--- On Wed, 11/19/08, David <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> posts, but not so much with this one. I can accept that it's not your
> cup of tea, as we all have our personal preferences. IMO, elegance (as you
> put it) is not the "end all be all" to a good dance.
I didn't say that elegance is the "end all be all" of a dance. But it is an
important characteristic of tango, as opposed to, say, the chicken dance. And
it's important enough that dancers ought to incorporate it into their studies
just as much as they do the latest fancy steps.
I also agree with Alexis' comments on elegance. Children on a playground can
have a certain elegance as they move freely, swinging on the bars, uninhibited.
A cougar hunting it's prey. A bird in flight. Free-moving, and elegant.
Here are some definitions from my dictionary:
Elegant
1. tastefully fine or luxurious in dress, style, design, etc.
2. gracefully refined and dignified
3. nice, choice, or pleasingly superiour in quality or kind
4. excellent, fine, superior,
I would say #2 applies the most regarding tango. However, words are important
and they still have a definition. So, while people may describe things
differently, things aren't totally in the eye of the beholder. I think what
tends to happen is that people don't explore the different shades of meaning
that different words can provide.
Also, concerning canyengue, in the videos that I saw, the posture is different
but necessarily bad. The man bends at the waist but he still has a straight
spine. The woman may have a slight bend due to her left shoulder being raised.
That seems to be a function of the steps or possibly height differences. Not
being a student of canyengue, though, I can't comment too much more.
Trini de Pittsburgh
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