Since my association with Tango a mere 30 months ago, I have searched for an authoritive definition of Tango. This list is testament to the difficulty of this task. One of the most surprising discoveries was that about 50% of the tango dancers I know, don't like tango music. So not surprisingly, most peoples' lay definition of tango lay in either the music, the steps or both. Limited by my average intelligence, I have surmised that as steps can change and new ones invented, that can't be the rock (maybe sand) on which tango is built. So in my mind I have eliminated two of the "lay" definitions. Remaining is the music. I'm left with a situation where a large number of tango dancers don't like (even hate) the music to which a large number of tango dancers are dancing. How can that be? Isn't it all Tango? Can Tango music engender both a loving and a loathing amongst its practioners? First we have to establish that it is all tango. So what is it about the music that makes it intrinsically Tango? The most forceful explanation that my simple mind can digest is given by Joaquin Amenabar*. Author of the recent publication "Tango Let's dance to the music!" Read the book for his definition/explanation - it's not important for me to make my point. Which is, change the music beyond certain bounds and you change tango to something else. You may still call it tango, but in my opinion you're shifting it's paradigm by stealth. Why is there this pressure to change the model? Not surprising, if 50% of tango dancers not liking the music is true. I then ask, why did this 50% get
into tango? Maybe there is ambiguity in the way the tango persona is presented to the public by our community. Whatever the reason, it's pretty clear that one size does not fit all. And I believe this is why positions between traditional and Nuevo is so fiercely defended. I enjoy most styles of music. I'll get up and dance at a milonga to music that I know isn't tango, with great enjoyment. I have no issue with dancers employing Nuevo steps on tight floors like at La Marshall, provided there's consideration for other dancers and I like the music. Whilst there may be no bounds for Tango nuevo-steps except for courtesy to others, there should definitely be bounds for Tango nuevo-music, if the crevice in our community isn't going to keep growing. Again, what are the bounds? * Director of the tango orchestra "Orquesta Tipica de la Guardia Vieja". Professor of Bandoneon at the City Of Buenos Aires' Higher Conservatory of Music; at the University of Buenos Aires Lopez Buchardo National Conservatory; and at the Avellaneda School of Folk Music. Having danced Tango since 1994,he has taught Tango music as applied to dance in Germany, England, Italy, Austria, Turkey, USA, Australia and New Zealand amongst other countries. Anton _______________________________________________ Tango-L mailing list [email protected] http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/tango-l
