[TANGO-L] Milonga Rhythm

[Melanie Eskoff <melanieeskoff@AUSTIN.RR.COM>]

Thanks for all the posted and private responses to my milonga rhythm question.  I'm beginning to think that what I'm experiencing is a bizarre phenomenom, which I hope is limited to a particular small group in my community.  Some of you IMO hit the nail on the head.  Thanks Astrid and Alice.  But, perhaps in trying to be discrete, I didn't elaborate enough.

Rhythm in milonga?  Oh yeah.  No problem.  Everything everyone said about the possibilities for rhythm in milonga confirmed my experience as a leader and follower.    What I'm seeing are a few leaders who after dancing to what most of us would call milonga rhythms with milonga music, will suddenly slow down and dance the basic tango walking rhythm (stepping on the 1 3 5 7) for 32 or 48 beats.   It appears to be a decision to use that "tango" rhythm to express themselves (sic) in milonga, and they apparently think it acceptable.  I think it's NUTS and has no connection to the music.  Maybe they're slowing down, because they're not "in" the music and are busy thinking about setting up the next "step" they're going to lead?  Maybe they're tired and need a little break? ;~)

Is this a new fad?  I think it's an unfortunate misconception on the part of a few uneducated but influencial persons in my community.  When I commented to one relatively new gentleman, who lead me to do it at this weeks practica, that it didn't feel like milonga to me and I would never lead that slow a walk to milonga music, he blew me off with, "it was interesting to get the personal preferences of the followers".  Since when is doing a tango walk to milonga music an acceptable musicality preference rather than just wrong?  Feels stupid and unmusical to me.  

Since he relegated my opinion to "followers preference" instead of choosing to benefit from my six years of experience leading, I had hoped that the list could give me some perspective to share with him or at worst find out I'm missing out on the latest craze.  But this....am I wrong, or is this just uninformed dancing, mistakenly taking the idea of musical interpretation and making it stink?  Maybe they think that doing a tango walk in milonga adds variety to the dance.  Yuck.  I would love to give this very nice, but IMO misinformed, gentleman some input from the international community or should I just keep my mouth shut and politely decline his invitation to milonga? 

Oh well, I'll take comfort in the fact that his spouse likes to dance with me.

Melanie (dissed by a beginner and lookin for ammo) Eskoff