2692  Progress report V

Date: Fri, 27 Aug 2004 15:40:50 +0000
From: Sergio Vandekier <sergiovandekier990@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: Progress report V

Elemer says: "I was in Mar del Plata and danced in la "Rada" and I did
not find any
enjoyment in the dance.
It was like dancing in the middle of a freeway."

Robert says: "No, No, No, Sergio,
I dance Milonguero, not because that s the way its done in BsAs or
anywhere else.
I dance that style, because that, for me is where the ultimate
connection is, its where the sweetness, the pathos and the sheer magic f
tango is."

Wow! We have very interesting notes this morning, from Manuel about "Basics"
in tango, motivation for learning complex figures, motivation of visiting
instructors to teach them, etc, (I entirely agree).
Then we have a note from Eero Olli about teaching close embrace. I find it
very interesting because we share the same pedagogic philosophy and a very
similar technique. I can hardly wait to share with you the way I teach.

But first a comment on the other notes that I copied. They deal with tango
style preference. This is very important because everyone should choose the
way he dances on the basis of the elements expressed by Robert and not
because "other people" do it that way.

I do not know Elemer; his assertion "It was like dancing in the middle of a
freeway." is short and powerful. He does not like Nuevo Tango. I respect his
opinion for he seems to speak with conviction, a conviction that comes from
maturity and experience. On the bases of his assertion (I could be wrong) I
deduct that he is an "older" milonguero used to golden era music and
classical salon tango. La Rada is attended by people of different ages but
mostly a young crowd, 20s.- 30s. they dance with energy, in a very open
embrace to a variety of music including Raul Garello and Piazzolla. Middle
age people decide that this is too much for them to do, continue dancing
salon but admire the way the younger folks dance, it is the older ones (over
70) that strongly dislike this particular style.

Summary: Choosing a tango style is a matter that has to do with your
preference, your personality, your life style, your age, your physical
abilities. There are hundreds of styles, some people dance very slowly, with
frequent long pauses, others very fast, without pauses and everything in
between.

The purpose of my notes on this subject is to show that there is an infinity
of ways in which you can dance tango "socially" and not only "one way" and
"one style". All the styles are good and highly rewarding, one is not
superior to another, some people could derive great pleasure dancing in a
very simple way others need the excitement of all sorts of turns and
embellishments.
Tango has something for everybody. or not? ...will continue.

Date: Fri, 27 Aug 2004 20:17:57 +0000
From: Sergio Vandekier <sergiovandekier990@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: Progress report VI

I grew up in Villa Urquiza, a neighborhood with lots of tango history. I,
like most of my friends started dancing tango as a teenager. We used to go
to Sin Rumbo, Sunderland or Pinocho. In those days we danced "tango Liso" a
simple social form characterized by walking in different ways, some ochos a
couple of turns and that was all. Walking was the most important part of
the dance. Eventually I became a friend of Lampazo (Jose Vazquez) one of the
greatest dancers that ever existed, from whom I took some of my first
lessons. I remember that he made me walk for an entire week. I walked and
walked on a daily bases, on a straight line, my arms in a tango embrace
position, my eyes towards my left hand and to all of me at the mirrors on
the walls of Club ''Sin Rumbo". When I finished his instruction cycle he had
a little party for me and gave me a diploma of his Tango School " Sin Rumbo
- La Catedral del Tango" it hangs on the walls of my Tango Pavilion as one
of my most cherished possessions.

I always spent summers in Mar del Plata at the sea shore.
I met there another one of the great tango masters, my good friend Nito
Garcia. I used to go to his house on a daily bases (I still do when he is in
town) to practice all sort of complicated tango steps in his living room
while his wife Elba gave us mates. Over the years I met and became a friend
of most of the great tango instructors of today, I learnt something from
each one of them and I still do.

The tango scene in Mar del Plata: The main school was created by Nito and
Elba. They are unique in the sense that in BS.As. dancers influence each
other, this causes their dancing style to change and evolve, but Nito
remained for many years secluded in Mar del Plata, this relative isolation
from the main tango scene of Bs.As. kept him dancing as it was done during
the golden era. Many great instructors and stage dancers of today took or
take lessons from him.

So most people dance Classical Salon Style in open or close embrace (like
Nito does).

A second school was developed by a group of young dancers that travel to
Bs.As. regularly to take lessons from Gustavo Naveira, Fabian Salas or
Chicho Frumboli. Many of them took lessons from Nito as well. They dance
Nuevo Tango at La Rada. Claudio- Marianita and Gustavo were brought to
Detroit by one of the great tango Promoters of the USA, Amy Kalio, they
taught their tango style there for several months.

Tito moved recently from Bs.As. (where I had met him in his studio of San
Telmo) to Mar del Plata.
he opened with great success his School of Tango Milonguero Style.

Maar del Plata has now those three dancing forms.

I did not invite and I do not invite anyone to go to Mar del Plata to dance
tango. The tango scene there is very limited when compared to Bs.As. The
same applies to any other Argentinean city.

I, however encourage people to take side trips to the sea shore, in summer
in order to enjoy the natural beauty of the city. ...will
continue

Date: Fri, 27 Aug 2004 19:37:38 -0700
From: Elemer Dubrovay <dubrovay@JUNO.COM>
Subject: Re: Progress report V

On Fri, 27 Aug 2004 15:40:50 +0000 Sergio Vandekier
<sergiovandekier990@HOTMAIL.COM> writes:

> superior to another, some people could derive great pleasure dancing
> in a
> very simple way others need the excitement of all sorts of turns
> and
> embellishments.
> Tango has something for everybody. or not? ...will continue.
>
>
> Sometimes we have some crowded dances and I figure that the dancers

that dance "stage dancing"
like ambulances running around the dancing floor and going from one space
to the next, sometimes even backwards must be having a great pleasure, or
they would not show such a gross behavior.

And I am not talking about beginners

Elemer in Redmond

Ni en Mar del Plata hacen estas cosas, saludos a Nito y Elba.

Date: Sat, 28 Aug 2004 08:40:38 -0700
From: Jean-Marie Herve Michel <jhmichel@STANFORD.EDU>
Subject: Re: Progress report V

Well, it's always better to adapt oneself to the environment bringing in
what is best about ones steps and blending it with the immediate
environment.

herve

Quoting Elemer Dubrovay <dubrovay@JUNO.COM>:

> On Fri, 27 Aug 2004 15:40:50 +0000 Sergio Vandekier
> <sergiovandekier990@HOTMAIL.COM> writes:
>
> > superior to another, some people could derive great pleasure dancing
> > in a
> > very simple way others need the excitement of all sorts of turns
> > and
> > embellishments.
> > Tango has something for everybody. or not? ...will continue.
> >
> >
> > Sometimes we have some crowded dances and I figure that the dancers
> that dance "stage dancing"
> like ambulances running around the dancing floor and going from one
> space
> to the next, sometimes even backwards must be having a great pleasure,
> or
> they would not show such a gross behavior.
>
> And I am not talking about beginners
>
> Elemer in Redmond
>
> Ni en Mar del Plata hacen estas cosas, saludos a Nito y Elba.
>
>