89  Tango Dress

Date: Thu, 12 Jul 2001 23:14:36 -0700
From: "Larry E. Carroll" <larrydla@JUNO.COM>
Subject: Tango Dress

Thanks for your nice words about my book. As for your question
about clothing...

Different people dress differently. Ladies often dress up a lot,
but younger women sometimes dress casual or funky if they're
really into making a statement about being young and hip. So do
some young men. This is true in Buenos Aires, also. Men also
tend to dress up a bit (whatever that means to them) in the tango
scene, though not as much as women.

There is no particular costume for tango, except that (as in any
dancing) you want clothes that are cool, comfortable, give you
freedom of movement - and express your personality. Tango is,
after all, an improvisational dance that lets you be an
individual. You may as well chose clothes that do the same.

I generally wear a jacket, long-sleeved shirt, and tie, but bring
a couple of short-sleeved shirts or light sweaters. When I get
too warm I can take the tie off and open the top button or two.
Warmer still and I'll change to short-sleeves. With them I can
wear the jacket or not, which I might want to do for the look, or
because I want to rest or chat and start to cool off too much.
In other words, I choose flexibility of look over sticking with
the same clothes the entire night. Women will appreciate it that
you don't sweat a lot, or that you freshen up and change shirts
when you do sweat a lot.

Since advanced tango dancing can get a bit athletic, you want to
make especially sure your shoes allow you to be agile and to feel
the floor. They should also give you just enough but not too much
friction, because tango dancers tend to do a lot of pivoting
motions (in ochos and other actions). Rubber soles would twist
your ankles because they hug the floor too much, slick leather or
hard rubber soles would let you pivot too much.

Some people brag about getting special tango shoes made when they
visit Buenos Aires. That only shows what fools they are, because
similar or better shoes can be gotten in your home country. There
are a couple of tango dancers who do sell shoes long distance.
Inquire to TANGO-L. I've heard good things about them, though I
haven't used them myself. Also, as dancers themselves they are
likely to be better at advising you than some shoemaker in
Argentina, to whom you're just some tourist who speaks a foreign
language and has no recourse if they deliver substandard or the
wrong shoes.

What you want is something relatively light, with thin soles. I
wear ballroom dance shoes with suede soles, off the rack, but
carefully chosen to fit me perfectly. With these kind of soles
you don't wear them as street shoes. You take them to the dance
and find a dark corner or bathroom to change. You'll need a
couple of shoe brushes, one with fine teeth, the other with
sturdier ones for problem spots, to brush the soles before
you go out each evening.

I've also worn street shoes that were light and had thin leather
soles. Be sure to scuff the soles enough to wear the wax and
polish off before dancing. Also break them in so they are
comfortable. I also like a jazz boot or shoe, but it's a little
hard to get something with just the right soles. Jazz/modern
dance tends to hug the floor more and approach the feel of a bare
foot - which is worse than most tennis shoes for your ankles.

Some dancers with bad feet problems get tennis or similar shoes
and have the soles replaced with suede, either totally or on the
ball of the shoe, where it is needed the most. Some tennies are
not too different in look from dress shoes, especially if they
are a dark color.

These are only suggestions, of course. Everyone has their own
unique needs and tastes. Use these as starting points and go your
own way!
Larry de Los Angeles
https://home.att.net/~larrydla

Date: Fri, 13 Jul 2001 00:37:52 -0700
From: Mark Sussex <doktordogg@YAHOO.COM>
Subject: Re: Tango Dress

--- "Larry E. Carroll" <larrydla@JUNO.COM> wrote:

> You'll
> need a
> couple of shoe brushes, one with fine teeth, the
> other with
> sturdier ones for problem spots, to brush the soles
> before
> you go out each evening.

Uhh... what is the purpose of that, after all. I see
people doing it, and I have a brush for my own shoes,
but I don't know why you're supposed to do it.

How firmly do you brush them? And doesn't it wear out
the shoe faster, particularly if it's thinly soled in
the first place?

Mark

Date: Fri, 13 Jul 2001 14:41:38 +0200
From: Hannes Rieger <hrieger@GMX.DE>
Subject: Re: Tango Dress

Mark Sussex wrote:

> --- "Larry E. Carroll" <larrydla@JUNO.COM> wrote:
> > You'll
> > need a
> > couple of shoe brushes, one with fine teeth, the
> > other with
> > sturdier ones for problem spots, to brush the soles
> > before
> > you go out each evening.
>
> Uhh... what is the purpose of that, after all. I see
> people doing it, and I have a brush for my own shoes,
> but I don't know why you're supposed to do it.
>
> How firmly do you brush them? And doesn't it wear out
> the shoe faster, particularly if it's thinly soled in
> the first place?

Wooden Floors are often waxed. This wax pastes up the
chromleather soles (or buckskin soles (sp?)) used in many
ballroom dancing shoes, the shoes become slippery. With a
wire brush you scrape off the wax and rough the soles.
This kind of soles doesn't take this torture ill,
but don't try it on normal soles!
(https://www.tanzschuhe.de/englisch/pics/bürste_gross.JPG)

Greetings,
Hannes

Date: Fri, 13 Jul 2001 13:41:45 -0500
From: Stephen Brown <Stephen.P.Brown@DAL.FRB.ORG>
Subject: Re: Tango Dress

Larry Carroll wrote:

>Women will appreciate it that you don't sweat a lot, or that
>you freshen up and change shirts when you do sweat a lot.

Undershirts help keep an outer dress shirt dry, and because undershirts are
typically more absorbent than the outer shirt an undershirt may actually
keep a male dancer a little cooler. If you are going to wear a dress shirt
with the collar open, a v-neck undershirt will be less visible and create a
more dressy appearance.

--Steve de Tejas

Date: Sat, 14 Jul 2001 17:37:41 -0400
From: Norma Greco <24tango@BELLSOUTH.NET>
Subject: TANGO DRESS

From Larry Carroll:

Some people brag about getting special tango shoes made when they
visit Buenos Aires. That only shows what fools they are, because
similar or better shoes can be gotten in your home country.

Thanks Larry, I guess I've been a fool for 10 years now. You tell me where I
can go and sit with boxes of swatches of fabric, configuring different fabrics,
sometimes several onto one shoe, designing my shoe from strap location,
styles of heels and heights to the centimeter, sole preferences, shoe box
size, and other various nuances that go into my shoes, and I will be most
happy to go there. Another small detail that is often overlooked is that shoes
bought in the US in a department store or boutique will often have a "natural"
color sole, whereas shoes made in BA will have a black sole, much more
visually attractive. Granted Flabella has become too busy to work with me
now, but there are plenty of shoemakers in BA that will.

As for suede "ballroom" soles, I think they are much too soft for a ladies
tango shoe, shortening her dance evening. Eventually that lady will add
a leather sole or one of the composites.

regards to the list,
norma
www.dancemoretango.com

Date: Sat, 14 Jul 2001 18:04:08 -0400
From: rtara <rtara@MAINE.RR.COM>
Subject: Re: TANGO DRESS

Okay, I believe it is time to debunk the tango shoe myth - do I dare say it?

"Tango Shoe, Schmango Shoe."

What do we want in a dancing shoe? Comfort, support, security, flexibility,
elegance.

Any shoe you find that fills these functions is a good dance shoe.

Yes, I make shoes for tango. But the shoes I make are actually just
beautiful shoes that perform well for dancers. To perform well a shoe must
stay on the dancer's foot, support the foot for long hours of dancing,
cushion the foot for the same and have a sole that can move easily through
turns and pivots while not slipping on the dance floor.

For tango, a perfect shoe will have a leather sole for grip and glide, a
steel shank for stability and support, a strap or tie to keep the shoe on
the foot, and a shape that will not inhibit the close communication of the
feet inherent to tango.

The design will be elegant. It will make the wearer feel attractive,
flirtatious, seductive and confident, while enhancing the legs and clothing.
It will conform to the natural shape of the foot.

The shoe will be comfortable. It will not pinch the toes or slip off the
foot. It will be cut high enough to support the foot laterally.

The ideal shoe will be one in which the wearer feels at home. It will not
scream "Look at me, I am a beautiful shoe" but will speak in it's
relationship to the dance floor, accenting precise footwork and whispering
sweet nothings to the feet wearing them.

Wanna talk soles? I make them with natural leather. Once scuffed up for the
first time they retain a slight fuzziness for grip, but not so much that
they put extra stress on hips and knees when turning. Plus you can wear them
on the street. No Argentine with any dignity would ever change shoes at the
milonga unless absolutely unavoidable. Even then the shoes would be changed
in the restrooms or coatrooms.

Okay, that's my input. Take what you like.


Robin Tara

Tara Design, Inc.
www.taratangoshoes.com

> From: Norma Greco <24tango@BELLSOUTH.NET>
> Reply-To: Norma Greco <24tango@BELLSOUTH.NET>
> Date: Sat, 14 Jul 2001 17:37:41 -0400
> To: TANGO-L@MITVMA.MIT.EDU
> Subject: TANGO DRESS
>
> From Larry Carroll:
>
> Some people brag about getting special tango shoes made when they
> visit Buenos Aires. That only shows what fools they are, because
> similar or better shoes can be gotten in your home country.
>
> Thanks Larry, I guess I've been a fool for 10 years now. You tell me where I
> can go and sit with boxes of swatches of fabric, configuring different
> fabrics,
> sometimes several onto one shoe, designing my shoe from strap location,
> styles of heels and heights to the centimeter, sole preferences, shoe box
> size, and other various nuances that go into my shoes, and I will be most
> happy to go there. Another small detail that is often overlooked is that shoes
> bought in the US in a department store or boutique will often have a
> "natural"
> color sole, whereas shoes made in BA will have a black sole, much more
> visually attractive. Granted Flabella has become too busy to work with me
> now, but there are plenty of shoemakers in BA that will.
>
> As for suede "ballroom" soles, I think they are much too soft for a ladies
> tango shoe, shortening her dance evening. Eventually that lady will add
> a leather sole or one of the composites.
>
> regards to the list,
> norma
> www.dancemoretango.com