The Tango-L mailing list archive
Digest from 6 Oct 2000
to 7 Oct 2000
Reply-To: Discussion of Any Aspect of the Argentine Tango <TANGO-L @MITVMA.MIT.EDU>
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Subject: TANGO-L Digest - 6 Oct 2000 to 7 Oct 2000 (#2000-271)
There are 7 messages totalling 392 lines in this issue.
Topics of the day:
1. Tango Danza in Cleveland
2. COMMENTS ON CHICHO & LUCIA (3)
3. New Tango Website/Video Reviews
4. Ohio's largest newspaper review of Compania Tango Danza (long)
5. Forever Tango
Date: Fri, 6 Oct 2000 12:16:20 -0500
From: Bob Dronski <bob @TANGONADAMAS.COM>
Subject: Re: Tango Danza in Cleveland
Timmy, (and list),
It seems that the major newspaper in Cleveland agreed with your
review. Check it out at the link below (make sure to cut and paste
the line in its entirety in your browser on *one* line--it's long!)
http://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/index.ssf?/entertainment/p
d/e06danza.html
I am in complete agreement with the review. It was simply
amazing to see how much emotion, beauty and feeling could be
emoted from such a large bare stage with just the dancers. A true
artistic triumph!
My heartfelt congratulations to the cast of TangoDanza on their
amazing performance! I hope everyone will be able to see this
show sometime soon.
bob
**************************************************
Check us out at
http://www.tangonadamas.com
"Tango...the dance of moral death"
anon
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Date: Fri, 6 Oct 2000 18:12:35 GMT
From: Alexis White <alexisltc @HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: COMMENTS ON CHICHO & LUCIA
Perhaps this discussion is too esoteric for the average tanguero in the
States. Some of us just want to go to the milonga with the simple rudiments
of the dance and just wing it from there. Others want to delve more deeply.
The later group may be interested in what C&L have to say.
Although this article is lengthy, it is not a rebuttal to Chicho & Lucia's
(and by default, their teachers Gustavo Naveira and Fabian Salas, and the
growing legions in the so called 'tango nuevo' movement, if such a thing
exists) many critics. There have been many, many heated arguments over one
style or way vs. another, perceptions and misconceptions, even bitter
personal attacks that have been thrown about Tango-L about what Chicho does
and what this "new" way is and isn't. But here, as a humble observer
(although not an unbiased one, since I am organizing workshops for them), I
hope to explain to the North American tango audience at large what C&L are
about and what they are trying to accomplish with their classes.
Here are the main points of what they hope will be retained from their
lessons by their students, far more than any combination of steps or their
spectacular tango pyrotechnics, and long after they are gone and the
sequences a distant memory:
Structure vs. Style. Style is often confused with structure. C&L
talk about the need to understand the fundamental difference between the
two. Theirs is not a dance style, but rather making full use of their
knowledge of the structure of tango. Structure applies to all of us,
whether you prefer estilo milonguero, salon or tango nuevo. Style, on the
other hand, is individual and something you develop as an individual based
on your execution of the elements within the structure. Style, together
with "feeling" and "soul", are something personal, something that comes from
within and very difficult if not impossible to teach. Nowhere do they try
to change your style, feeling or interpretation of the music. Structure is
universal (although it is taught from a variety of points of view, and with
wildly varying levels of understanding by all sorts of teachers), and our
greater understanding of it is what allows us to have a much larger
vocabulary.
Thinking & Awareness. The key to advancement in tango, according
to C&L, is thinking. The ability to analyze our bodies so as to become
keenly aware of its movements and its consequences. The interaction and
relationship of our bodies determines whether or not we will have a
fulfilling and satisfying experience on the dance-floor. And this requires
self-knowledge and awareness of the effect we have on the person we are
embracing as we move to the music.
Technique & The Need To Study. From their own experience as
students of the dance themselves, has come the realization that study and
perfecting technique are the quickest way to have a more gratifying tango
experience, having done this for themselves for several years now. They
continue to be deep thinkers, and great students of the dance, spending
countless hours per month analyzing movements and possibilities, and
consulting with their own teachers. Good technique and execution requires
good instruction and dedication, and the overwhelming need to participate in
classes. There is no substitute.
Improvisation. At this, they are absolute masters, with a dazzling
array of stupefying combinations that have very few equals in the dance
world (I dare say you could stack any of their improvisations against the
best choreography from the most polished of stage show dancers. Any time.
But hey, that is just my opinion). If you have seen them, you know I am not
exaggerating. There is a continual emphasis from C&L on improvisation
rather than memorization of patterns. Improvisation requires all of the
above: thinking, the learning process (technique and study), and a logical
structure within which one can combine a small number of simple elements ad
infinitum. From this knowledge can come an endless stream of creativity.
A 50%-50% proposition. Most interesting, so far, has been the
crucial role of the woman and the active participation she must take in
allowing both herself and the man to reach their potential when tango is
danced this way. It is not as many believe that "the woman just follows" or
that "a good leader can make any woman dance". To fully explore the
structure of the dance, the woman must have highly developed skills and
awareness, and be an equal partner in the dance, not just a follower.
This last point, important for me personally, has been discussed on Tango-L
ad nauseum, and is a hot topic of discussion amongst women whenever new
teachers arrive in my hometown, L.A. The prevalent thinking amongst them is
that they do not need classes, they already know how to dance (to be fair,
there are also many men who have the same thinking).
Most women bemoan a dearth of men to dance with and the fact that some will
not dance with them, but we as men, bemoan just as much a dearth of quality
women to dance with. We do it privately amongst ourselves, in order not to
offend anyone (so I may be treading on thin ice here, but some people here
say that until we have better women, we will not have men. Better men. A
chicken-or-egg-first scenario for sure, but, really, I don't want to start a
new internet tango gender war).
Fortunately, many women understand that instruction is essential, and that
going just to the milonga is not enough if they expect to 'get better'.
More and more women are rediscovering the value of serious classes with a
man. That even though, often times the class is approached from a leader's
perspective, the woman is really the one that "makes it happen" and without
her there is not much the man can do.
The misconception (at least here in L.A., for I cannot vouch for any other
city) that classes for women are just a useless series of repetitive,
boring, ochos and molinetes, while the man practices (or miss-practices as
the case may be) his lead, is giving way to a deeper understanding. This
understanding of the active role of the woman as an equal partner in this
thoroughly modern approach to tango is especially evident in C&L's classes.
Women in Argentina already know this and flock to their classes (many of
them performers and teachers in their own right). Slowly, we are catching
up with them.
Lastly, as a point of reference, Chicho & Lucia were/are part of a
think-tank created some years ago by Gustavo Naveira and Fabian Salas to
study and explore tango like few others did before them. They have
revolutionized the way tango is taught and thought. From this study group
and their classes have emerged a new generation of tango thinkers and a
great number of today's leading teachers and performers. People such as
Pablo Veron, Omar Vega, Julio Balmaceda, and many more. And among them,
Chicho & Lucia are considered special and unique for their talent and brand
of dance. This deep exploration of the dance comes through loud and clear
in their classes: simple, precise instructions, logical explanations to
leading and following and accurate assessments of a student's movements.
Chicho & Lucia have less than two weeks left in So. California before they
fly to Paris. They will remain in Europe until the Congreso Internacional
de Tango 2001 in Buenos Aires in March.
Enough already! Gotta go. Have to practice.
Alexis
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Date: Fri, 6 Oct 2000 14:32:59 -0500
From: Stephen Brown <Stephen.P.Brown @DAL.FRB.ORG>
Subject: New Tango Website/Video Reviews
Susan and I have launched a new website for tango. The URL is
<http://www.tejastango.com>.
The site contains reviews of instructional videos, information about
tango music for social dancing, and a few articles about tango
dancing.
In addition to increasing the number of instructional videos listed to
the current 127, I have added sections on videos for beginners, vals,
milonga, etc.
I would like to take this opportunity to express my appreciation to
the two previous hosts of my video reviews:
Alberto Paz of Planet Tango <http://www.planet-tango.com> and
Phil Seyer of San Francisco Tango <http://www.sanfranciscotango.com/>.
Without their gracious hosting of the video reviews, it is unlikely
that the reviews would have survived as an on-line resource. In
particular, Alberto Paz of Planet Tango hosted the reviews for many
years, and he put in a great deal of effort to keep the video review
webpage as up to date as possible.
With best regards,
Steve
Date: Fri, 6 Oct 2000 17:33:28 EDT
From: Timothy Pogros <TimmyTango @AOL.COM>
Subject: Ohio's largest newspaper review of Compania Tango Danza (long)
Ohio's largest newspaper, The Cleveland Plan Dealer published today the
review written by
WILMA SALISBURY of the tango show "Compania Tango Danza
staring Leandro Palou & Andrea Misse', Gabriel Misse' & Maria Sol Alzamora,
Diego Amorin 7 Vanesa De Lio
Ms Salisbury writes,
"With atmospheric smoke, dramatic lighting, tasteful costumes and
dancing of technical skill and emotional truth, compania Tango Danza of
Buenos Aires evoked an aura of sultry passion and playful seductiveness
Wednesday night at the Ohio Theater in Playhouse Square.
Performing to the accompaniment of recorded dance music from the 1930s
and 40s, the ensemble of three young couples presented an intimated show that
had none of the hard sell of Broadway tango. The impassioned artists danced
from their hearts, flowing in close embrace to pulsing Argentine rhythms and
drawing the responsive crowd into the beguiling world of tango, milonga, and
Vals.
the enticing company was founded just last year by Leandro Palou and
Andrea Misse, who set out to show audiences the authentic Argentine style.
the dancers, ages 19 to 26, had grown up with tango, "just doing it" rather
than learning the steps in an academic setting. some of them studied with
renowned tango masters and performed with touring productions. Others took
classes in ballet, folk and modern dance. The founding couple, together with
Misse's brother Gabriel, choreographed the show. Misse designed the costumes,
a large and impressive wardrobe of gorgeous cocktail dresses and
sophisticated suits.
Palou and Misse set a high standard for the company, dancing their solo
numbers with a feeling of deep melancholy and matched the music of Eduardo
Rovira and Astor Piazzolla. The youngest couple, Gabriel Misse' and Maria Sol
Alzamore, excelled in quicker numbers, which they danced with the frisky
exuberance of puppy love. Felling out the closely knit ensemble were Diego
Amorin and Vanesa De Lio, confident dancers who looked relaxed as they
executed intricate steps with perfect synchrony.
Most of the dances were performed by couples. But in the evening's most
dramatic number, Andrea Misse' played a dark sorceress who inflicted pain and
sadness on each duo. In another piece that went beyond partnering skills,
Palou portrayed a rival who had the power to interfere with a romantic
relationship.
the brilliant dancing emphasized slashing kicks and precise footwork
performed at lightning speed. The slender dancers moved effortlessly through
complex patterns. They ate up space with tiny steps, swiveled their hips
fluidly and kicked with the abandon of cancan dancers. the male dancers did
not cruelly dominate the women. Instead, the couples communicated a sense of
equality as they collaborated in sinuous sequences and tricky steps.
The fast paced show unfolded seamlessly through 11 numbers in the first
act and nine in the second. as one couple took the stage, the others changed
their costumes, allowing each dance to segue into the next. At the end, the
audience wanted more, and the company obliged with an encore.
Presented by Cuyahoga Community College as part of its Cultural Arts
Series, the engaging production not only introduced a fresh young company,
but also whetted appetites for Playhouse Square's next tango show,"Forever
Tango" Nov. 1-5 at the Palace Theater."
the authors E mail: wsalisbury @plaind.com
Personally for what I know of Ms Salisbury, is that she is very learned and
very knowledgeable about every aspect of dance. She has been the dance critic
for many years for the Cleveland Plan Dealer.
Date: Fri, 6 Oct 2000 16:33:04 -0600
From: Dave Schmitz <dschmitz @MAGELLAN.TEQ.STORTEK.COM>
Subject: Forever Tango
Dear Listers,
Does anyone have a full schedule for the Forever Tango tour,
or a pointer to an up-to-date web site with a full schedule for
the Forever Tango tour? ? ?
Note: www.forevertango.com appears to be out of date.
We know from TimmyTango's posting that they are visiting
Cleveland. And I know from my query many weeks ago that
they are visiting one or two other cities. Does anyone have
a FULL schedule or know where to find it?
Thanks,
Dave
from Denver
> From owner-tango-a @MITVMA.MIT.EDU Fri Oct 6 16:17 MDT 2000
> X-Comment: mitvma.mit.edu: Mail was sent by imo-d07.mx.aol.com
> Mime-Version: 1.0
> Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
> Date: Fri, 6 Oct 2000 18:02:21 EDT
> From: Timothy Pogros <TimmyTango @AOL.COM>
> Subject: NA-E,
> NA-C:Forever Tango discount tickes for any Performance Nov 1-5
> To: TANGO-A @MITVMA.MIT.EDU
>
> Forever Tango will be in Cleveland November 1 - 5
> at the Palace Theater in Playhouse Square
Date: Fri, 6 Oct 2000 18:44:20 -0600
From: Tom Stermitz <stermitz @CSN.NET>
Subject: Re: COMMENTS ON CHICHO & LUCIA
>Perhaps this discussion is too esoteric for the average tanguero in the
>States. Some of us just want to go to the milonga with the simple rudiments
>of the dance and just wing it from there. Others want to delve more deeply.
> The later group may be interested in what C&L have to say.
>...
> Thinking & Awareness. The key to advancement in tango, according
>to C&L, is thinking. The ability to analyze our bodies so as to become
>keenly aware of its movements and its consequences. The interaction and
>relationship of our bodies determines whether or not we will have a
>fulfilling and satisfying experience on the dance-floor. And this requires
>self-knowledge and awareness of the effect we have on the person we are
>embracing as we move to the music.
>...
>Enough already! Gotta go. Have to practice.
>
>Alexis
Alexis makes many good points (Not to dismiss them by deletion), but
I wanted to isolate the single point that I truly disagree with.
Alexis' "interaction and relationship of our bodies" is not the
determinant of whether or not we have a "fulfilling and satisfying
experience on the dance floor." By this definition, Tango is reduced
to nothing more than "three dimensional objects moving through space
in some interaction and relationship".
For me, it is the "interaction and relationship of our hearts and
souls" that is the determinant of fulfillment and satisfaction.
This is true in life as in tango.
"Tango Gymnastics" has been the term of criticism thrown at both
fantasy tango and the "nuevo tango" of the Gustavo/Fabian/Chicho
school.
That said, I agree that the "liquid tango" of Chicho and Lucia is
very beautiful to watch, and it takes considerable skill on the part
of both leader and follower. It is VERY improvisational, and
certainly could be posited as an alternative to "other"
choreographical schools and teachers.
My personal preferences in tango do not run in that direction due
precisely to my point of disagreement with Alexis. For me tango is
about emotion, music, passion, feelings and holding a beautiful woman
close enough to hear her heart beat.
Tango is about the internal connection where hearts and emotions soar.
Tango is poetry not ballet classes.
--
Tom Stermitz
stermitz @ragtime.org
http://www.ragtime.org/ragtime
http://www.tango.org/dance
Date: Fri, 6 Oct 2000 18:04:11 -0700
From: Richard Heath <cathoops @EARTHLINK.NET>
Subject: Re: COMMENTS ON CHICHO & LUCIA
Tom, how can you have one without the other?
I am a very new student of Tango and I can already see this...How can one
dance and experience the" interaction and relationship of their hearts and
souls" without "interaction and relationship"between the 2 dancing
bodies...connectivity...as one.. They both make up for fulfillment and
satisfaction on the milonga floor. Rick-
End of TANGO-L Digest - 6 Oct 2000 to 7 Oct 2000 (#2000-271)
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