The Tango-L mailing list archive
Digest from 29 Oct 1999
to 30 Oct 1999
Reply-To: Discussion of Any Aspect of the Argentine Tango <TANGO-L @MITVMA.MIT.EDU>
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Date: Sat, 30 Oct 1999 03:00:30 -0400
Sender: Discussion of Any Aspect of the Argentine Tango <TANGO-L @MITVMA.MIT.EDU>
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Subject: TANGO-L Digest - 29 Oct 1999 to 30 Oct 1999 (#1999-49)
There are 4 messages totalling 166 lines in this issue.
Topics of the day:
1. Response to Christoph
2. LEARNING THE OPPOSITE ROLE
3. tango etiquette, three dances, etc
4. Daniel Lapadula and Christy Cote - Workshop in Bay Area, Oct. 30th
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Date: Wed, 27 Oct 1999 17:17:43 -0600
From: "strange, cammie" <cammie.strange @JUDICIAL.STATE.CO.US>
Subject: Response to Christoph
To the list, I really liked Christoph's comments. I do believe in learning
the other role and have, as a woman. I lead more than most women here. So
many men are so threatened by the idea of following. It is too bad. I also
liked that you had the courage to say that you could occasionally enjoy
dancing with another man, not just as a learning technique. Also, I really
agree with what you said about the follower learning to wait. This is one
of the most valuable things I have ever learned. It really came to me when
I went to Tango Week at Stanford for the second time, in 1997, after I had
been dancing about a year and a half. It was not something I learned in
class there, but from dancing at the milongas.
Cammie Strange, Colorado
-----Original Message-----
From: Christoph J.W. Schmees [SMTP:cjws @GMX.DE]
<mailto:[SMTP:cjws @GMX.DE]>
Sent: Monday, October 25, 1999 12:42 PM
Hola listeros,
(material deleted)
First I want to address the women. What do I, the leader, expect the
follower to do? The answer is: NOTHING. Recently a beginner woman who had
difficulties following a certain step (which is no challenge at all,
technically) asked me "What do I have to do here?" And I answered, "nothing.
Do nothing. Leave the idea of DOING something. Instead switch to the idea of
LETTING BE." That helped a lot. (material deleted)
(material deleted)
cu,
Christoph
Date: Wed, 27 Oct 1999 14:09:30 -0600
From: "strange, cammie" <cammie.strange @JUDICIAL.STATE.CO.US>
Subject: LEARNING THE OPPOSITE ROLE
Dear List, I have been inspired to send my first message by the all the
comments about leaders learning to follow, etc. My first teacher was Daniel
Trenner, and as we were all beginners at the time, it was easy to teach us
all to do both parts. I think it was invaluable. Tango is the first dance
I have learned (and to some extent, West Coast swing) where the leader and
follower are at times doing completely different steps and movements. My
background is from ballroom dancing, where you are usually doing parallel or
opposite steps. All of our best leaders here in Colorado have also learned
to follow. I think it would be very difficult to lead really well without
learning how things feel to the follower. On the other side, learning to
lead can provide a lot of sympathy and understanding on the part of the
follower. I don't think people should have to do this socially, at
milongas, unless they choose to, but in class and at practice, it is a
powerful tool. I love to lead. At first I said it was because there are
usually more women at our practicas and milongas, but the truth is I have
come to love it for the joy of doing it, and at times to enable myself to
have better dances. Of course, I love to dance with men and to follow too.
Some of my most special dancing lately has been with a male dancer here with
whom I have been doing a lot of exchange of lead and follow. We used to
only do this in class and at practice, at times, but several months ago
decided to try doing it at the milongas, and it has been awesome. I think I
was afraid of losing some intimacy in our dancing, but I think it has
actually increased the intimacy in our dancing. I respect that not everyone
wants to do this, and that there are women who don't want to dance with
another woman, and that when I go to Argentina I will not be leading at the
milongas, but it is an accepted part of our local tango culture and we would
be missing a lot without it. Cammie Strange, Denver, Colorado.
Date: Fri, 29 Oct 1999 09:34:24 EDT
From: Charles Roques <Crrtango @AOL.COM>
Subject: tango etiquette, three dances, etc
In response to Nancy of Florida
>>Although this is not a new thread, the experience of the gentleman who
objected to the chatting on the dance floor, just points up the diversity
of cultures in the Tango community.<<
I wasn't referring to a brief conversation before the song but more to
partners who talk during the dance. Usually I am concentrating on my steps
and watching the traffic. Although nothing like Buenos Aires, the milongas
here in NYC can become crowded and the leader has to stay alert. Besides I am
concentrating for other reasons like being as smooth as I can, allowing the
woman to enjoy the dance as much as me. As a teacher I find the students who
tend to chat and not pay attention lose the little subtleties and precision
that tango has to offer.
>>>It is the custom in Argentina to dance three or more consecutive dances
with the same partner. This is a charming custom which I would like to
see practiced here. It allows the two strangers* the time to become
accustomed to the style of dance, the mood of the tanda (which is usually
selected from the same orchestra and time period), and the abilities of
one another. It is quite a rude feeling to be unceremoniously 'dumped'
by one's partner after one dance so that he can race to the next woman he
has been targeting. This, unfortunatley, is the habit of those leaders who
view tango as a competition to see just how many tangos they can 'knock
off' with the maximum number of women.<<<
The custom here in NYC is usually three dances. I agree on this one and I
tend to follow the etiquette of dancing but there are times for both men and
women when our partners just aren't so great and the best way is to move on.
I know many women who won't dance with some men because they constantly want
to show off instead of dancing. I tell my female students that it is
customary to dance three but if the man makes them feel really uncomfortable
they shouldn't feel bad about declining a second or third dance. But by the
same token I don't think men should race through partners just to cover
ground .
It is not about the level of dance so much but the feeling that someone is
dancing with you. Many beginners have a good feel for the music but just
haven't polished their steps yet. I enjoy dancing with them and I try to pass
on the feeling I had the first time my female teacher danced closely with me
and then complimented me after. I slept with a smile on my face that night.
>>> We are no longer 'strangers'* to one another and therefore do not
feel the need to be 'polite', to practice the charming traditions, to spend
time with one another just enjoying the moments beyond the music, to
cherish the partnerships that develop for however brief a time.<<<
On this I agree. This dance allows us to be physically intimate and closer
than we could ever become off the dance floor. Savor the moment guys. Be a
gentleman, compliment and complement your partner, focus on your dance so she
remembers why she likes tango so much. Put on a coat and tie on Saturday
night. Make it a special night.
I dance often with the same women but each time I approach it as a new dance
because it usually is.
Cheers,
Charles Roques
Date: Fri, 29 Oct 1999 12:45:11 EDT
From: CB Rose <CCBTango @AOL.COM>
Subject: Daniel Lapadula and Christy Cote - Workshop in Bay Area, Oct. 30th
Daniel's last workshop in the Bay Area for '99 is:
Saturday, October 30th
Allegro Ballroom, 5855 Christie Ave., Emeryville
510.655.2888
2 to 3pm - Basics to Boleos ($12 per person)
3:15 to 4:45pm - Boleos and Beyond ($15 per person)
$24 per person for both workshops
I attended a class with he and Christy in Sacramento this week and it was
very beneficial. The focus of the class was understanding each others
steps/movements in the basic salida. The Leaders lead the Follower's in the
"lead steps" while doing the Follower's steps. It was not an easy task, but
a very important one. It was fun, challenging, and I came away with a much
better understanding of "how the parts come together and flow."
CB
End of TANGO-L Digest - 29 Oct 1999 to 30 Oct 1999 (#1999-49)
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