Every dance is a language of the body. Some dances are very limited in how many "words" they have, ways to "pronounce" those words, and how they can be combined into "sentences" and "paragraphs" and so on. Some have more range.
What's unique about tango is that the range of its language is a full order of magnitude (at least) more than any other social dance. It can be used on the stage to tell a story. Or to make an artistic statement that is like abstract art. Or make people laugh, as a string of jokes or a more organized comedic tale. And more. Still tango, but tango for show, where talented dancers give something to the world. And their more rarefied confections might seem to be more cerebral than passionate, but those of you who know tango performers know how much energy and caring and damned hard work goes into those confections. Performers must care a lot to exert so much time and effort into what they do, and their careers have a short shelf life. At thirty often their careers are over. Or tango can be much more casual. This is the way of many Argentines, who come to a milonga to meet their friends and chat and smoke and snack. And sometimes to dance a little tango with a very small vocabulary, and often not very well "pronounced." If your Spanish is good enough sometimes you will hear them laugh at the foreigners and how seriously they take tango. Tango is sometimes used in courting, especially by the young. It's a way to get someone attractive to them in their arms. Sometimes they use it to impress with their skill and agility and stamina. Or maybe impress with their fashion style, dressing up sharply, or down in reverse supercasual street style - which is often more earnest and calculated in effect than those who dress up. But tango can be used for more than sexual reasons. A son may coax his mother onto the dance floor and tease her about being a wallflower. A father may dance with his daughter at a wedding after he's given her away to a son-in-law. A couple may dance in mourning at a wake for a friend they will no longer see. Ultimately tango is a house of many rooms, and it's up to each of us how many of those rooms we want to inhabit. If just one modest room, fine, that's your right. But it is wrong of you to insult others who have different needs and desires and abilities. You not only do them disservice, but yourself, when you are small-minded and divisive. Larry de Los Angeles ____________________________________________________________ Keep your hair. Click for permanent solution to hair restoration http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2131/fc/Ioyw6iifueOhlMRCRcqprw7br50GML2O0LLcdK6RtQwWfYJYrCpZD8/ _______________________________________________ Tango-L mailing list Tango-L@mit.edu http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/tango-l