422  Olympics and Tango

Date: Thu, 14 Feb 2002 20:07:54 -0500
From: Michael B Ditkoff <tangomaniac@JUNO.COM>
Subject: Olympics and Tango

Below is commentary I wrote for the October 13 Capital Tangueros
(Washington, DC) newsletter of tango events.

What can we learn from the Olympics?

The Winter Olympics began last Friday night. (I didn t see it. I was at
a milonga. Nevertheless, I m sure I ll watch some of it.) What can we
learn from the Olympics that will help our dancing?
Figure Skating is the most popular sport of the winter Olympics, as
judged by the previous television ratings. In some ways, the competition
is like dance competitions. There are required figures to be executed. In
dance competitions, promenades are required. In skating competitions,
salchows and double axles are required.
Up until 1990, compulsory figures were part of the singles figure
skating competition. Skaters had to execute figures which were then
measured by judges. Guess what? An ocho was a required figure. Not only
was the figure judged, the skater had to skate the figure using a
prescribed part of the blade. Judges would study and grade the ocho
against a perfect tracing of an ocho. Points were deducted if the skater
was outside the line or if there were additional tracings caused by
putting the other foot down or wobbling. The figures emphasized
TECHNIQUE. ).
During pairs competition, if something goes wrong and one skater falls,
do you see the man lecture the woman about what she (supposedly) did
wrong? No. But you ll see that happening at a milonga , RIGHT IN THE
MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC!! (I just want to lead my partner to give the man a
good, strong boleo to get him out of the way!)
There are TWO scores in the competition. The first is the technical mark
for technique. It reflects the difficulty of the program as well as the
clean execution of all the spins, footwork, and jumps. The second is the
presentation mark, sometimes called artistic interpretation. How well did
the figures blend in with the music (timing and melody)? It is also a
measure of the skaters' ability to interpret their chosen music, make
good use of the ice surface, and skate with speed, sureness, and
effortless carriage. At milongas, too many times, I see couples moving
to music NOT BEING PLAYED!! It seems the man is compelled to squeeze in a
figure, regardless if it fits or not.
Just think. If YOUR dancing was judged for technical merit and artistic
interpretation, what type of score would YOU get? A flashy figure poorly
executed may give you a high presentation mark, but will undoubtedly give
you a low technical merit score. So the question is Is it worthwhile to
try a figure that is way beyond your skill level which causes one or both
partners to lose balance? Think about it the next time you re on the
dance floor.
The Olympics teach me that simple figures executed well are better than
trying difficult figures that are just beyond my skill level today.
Tomorrow is open for improvement!!

Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2002 11:02:07 -0800
From: Larry Duke <auto_d20@YAHOO.COM>
Subject: Re: Olympics and Tango

--- Michael B Ditkoff <tangomaniac@JUNO.COM> wrote:

> During pairs competition, if something goes
> wrong and one skater falls,
> do you see the man lecture the woman about what she
> (supposedly) did
> wrong? No. But you ll see that happening at a
> milonga , RIGHT IN THE
> MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC!! (I just want to lead my partner
> to give the man a
> good, strong boleo to get him out of the way!)

That's not good sportsmanship, Michael.

> Just think. If YOUR dancing was judged for
> technical merit and artistic
> interpretation, what type of score would YOU get? A
> flashy figure poorly
> executed may give you a high presentation mark, but
> will undoubtedly give
> you a low technical merit score. So the question is

Wrong, Michael. A poorly executed jump will lower the
presentation mark also, as it damages the flow of the
program and is not a "pretty" sight.

It makes no sense to compare social dancing with the
Olimpics. There are no judges at the local milongas,
except in their own minds.

A great tango dancer can lead his partner through a
fantastic dance, without doing even one back ocho.
Think about that one.

Salud,
El Duke.