3980 working class and tango
Date: Fri, 18 Nov 2005 02:38:48 -0800
From: Igor Polk <ipolk@VIRTUAR.COM>
Subject: Re: working class and tango
Bruno,
Hmm.. Street shows for working class.. Where they were introduced to tango.
And then they started dancing it in the bars, at the streets, in docks,
mimicking the performers and clowns which they once saw... Or you really
have facts that dockers danced in dancing halls on parquet floors
illuminated with chandeliers?
There is one movie, Federico Fellini's "La Strada". It was shot in 1954.
It is about such artists.
It may be interesting to watch to imagine the circumstances around 1900.
Of course, the flow of immigrants should somehow be exposed to tango for the
first time. And street dancers would probably be the first to see. Oh, boy,
how they should be poor if they danced for immigrants!
Oh! What dances those immigrants would dance? Those immigrants who brought
bandoneons with them? Waltz, polka probably. Not that waltz danced in
Viennese Schoenbrunn. A Waltz danced in cheap pubs and at country
dance-parties. What Italian immigrants would dance? Polish ones? I do not
know. Waltz-like dances were danced in close embrace too. In very very close
embrace. Music was provided by local street musicians. Something like tango
music. Bum-param-bum-bum. Sounds like polka! And if we start dancing waltz
with tango music what dance we would come to?
And then a
Hans-just-came-from-Hamburg-with-no-penny-in-any-pocket-in-10-years-old-pant
s took his bandoneon and said: "How do you do that? Like this?". "Wow", said
locals, "You are cool! Let's go with us to one place called "El Chinaje".
You will play for a night, and they will give you dinner and schnapps..."
And so it went. Where is a chicken? Where is an egg? Where is cabbage?
* * *
This is of course pure speculation. A micro story.
Do not criticize me seriously, please, it might be very possible the plot
was quite different providing I have heard there were 10 men for 1 woman at
times.
Igor.
PS
This is from a letter I have received recently:
"..You should see Buenos Aires, no one works and dances all day and night!
But I went with a guy who spoke Spanish otherwise I would have been sunk!
You have to taxi everything there for sure if not you get kidnapped, I
swear! Their five star hotel is more like a three star here and the
beautiful milonga halls are so run down, its sad. But the people are
wonderful. No one has a dime so what else can you do but dance.....anything
to distract yourself from the crazy politics over there... "
Do you think the situation before 1900 was any better?
Well, there were no taxis and American tourists.
