3325  Dream World of Tango Buenos Aires

Date: Tue, 29 Mar 2005 18:25:48 +0000
From: Sergio Vandekier <sergiovandekier990@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: Dream World of Tango Buenos Aires

I had the chance to see El Turco Burak, from Minneapolis dancing at " El
Beso " last Saturday.
I also had the chance to briefly talk to him since he danced quite a bit
with my friend Anna.

His impression after spending three weeks in Bs.As. is that there are three
types of tango:

Apilado (milonguero) mostly danced by older folks and Americans and Salon
preferred by the younger Argentinean generation, European and Asian dancers.

My impression has been that Salon Style is the most popular all over the
world. It offers all the possibilities with respect to choreography and
embrace. Both elements are adapted to the music, the partner and the
available space to dance. The choreography could be very simple or complex,
the embrace with varying degrees of openness or very close.

He mentions an anti CITA / anti salon / anti Nuevo tango in the USA. This in
great part is result of a biased propaganda of certain instructors peddling
the style that they teach.

I still believe that most people in the USA call milonguero what actually is
Salon close embrace.

We must remember that Salon is the root, the mother of tango. The other sub
styles developed as an adaptation to small dancing space
(apilado-milonguero) or as a preference in a selection of certain figures or
steps already present in salon. Which means that one can dance salon using
or mixing all the elements of the other styles in different proportions
(including the ocho milonguero).

There seems to be a "market" as El Turco calls it for all sort of sub styles
such as Milonga Murguera, milonga candombera, tango styles such as that of
"el Pulpo" con el "ocho loco", Tango elegante such as that of Octavio Paiva
Jr.. Including other variations giving the follower a more active role, such
as indicating to the leader a need for time to perform embellishments, or
the leader leading the follower to do the leader's steps while doing the
follower's, for the use of alternative music, etc. etc.

Summary: All styles and sub styles are very interesting, they all have
something attractive to offer.
Do not let anyone tell you that the style that they teach or
dance is the "only" and "possible" way to dance. There are many ways to
dance tango.

We should dance the way we prefer being able to dance under a
diversity of conditions such as available space, music, follower skill,
etc.