3301  Tango Fads - Friends etc.

Date: Thu, 17 Mar 2005 06:48:06 -0300
From: deby novitz <dnovitz@PACBELL.NET>
Subject: Tango Fads - Friends etc.

I live in Buenos Aires. I could care less about who people want to sit
with in a milonga. Who is anybody to judge what another person wants to
do. If someone feels comfortable being with friends who happen to be
Americans, what do they care?

My friends are mostly Argentines with a few ex-pats outside of the
Tango Community. In the milongas I have found some foreigners to be
wonderful and I am happy to give them any advice or information they
might need. There are others who have this attitude that they cannot
talk to me because I am an American. Tango is a social dance not an
olympic sport. I mostly go to milongas to see my friends. Most of my
friends do not dance in the milongas or they wait until 4:00 am.

Perhaps Derek you should not be so harsh in judging what someone might
want to do on their vacation. I meet many foreigners like you in the
milonga who are very arrogant. Once they find out that I am an American
and not Argentine it is like I have "cooties". You can't talk to me.
Because I am not a real "Argentine". The attitude is a joke. It is the
other side of the Argentine attitude that only Argentines can really
dance tango well. The reality is there are many bad Argentine dancers
just as there are many bad foreign dancers. Being a good or bad dancer
has nothing to do with your nationality. It has everything to do with
how you learned to dance and whether you have the skill.

But again, what does it matter? Dancers seek their own levels (most of
the time) to dance with. The point is to go and enjoy yourself and not
try to be someone or something you are not. Be yourself Tine. Have a
great trip.

Also I would recommend Mimi Santapa she is the teacher of almost every
famous dancer and teacher in Buenos Aires. She is also a wonderful
person. Roberto Dentone and Roberto Canela are also great teachers as
well.