Hi Charles, Interesting post, we're in accord that Tango was danced there, but I still don't see it as a credible place for its origins. You say maybe the first tango wasn't danced there, so perhaps we're not thinking that differently. But I'm not convinced that the early evolution of the dance took place there. As I see it, men learned dance in part to wow the women they were after, but the drive to make such a complex dance that takes years to master can't be there in the brothel - the guys surely went with one thing in mind, and once the money was handed over, it was a done deal. I'm not ignoring the sexuality of the dance, but many dances have this, and some are more blatant (eg groin contact is the norm, whereas in Tango it is avoided.)
CD's explanation is that men, waiting for the services of the courtesans, being entertained by Tango musicians whilst waiting, would use the opportunity to practice... and hence be observed by upper and middle classes with whom they wouldn't normally mix - and yes, they'd write about this new dance they'd seen at the brothels. It seems a coherent explanation. What do you think? Cheers, Tony [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > Tango in brothels is not a cliche or myth, it is true. You can read about > this in many places. The world of mostly male, early Buenos Aires was a > very > different world until enough women eventually came to balance it out. In > the > beginning the brothel was about the only place to find a woman, so it became > a > social venue of sorts; dancing and music were a part of it. The "very > first" > tango may not have been played in one, nor were they the sole place to hear > tango, but tango definitely has roots there. Tango was not considered very > respectable so there weren't any respectable establishments that would allow > it. > There are even some interesting theories about how the high ratio of men to > women would cause men to practice tango steps together so that when they were > in the brothels they could dance well with the courtesans, thus improving > their odds at having their favors. > > It seems fairly obvious from many of the steps...not exactly a minuet. > > Cheers, > Charles > > > ************** > It's Tax Time! Get tips, forms, and advice on AOL Money & > Finance. > (http://money.aol.com/tax?NCID=aolprf00030000000001) > _______________________________________________ > Tango-L mailing list > [email protected] > http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/tango-l > > -- www.oakebooks.com/ezines/index.php Martial Arts : Health : Dance _______________________________________________ Tango-L mailing list [email protected] http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/tango-l
