formal design, for example -- which
I think has to be resisted in a garden as in a poem..."
rajan.
