745  Essence of Tango

Date: Wed, 11 Sep 2002 05:59:27 -0400
From: Nicole Dowell <bailadora2000@EXCITE.COM>
Subject: Essence of Tango

I do have to first apologize that I meant no personal attacks on
anyone
or anyone's dancing ability in my previous response. And capitals are
only used to place emphasis.

I do want to clarify that no, not always can we feel the sensuality or
sexuality of the dance tango when dancing it. But I still hold that
that is the true essence of tango. Now, to find that essence, of course first you have to be able to have equal or at least a near-equal balance in dance ability with your partner, but still that doesn't guarantee finding the essence. It will be near impossible to find it with a beginner dancer, but we all start somewhere. But I watch even professional couples that don't always look "connected", who don't look like they are dancing with each other, or feeling the music and the dance looks disconnected, cold, dispassionate. So, yes,
even the most experienced, most technically adept dancers can miss the essence of the dance. When one says that sensuality and sexuality is a myth in tango...I can't ignore that. It means only that one is ignoring what tango was meant to be historically, and also the energy that is traditionally thought to be created between two dancers in this dance. It doesn't necesarily mean sex itself...but a sexual energy of emotion and sensuality. I don't
believe the average woman lead/ woman follow partnership can create this energy.

Obviously, the sensuality and sexuality of the dance cannot be found
with every partner at a milonga...but it can with some...and mean nothing personally between the two people. It's just the energy created in the dance. When the dance is done, the energy changes. And my tango experience will be drastically different depending on whether I found that energy in the dance or not.

And as for dancing with the less experienced dancers (I really hate
saying bad dancers) - there was a mention that some women get injured with this and didn't feel it was good practice. I don't understand how women get injured dancing with these guys (well, unless gaunchos and such are attempted by the lead when they aren't sure how to execute them). If a woman is completely balanced and centered on her own axis, she should be able to prevent a guy from pulling her off of her balance. She's in more control than he is. (Now of course, if attempting this practice in close embrace...well...forget it...dancing with an inexperienced dancer should never be attempted in close embrace). What better way to practice this control than when you have someone trying to pull you off balance? I think
its just as if not more beneficial than practicing it by yourself.

And yes, Petra, I am humble, even though maybe I didn't sound it. Despite my years of dancing, and teaching...I've never stopped being a student because I know there's always something new to learn and improve.

Nicole
Miami






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Date: Thu, 12 Sep 2002 13:10:24 -0400
From: Lynn <monoloco@GIS.NET>
Subject: Attracting men to "the essence of tango"

Why do tango communities find it so hard to recruit and retain men? Perhaps
here's a clue. A recent (short) piece in the New York Times about tango in
movies managed to include all of the following:

torrid... smoldered.... sexually charged... sultry... entwined limbs...
sexual heat... provocative... feverish... erotic... destructive... scantily
dressed... menacing partners

Reading this sort of thing, men who might make fine social dancers may
dismiss tango as a bit too... hot. So we lose those potential recruits.
Meanwhile, men drawn to the flame tend to drop out a short time later when
they confront the reality of tango as a social dance.

Maybe we need to re-focus our marketing -- more emphasis on the (spiced)
meat, and less on the sizzle.

Lynn
NYC

Date: Fri, 13 Sep 2002 09:21:38 -0500
From: Stephen Brown <Stephen.P.Brown@DAL.FRB.ORG>
Subject: Re: Attracting men to "the essence of tango"

Lynn wrote:

>Maybe we need to re-focus our marketing -- more emphasis on the (spiced)
>meat, and less on the sizzle.

I think Lynn is right... Some people have called the image of tango as
presented by tango shows, movies, and the press "the sizzle that sells the
steak." In fact, the sizzle sells the sizzle, and the steak is left
sitting, while those who are attracted to the sizzle are disappointed.
Those communities that promote social tango without overtly titillating
imagery do a much better job of retaining the people they attract. It is a
matter of the community communicating what is the essence of tango without
letting the media take over the job.

That said, many tango communities saw their biggest gains in size when the
movie The Tango Lesson or a touring tango show created a higher level of
recognition for tango. Those communities that used this increased
visibility to grow, however, rechanneled the heightened awareness into
information about social tango... Open houses and public exhibitions of
social tango, such as hit and run milongas, are effective means to let
people see what social tango is about.

With best regard,
Steve