The Tango-L mailing list archive
Digest from 23 Mar 1999
to 24 Mar 1999
Reply-To: Discussion of Any Aspect of the Argentine Tango <TANGO-L @MITVMA.MIT.EDU>
To: Recipients of TANGO-L digests <TANGO-L @MITVMA.MIT.EDU>
Date: Wed, 24 Mar 1999 03:00:02 -0500
Sender: Discussion of Any Aspect of the Argentine Tango <TANGO-L @MITVMA.MIT.EDU>
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Subject: TANGO-L Digest - 23 Mar 1999 to 24 Mar 1999
There are 7 messages totalling 273 lines in this issue.
Topics of the day:
1. Tango in Koln, London, Toronto??
2. Erica and Adrian
3. The state of tango in San Francisco (2)
4. ASAP - Tango In Paris
5. Tango shoes
6. apartment available in Bs As
Date: Tue, 23 Mar 1999 12:56:30 -0300
From: Lidia Ferrari <lferrari @FEEDBACK.NET.AR>
Subject: Tango in Koln, London, Toronto??
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Hola Tangueros,
Do you any know tango places (milongas, pr=E1cticas, classes)
for a pupil and friend of mine?=20
in this city:
koln, colonia, alemania
londres, inglaterra
toronto, canada
Thank you
Lidia Ferrari desde Buenos Aires
visit
www.buenosairestango.com
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<DIV>Hola Tangueros,</DIV>
<DIV>Do you any know tango places (milongas, prácticas, =
classes)</DIV>
<DIV>for a pupil and friend of mine? </DIV>
<DIV>in this city:<BR>koln, colonia, alemania<BR>londres, =
inglaterra<BR>toronto,=20
canada</DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2>Thank you</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2>Lidia Ferrari desde Buenos =
Aires</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2>visit</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2><A=20
href=3D"http://www.buenosairestango.com">www.buenosairestango.com</A></FO=
NT></DIV></BODY></HTML>
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Date: Tue, 23 Mar 1999 10:03:16 -0600
From: Karen Whitesell <kglass @IPA.NET>
Subject: Erica and Adrian
Please send me Erica and Adrian's website again and/or any other
information on their Central American tour.
Thanks, Karen
Date: Tue, 23 Mar 1999 11:02:57 -0800
From: Al & Barbara <batango @SLIP.NET>
Subject: Re: The state of tango in San Francisco
Dear Steve et al,
This is also a reply to Tom's inquiry about what happens with growth in
a tango community. San Francisco is one of the biggest and oldest in the
US, younger than New York, which had Danel & Maria and LA which had Orlando
Paiva. The original teachers here, i.e. pre-Tango Argentino in 1986, were
Jorge and Rosa Ledesma. Unlike some other cities, there has never, since
1986, been only one teacher/ voice of tango in the Bay Area. On the other
hand from the beginning and until now there have not been strong 'factions'
or groups reacting negatively towards each other. Diversity is not the same
as factions. Since, beginning in 1986, there have been at least a half
dozen teachers here; for many years now several dozen, there has never been
a single teaching style or philosophy in tango in the Bay Area, always a
choice. The biggest problem we have here, it seems to me, is that, because
of the size and diversity of the tango community there is no coordination of
events, milongas, and most especially, visiting maestros, resulting in too
much of everything, and most underattended because of the surfeit. Some
years ago, between 1986 and the early '90s cooperation was possible; a small
handful of people ran events, and confered with each other regularly. Then,
as more and more joined in, communication became more complicated and any
attempt at coordination began to be seen as an attempt to control, to
inhibit freedom. I heard recently that in certain cities, visiting maestros
were booked into the next milennium, and any others would have to wait until
Spring 2000 to come. It made me somewhat envious to think about how nice it
would be for a community to be in such control, but if any one person, or
any organization, tried to control who came to San Francisco, when or how
often, the flames would reach Anchorage.
So BA Tango was formed as primarily a clearing house of
communication--we seldom put on events, don't sponsor classes, etc. because
our aim is not to compete with the local entrepreneurs, but to keep track of
all their activities and act as an information source for everyone.
The most dramatic growth in the Bay Area was between February and July,
1994, when the number of monthly milongas went from 3 to 30, and the mailing
list from 450-1500. There was no specific catalyst that I can identify. It
was soon after that big spurt, in August, 1994, that Forever Tango opened
in San Francisco and the first issue of El Firulete was published.
I am always puzzled by references to factions and politics in San
Francisco. It's true that there is so much tango here that the right hand
often doesn't know what the left is doing, with conflicting events, way too
many visiting maestros competing for students, etc. This, by the way, is the
biggest problem for a large community.
My definition of 'factions' are what exist in a few cities where groups
of people actively badmouth each other, discourage students from attending,
or even finding out about others' classes, milongas, visiting maestros. In
SF information is widely dispersed about all activities, by BA Tango, by
Polo, by TangoMan and others, and everyone feels welcome at all milongas and
events
Also, as in any community, there are maybe 2 or 3 individuals who
periodically develop a complaint against each other or against someone else,
which sometimes surfaces on the Tango-L to make us look bad :-) but these
are personal situations, personalilty conflicts---as far as I know they
don't constitute 'factions'.
Of course there are also a few groups of dancers who tend to dance
together and go to the same places because of dancing styles, friendship,
etc.This is bound to occur whenever 1000 or so people are engaged in a
similar activity.
I am interested in why San Francisco has a reputation for factionalism.
It is quite possible (probable?) that an astute outsider would hear or see
things that I don't because I'm right in the middle of them. Could someone
please explain how our 'factions' are perceived ? Are there people going
around the country or corresponding privately by e-mail spreading this
story? Is it spread by innuendo or direct statement? Perhaps I am
misinterpreting the idea of factions as a negative, when it really only
means diversity. Here we have lots of diversity, but to my knowledge, no
groups of people who are 'against' other groups. (excepting the individuals
noted above--who do not consitute groups). Anyway, rest assured that most
of the milongueros in the Bay Area do not consider ourselves factionalists,
but do spend almost all our time and money tangoing without worrying about
who is who.
Abrazos to all, Barbara
Original Message-----
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To: Recipients of TANGO-L digests <TANGO-L @MITVMA.MIT.EDU>
Date: Monday, March 22, 1999 11:59 PM
Subject: TANGO-L Digest - 22 Mar 1999 to 23 Mar 1999
Date: Tue, 23 Mar 1999 17:20:53 -0600
From: Stephen P Brown <Stephen.P.Brown @DAL.FRB.ORG>
Subject: Re: The state of tango in San Francisco
Dear Barbara, Tom and everyone else:
Barbara wrote:
>Diversity is not the same as factions. ...
>I am always puzzled by references to factions and politics in San
>Francisco. ... My definition of 'factions' are what exist in a few
>cities where groups of people actively badmouth each other,
>discourage students from attending, or even finding out about others'
>classes, milongas, visiting maestros. In SF information is widely
>dispersed about all activities, by BA Tango, by Polo, by TangoMan and
>others, and everyone feels welcome at all milongas and events.
Perhaps factions is too strong a word to describe what I meant.
Just to make sure that I was communicating clearly, I looked up the
word faction in a dictionary. It said a faction is a group within
a larger group or organization that is contentious, self-seeking or
working against the larger group.
I meant to say that large tango communities seem to contain diverse
elements that do not necessarily work together to create a community
that conforms to a single vision. Sometimes, these diverse elements
may appear to behave cooperatively. At other times, they may look and
act like factions.
Otherwise, I think Barbara's comments about San Francisco tango are
consistent with my comments that older, larger tango communities may
have acheived their size through the actions of diverse contingents --
each going in its own direction.
>Unlike some other cities, there has never, since 1986, been only one
>teacher/voice of tango in the Bay Area. ... [T]here have been at
>least a half dozen teachers here; for many years now several dozen,
>there has never been a single teaching style or philosophy in tango
>in the Bay Area, always a choice.
--Steve de Tejas
Date: Tue, 23 Mar 1999 18:56:29 -0800
From: "L. Perpuse" <lperpuse @YAHOO.COM>
Subject: ASAP - Tango In Paris
I leave for Paris this Thursday and am looking for places to dance
tango. I looked at
http://perso.club-internet.fr/tango/INDEX.HTM#f_cal
but was wondering if any of the milongas also played salsa. Also,
which milongas are in restaurants/ bars. I'm traveling with friends
who don't tango, so I'm trying to find places that would entertain all
of us.
Thanks for your help!
Liza
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Date: Tue, 23 Mar 1999 23:18:19 -0600
From: Lois Donnay <donnay @IX.NETCOM.COM>
Subject: Tango shoes
I know there was a similar discussion to this several weeks ago, but I have
a friend (an excellent ballroom dancer who has not yet tried Argentine
Tango) who saw the movie "Tango" and was quite impressed. She is especially
interested in the shoes. Does anyone know of a source for shoes similar to
those in the movie?
Lois Donnay
lois @i-dance.com
Date: Tue, 23 Mar 1999 22:56:56 -0800
From: Sramana Mitra <sramana @IX.NETCOM.COM>
Subject: apartment available in Bs As
Hi,
Maria teresa Lopez has an apartment available for rent starting April 1.
It's at Rivadavia and Medrano, and the subway is almost at the doorstep.
1 Br/ Living room/kitchenette/Bathroom. $200/week.
If you are interested, pls contact Maria teresa Lopez
<mariatango @topmail.com.ar>
or Janis Kenyon <jantango @feedback.net.ar>.
It's a great location, close to several milongas including Almagro.
Saludos, Sramana
End of TANGO-L Digest - 23 Mar 1999 to 24 Mar 1999
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