1882 Tango shoes or technique?
Date: Wed, 8 Oct 2003 19:06:47 -0500
From: Lois Donnay <donnay@DONNAY.NET>
Subject: Tango shoes or technique?
Does anyone else find the whole topic of Correct Tango Shoes a little
strange? I can't help imagining what the milonguero/as of the 40's and
50's would think of us, carrying our $150 "tango shoes" in little bags
and changing at the milonga table. I don't know for sure, but I picture
them laughing at our hope of improving our dance through the proper
footwear. Do Argentineans even now shake their heads over a dancer with
a large collection of expensive footwear and no dance technique?
More than half of my "tango shoes" are plain old street shoes. I'm more
likely to match my outfit or highlight my legs than aid my tango. I've
also danced in just about every footwear, including slippers when I had
been dancing 5 days straight and my feet wouldn't fit in anything else.
My only dislike is the "dance tennis shoes" - when I lead I can feel
them on my follower's feet and it doesn't feel good.
I know a dancer who recently asked my opinion on some tango shoes she
bought - she thought they were a little small but the saleswoman said
they'd stretch. This same woman never has money to spend on lessons. She
now has expensive shoes that she can't wear because they hurt, and still
can't dance well.
Boots? Well, I remember a Country/Western dancer telling me he looks to
see if a woman is in cowboy boots before he asks her to dance-that's a
sure sign she knows how!
Lois from Minneapolis
www.mndance.com
Date: Thu, 9 Oct 2003 10:57:11 -0300
From: Alberto Gesualdi <clambat2001@YAHOO.COM.AR>
Subject: Tango shoes or technique?
Lois Donnay <donnay@DONNAY.NET> wrote:
Do Argentineans even now shake their heads over a dancer with a large collection of expensive footwear and no dance technique?
*****************
This subject of Tango shoes and dance technique is open to different kind of comments. There is a basic difference in walking (taco/punta) and walking tango ( punta/taco) . So it may be good to buy shoes made by a shoemaker that know how tango shoes are worn
To use street shoes /tennis/whatever , it is not bad , if you feel confortable, and if you have a basic attitude of respect for the place where you are dancing.
I have seen a guy coming with a cigarette in his mouth at the dance floor ,and throw it to the floor ,leaving it there burning. The organizer rush into the floor, take this guy from a shoulder , and asked them to remote inmediately the cigarette of the floor and to leave it in the ashtray of his table. This are bad attitudes .
I would not like a guy coming with his tennis covered of mud, dancing into the floor . It shows no respect for the other dancers, this is not to socialize.
And also is a self respect, a preparation for the dance , to leave your problems outside as well as your streetshoes. It is a kind of rite , to take your shoes on a shoebag, change them , and dance , then changing again for the outsideworld. It is part of a ceremony , which is not necessary a show off, it could be discreetly made at your table.
As for the kind of shoes that could be used .... once I saw at La Calesita , a man dancing in skippers and short pants . La Calesita is a milonga made at the recreation area of IMOS club, so this man was making a barbecue for his friends, also members of the club, and come for some dancing . He dances good , I have seen him dressed to kill, dancing in Gricel. But this is tango goblin , sometimes it takes you out of the blue , and do not allow you to change clothes .:):)
Warm regards
Alberto Gesualdi
Buenos Aires
Usuario: yahoo; contraseqa: yahoo
Desde Buenos Aires: 4004-1010
Mas ciudades: clic aqum.
Date: Thu, 9 Oct 2003 12:19:05 -0400
From: rtara <rtara@MAINE.RR.COM>
Subject: Re: Tango shoes or technique?
The "correct" "tango shoe" for you may be a pair of 4" Manolo stilettos or
a pair of Keds. Everything depends upon your personal style, the health and
shape of your foot, and your experience dancing.
When you find a pair of shoes that work for you, you have found the correct
tango shoe.
Most people find that they need a bit more support than a street shoe or
typical ballroom shoe for long nights of tango. Most people find that like a
hard leather sole for ease in pivoting. Most people find they want a padded
lining for comfort. I think almost everyone needs some way to keep those
shoes from flying off during a boleo. Most people want a shoe with some
flexibility and most people want an all leather construction so the foot can
breathe.
Followers spend most of their time moving backward, so they are already in a
position with their travelling heel off the floor, making high heels
comfortable. Leaders spend most of their time going forward and have
difficulty leading in anything but low heels.
Great shoes may enhance beautiful technique, great shoes may facilitate
movement, great shoes may provide better comfort and support, but you'll
know when you've found really great shoes when you forget all about them
when you're on the dance floor.
Best regards,
Robin
Tara Design, Inc.
www.taratangoshoes.com
Toll Free in US: 1-877-906-8272
18 Stillman St.
So. Portland ME 04106
207-741-2992--
> From: Lois Donnay <donnay@donnay.net>
> Reply-To: donnay@donnay.net
> Date: Wed, 08 Oct 2003 19:06:47 -0500
> To: TANGO-L@MITVMA.MIT.EDU
> Subject: [TANGO-L] Tango shoes or technique?
>
> Does anyone else find the whole topic of Correct Tango Shoes a little
> strange? I can't help imagining what the milonguero/as of the 40's and
> 50's would think of us, carrying our $150 "tango shoes" in little bags
> and changing at the milonga table. I don't know for sure, but I picture
> them laughing at our hope of improving our dance through the proper
> footwear. Do Argentineans even now shake their heads over a dancer with
> a large collection of expensive footwear and no dance technique?
>
> More than half of my "tango shoes" are plain old street shoes. I'm more
> likely to match my outfit or highlight my legs than aid my tango. I've
> also danced in just about every footwear, including slippers when I had
> been dancing 5 days straight and my feet wouldn't fit in anything else.
> My only dislike is the "dance tennis shoes" - when I lead I can feel
> them on my follower's feet and it doesn't feel good.
>
> I know a dancer who recently asked my opinion on some tango shoes she
> bought - she thought they were a little small but the saleswoman said
> they'd stretch. This same woman never has money to spend on lessons. She
> now has expensive shoes that she can't wear because they hurt, and still
> can't dance well.
>
> Boots? Well, I remember a Country/Western dancer telling me he looks to
> see if a woman is in cowboy boots before he asks her to dance-that's a
> sure sign she knows how!
>
> Lois from Minneapolis
> www.mndance.com
Date: Thu, 9 Oct 2003 11:20:35 -0500
From: Stephen Brown <Stephen.P.Brown@DAL.FRB.ORG>
Subject: Re: Tango shoes or technique?
Lois Donnay wrote:
>Does anyone else find the whole topic of Correct Tango Shoes a little
>strange? I can't help imagining what the milonguero/as of the 40's and
>50's would think of us, carrying our $150 "tango shoes" in little bags
>and changing at the milonga table. I don't know for sure, but I picture
>them laughing at our hope of improving our dance through the proper
>footwear. Do Argentineans even now shake their heads over a dancer with
>a large collection of expensive footwear and no dance technique?
I would not characterize it as an either/or proposition between shoes and
technique. I agree with Robin Tara that great tango shoes support great
technique. I know as a fact that Nito Garcia has told at least one female
student that she would not become a real tango dancer unless she wore the
proper shoes. He explained that proper shoes are an important element of
good technique. I was also told something similar by an Argentine tango
dancer who was assisting my instructor at the very first tango lesson I
took.
According to reports that I have read, during the golden era of tango
dancers dressed quite well--and that extended to the shoes. Although the
tango tourists and exports have helped the tango shoe business grow, some
of the vendors existed well before tango tourism.
Of course, simply buying many pairs of tango shoes does not make one a
dancer.
Many happy tangos to all,
Steve
Stephen Brown
Tango Argentino de Tejas
Date: Fri, 10 Oct 2003 01:29:45 +0900
From: astrid <astrid@RUBY.PLALA.OR.JP>
Subject: Re: Tango shoes or technique?
Robin wrote:
>
> Great shoes may enhance beautiful technique, great shoes may facilitate
> movement, great shoes may provide better comfort and support, but you'll
> know when you've found really great shoes when you forget all about them
> when you're on the dance floor.
I totally second that. Good shoes can make a lot of difference for dancing,
starting from ease and sufficient support in pivoting and precision of
technique, and ending with helping to save the health of your feet. I once
owned a pair of cheap dancing shoes that somebody ordered for me from
Argentina, with hard soles, and a triangular toe box, and the shape and bone
structure of my feet has never completely recovered from dancing in those
for half a year. At which point I had throw them in the trash, because they
started loosing their shape and stability. Next I ordered a, yes, 140$ pair
of shoes from Robin, and spent the next 2 years happily dancing in those,
and my feet pretty much stopped hurting too after I started to use those.
>
> > Does anyone else find the whole topic of Correct Tango Shoes a little
> > strange? I can't help imagining what the milonguero/as of the 40's and
> > 50's would think of us...
Frankly, Lois, I don't give a damn. For one thing, Latin women often spend
their entire day walking around in high heels,and it is just more of the
same for them, wearing those shoes to dance at a milonga. For women, who are
used to healthy, flat, comfortable shoes in their daily life, putting on
high heels for tango is a totally different story.
So, if you want to wear Western boots, slippers and whatnot to a milonga, or
shoes, that "do not aid your tango but your outfit", go ahead, but don't
expect the rest of us to follow your exemple.
Astrid
Date: Thu, 9 Oct 2003 14:26:55 -0400
From: John Gleeson <jgleeson@CONCENTRIC.NET>
Subject: Re: Tango shoes or technique?
> > Does anyone else find the whole topic of Correct Tango Shoes a little
> > strange? I can't help imagining what the milonguero/as of the 40's and
> > 50's would think of us...
We have seen MANY "locals" changing from street shoes to dance
shoes in the BsAs milongas.
Nobody has laughed at us as far as we are aware. In fact at Confiteria
Ideal just two weeks ago, a "local" complemented me on my dance
shoes - he said it showed that I took the dance seriously.
There are many tango shoe stores in BsAs - are we to assume they
exist for tourists only?
Good tango shoes does not equate to bad technique.
What's "a little strange" are people who seek to impose their view of life
on others. I would hope that the milongueros of the 40s and 50s would
look upon us with favour in our efforts to help keep the dance alive,
with or without tango shoes.
John G.
Date: Thu, 9 Oct 2003 17:11:57 -0700
From: Kos Zahariev <Kos.Zahariev@EC.GC.CA>
Subject: Re: Tango shoes or technique?
>
>> > Does anyone else find the whole topic of Correct Tango Shoes a little
>> > strange? I can't help imagining what the milonguero/as of the 40's and
>> > 50's would think of us...
>
>What's "a little strange" are people who seek to impose their view of life
>on others. I would hope that the milongueros of the 40s and 50s would
>look upon us with favour in our efforts to help keep the dance alive,
>with or without tango shoes.
>
>John G.
I haven't seen this mentioned so far in this thread, but isn't it possible
that the shoes back in the 40s or 50s or before that were more likely to be
leather-soled (or at least less-likely to be rubber-soled - when was rubber
invented and when did it make it into shoe soles?), therefore perfectly good
for tango dancing. So milongueros would not have been seen changing shoes
simply because rubber-soled shoes were less common, and the 'normal',
leather-soled shoes they would have had were exactly what they needed for
dancing, hence no need for shoe changes (?)
Abrazos,
Konstantin.
Date: Thu, 9 Oct 2003 21:22:57 EDT
From: Mallpasso@AOL.COM
Subject: Re: Tango shoes or technique?
Rubber was never invented... it is a natural product, just like leather...
;-)
El Bandito de Tango
In a message dated 10/9/03 5:14:53 PM Pacific Daylight Time,
Kos.Zahariev@EC.GC.CA writes:
> Subj: Re: [TANGO-L] Tango shoes or technique?
> Date: 10/9/03 5:14:53 PM Pacific Daylight Time
> From: <A HREF="mailto:Kos.Zahariev@EC.GC.CA">Kos.Zahariev@EC.GC.CA</A>
> To: <A HREF="mailto:TANGO-L@MITVMA.MIT.EDU">TANGO-L@MITVMA.MIT.EDU</A>
> Sent from the Internet
>
>
>
> >
> >>>Does anyone else find the whole topic of Correct Tango Shoes a little
> >>>strange? I can't help imagining what the milonguero/as of the 40's and
> >>>50's would think of us...
> >
> >What's "a little strange" are people who seek to impose their view of life
> >on others. I would hope that the milongueros of the 40s and 50s would
> >look upon us with favour in our efforts to help keep the dance alive,
> >with or without tango shoes.
> >
> >John G.
>
> I haven't seen this mentioned so far in this thread, but isn't it possible
> that the shoes back in the 40s or 50s or before that were more likely to be
> leather-soled (or at least less-likely to be rubber-soled - when was rubber
> invented and when did it make it into shoe soles?), therefore perfectly good
> for tango dancing. So milongueros would not have been seen changing shoes
> simply because rubber-soled shoes were less common, and the 'normal',
> leather-soled shoes they would have had were exactly what they needed for
> dancing, hence no need for shoe changes (?)
>
> Abrazos,
> Konstantin.
>
>
Date: Thu, 9 Oct 2003 18:46:30 -0700
From: Kos Zahariev <Kos.Zahariev@EC.GC.CA>
Subject: Re: Tango shoes or technique?
>
>Rubber was never invented... it is a natural product, just like leather...
>;-)
>
>El Bandito de Tango
:-) Right! I meant to ask when was the time when it started to get used for
shoes and such. Surely leather has been used before rubber, for shoes?
Konstantin.
Date: Fri, 10 Oct 2003 14:05:19 -0600
From: Brian Dunn <brian@DANCEOFTHEHEART.COM>
Subject: Re: Tango shoes or technique?
> >
> >Rubber was never invented... it is a natural product, just like
leather...
> >;-)
> >
> >El Bandito de Tango
>:-) Right! I meant to ask when was the time when it started to get used for
>shoes and such. Surely leather has been used before rubber, for shoes?
When the Philippines and Southeast Asia fell to the invading Japanese in
1942, the world trade in natural rubber was severely compromised. Since the
Allies needed mountains of the stuff for all the tires in all their trucks,
jeeps and airplanes, not to mention the occasional domestic automobile, a
crash research program was begun to develop synthetic replacements for
natural rubber, made directly from petroleum or other substances. This was
the origin of the synthetic rubber industry, including the development of
much of the chemical engineering that produces the synthetic shoe soles many
of us have on our street shoes now. So it's safe to say that all the Golden
Age dancers in Argentina were on leather-soled shoes.
All the best,
Brian Dunn
Dance of the Heart
Boulder, Colorado USA
1(303)938-0716
https://www.danceoftheheart.com
Date: Fri, 10 Oct 2003 15:56:29 -0500
From: "Berger, Sherwin" <Sberger@RTICO.COM>
Subject: Re: Tango shoes or technique?
I can't fathom anyone trying to dance on shoes that have rubber or plastic
soles. At least...one pair of well made shoes with leather sole and leather
heel is just what every tango dancer must have. I have several pair of
leather sole/heel shoes and boots, but always favor my one old pair of
Florsheim slipons that are probably 15 yrs old, are rarely worn on the
street, and are still good for dancing!
I danced (tried to) with a lovely lady Monday nite who was tripping all over
herslf doing ochos and even having difficulty with walking. She apologized
and said that she didn't have dance shoes. I looked. What she was wearing
would have made wonderful hiking boots! Good grief! Don't you know? Get
leather!!!
Sherwin
Chicago Tango Dancer
-----Original Message-----
From: Brian Dunn [mailto:brian@DANCEOFTHEHEART.COM]
Sent: Friday, October 10, 2003 3:05 PM
To: TANGO-L@MITVMA.MIT.EDU
Subject: Re: [TANGO-L] Tango shoes or technique?
> >
> >Rubber was never invented... it is a natural product, just like
leather...
> >;-)
> >
> >El Bandito de Tango
>:-) Right! I meant to ask when was the time when it started to get used for
>shoes and such. Surely leather has been used before rubber, for shoes?
When the Philippines and Southeast Asia fell to the invading Japanese in
1942, the world trade in natural rubber was severely compromised. Since the
Allies needed mountains of the stuff for all the tires in all their trucks,
jeeps and airplanes, not to mention the occasional domestic automobile, a
crash research program was begun to develop synthetic replacements for
natural rubber, made directly from petroleum or other substances. This was
the origin of the synthetic rubber industry, including the development of
much of the chemical engineering that produces the synthetic shoe soles many
of us have on our street shoes now. So it's safe to say that all the Golden
Age dancers in Argentina were on leather-soled shoes.
All the best,
Brian Dunn
Dance of the Heart
Boulder, Colorado USA
1(303)938-0716
https://www.danceoftheheart.com
Date: Fri, 10 Oct 2003 14:07:18 -0700
From: Kos Zahariev <Kos.Zahariev@EC.GC.CA>
Subject: Re: Tango shoes or technique?
>>:-) Right! I meant to ask when was the time when it started to get used for
>>shoes and such. Surely leather has been used before rubber, for shoes?
>
>[skip]
>natural rubber, made directly from petroleum or other substances. This was
>the origin of the synthetic rubber industry, including the development of
>much of the chemical engineering that produces the synthetic shoe soles many
>of us have on our street shoes now. So it's safe to say that all the Golden
>Age dancers in Argentina were on leather-soled shoes.
>
>All the best,
>Brian Dunn
Well that solves the problem with the milongueros from the Golden Era laughing
at us then... once they get it that we don't use "real" shoes nowadays and
hence have to bring real shoes (read leather) to be able to dance tango, they
wouldn't laugh anymore.. :-)
Konstantin
