2734  Tango Styles - final note

Date: Fri, 3 Sep 2004 01:13:56 +0000
From: Sergio Vandekier <sergiovandekier990@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: Tango Styles - final note

I guess that one could talk for hours and hours about tango styles, there is
so much field to cover but I think that I am going to close the subject (at
least from my perspective) at this time.

The reasons I wanted to discuss this subject are several ones but I will
only mention the following:

1- Many tango organizers abroad (outside of Argentina) bring tango
instructors to their respective cities. Some of them are totally ignorant of
tango differences in style and expose their beginner students to a confusing
learning process.

First comes a teacher of Salon who talks about a certain frame, one that is
kept throughout the dance, (the chests are framed, in front of each other),
some muscle tone in the embrace, a connection through the arms, leading
with chest, arms and hands, each partner keeps his/her axis, a little light
in the close embrace, a certain way of walking (on a line, landing on heels
or toes, external rotation of the leg/foot, heels passing each other very
closely, etc. *Sensuality is a very important element .

Next comes somebody that seems to have a "very"open embrace, somebody that
leads by movement opposition, (as the woman goes in one direction he goes in
the opposite one) this causes Amagues and boleos for instance, somebody that
talks about every movement being part of a turn, every step is describe on
the bases of rotating around a certain axis, somebody who talks about
"counter rotation" a certain dissociation of the trunk and the hips, a
movement of the partners in different directions (during a heel sacada for
instance the man has counter rotation of the body and moves or points in one
direction while the woman moves or points in a different one. Then he talks
about all the possibilities that can arise from a certain move such as a
heel sacada, etc.

Here we talk of an element of "surprise" rather than one of "sensuality".

Next comes somebody who says that you only dance in close position, you only
lead with your chest,
he talks of a different embrace with "Apilado", different foot work, try to
fuse the two axes into only one. The hips move in a different way, the ochos
and turns are done in a different way.

Connection and sensuality are again in scene.

This exposure to different styles that could be very enriching for somebody
that is an advanced dancer has to be very confusing for a beginner.

Summary: it is important to know the most common styles so that the
organizer and his students can decide what way or form they wish to dance.
The student should know so that he can choose the style that he prefers and
not the one forced on him by his instructor.

A student should ask, what style (s) do you teach, open or close embrace
only or open and close embrace both. Do you teach milonga and vals as well?
For how long have you been dancing and teaching.

The student should also know about the styles when going to certain big
workshops or tango congresses. Cita ( www.cosmotango.com) in Buenos Aires
for instance offers lessons for the next event 2005 as follows:

Estilo Cosmotango (Nuevo Tango)

Estilo Salon (Tradicional)

Estilo Milonguero (close embrace)

Estilo Todaro (Antonio Todaro).

So now when you go to such an event you can choose with more knowledge the
lessons you wish to take.

Now as I close the subject it comes to mind, I have been trying to share
this concern with you for a long time, each occasion I attempted a
discussion of these styles with the purpose above specified I was vilified,
stabbed, insulted, called all sort of names, ridiculed, till... I decided to
quit.

This is the first time I am satisfied I got the subject across.

The main offenders were people that had little or insignificant knowledge
about tango. People that thought that their limited field covered the whole
spectrum of this rich dance.

I ask myself why? I was only trying to share some useful information,
something that this list is supposed to be for, Why? Why? My friends ask
me why do you care and I really do not know.

Probably I should shrug my shoulders, continue dancing and forget about all
this.

Take care.