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Presentation Tango

There is a very popular idea in Tango that gets paraded around a lot, an idea which gets confused with Social Tango which is NOT Social Tango at all but rather is all about the steps, patterns, and figures is known as ‘Show’ Tango, ’Scenario’ Tango, ‘Stage’ Tango, ‘Fantasia’ Tango, or Presentation Tango.

Another way to talk about this kind of Tango which is best classified/described as Posing-Every-3-Steps-Performance-Tango-To-Overly-Dramatic-Music-From-The-Late-60’s-That-Resembles-A-Wrestling-Match that can not be used on a social dance floor, ever!

These are steps, patterns, figures that are taught as a way to sell classes or a teaching couple, to package what they do that works for them in a performance. This stuff can not actually be used in the line of dance because it’s usually too big. However if it is reduced, made smaller (which no one ever talks about or displays), then it may be used, possibly. However given the space and size of that planeos, boleos, colgadas, volcadas and what not takes up, generally not. However this is exactly what gets paraded around as ‘Social Tango’. It’s not. It’s Presentation Tango. The overly sharp bodily lines. The pointed toes, elbows, and legs.  The very rough, and forceful movements. The huge, gaping steps, taking up oodles of space. The figures, after patterns, after more ‘steps’, repeated endlessly….all of which actually has no relationship to what’s happening in the music. This is Presentation Tango. 

Presentation Tango does not work on a social dance floor. Ever. There’s no space for it. Especially in Buenos Aires or a crowded dance floor. 

To be fair there are some good aspects of Presentation Tango. It does teach, and reinforce, that the dancer (not the couple), the individual, must focus on being clean in their execution of X, that they must employ good posture everywhere not just momentarily, that they must apply a bit of ‘spit & polish’ to everything that they do…from their walk to their embrace to their vocabulary choices within the line and lane of dance all within the musical construct of tango, vals, or milonga. However make no mistake, Presentation Tango has no place on a social dance floor, it should not be confused as Social Tango.  

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MORE REMINDERS

The ‘Connection’ Fallacy

November 17, 2016 No Comments

“Connection” is a wonderful idea. We like to believe in the romanticism of this word, and all that it implies, which is as it turns out a considerable amount. However, the word itself, from a Tango perspective, has been beat up and bruised that it more than likely has lost it’s original intent. When you say the word to someone it could mean any one of eight (8) different things as it relates to the dance. However, this is not a definition of the word, for that please see the Tango Topics Definition of the word "Connection". 


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Lethargy (Moving Too Slow)

February 10, 2017 No Comments

Lethargy is moving too slow for the intended lead’s request (‘lead’ is the action, and not the person). What this really boils down to is the reaction time of the dancer that is a.) a lag from the time at which a request was sent to the time it was received. and b.) way in which it is done (the real speed issue). Note what’s missing from this definition, the roles of the dance! There is no blame in this definition. None what so ever. However, that is seemingly about to change. It’s not, but your perception of it will until you get to the end.

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Waiting vs. Listening

June 2, 2018 No Comments

What is Waiting Vs. Listening ? In it’s simplest form this comparison deals with the axiom of Followers are told to "Wait for your L/lead", and instead implies that there is another idea sitting there that almost never gets talked about and in today’s Tango world almost never gets used, which is "Listening".

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Physiological Control

January 31, 2017 No Comments

Control is a really hard thing to get. It takes a while to have precise, or precision, control over exact foot placement, which is insanely important. It takes time to build up the necessary minute control that one needs to have over one’s body. A millimeter here, a millimeter there, cumulatively, can make all the difference between a dance that sucks (for both parties) and one that is absolutely fabulous. Precision control is where all the toys are at.

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Couples

February 24, 2017 No Comments

Couples, as a pair, develop their own shorthand for communicating with each other. They remark on events in their time together as ‘that time we did that thing when that thing happened, remember ?’. They invest their emotional time in each other as caring, loving (hopefully), partners that genuinely are invested in each other’s successes (hopefully). In one respect they are to each other intimates, while at the same time they see each other as support mechanisms, and so much more.

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Talking While Dancing

April 25, 2017 No Comments

Tango is a ‘Social’ dance. Meaning that the whole reason you are there is to hang out, meet new people, and to be social with each other. The dancing part is what brings us together but it’s really about being a social creature. That’s why it’s called a ‘Social’ dancing. Social in this case means talking and sharing your day or what’s been going on with you. Mostly it’s lots of talking, sharing, listening, and more talking.

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The ‘High Season’ in Buenos Aires

February 14, 2019 No Comments

What is the "High Season" in Buenos Aires ? It’s the period of time between December 15th and March 15th when several things happen all at once. 1.) It’s INSANELY HOT. It should be noted that sometimes this is called the ‘hot’ season. 2.) The traveling teachers return home to practice, and to build new routines. 3.) There’s a lot of tango touristas (you). 4.) There’s a lot of seminarios that happen. 5.) Did we mention there’s a lot of people ?

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The ‘D’ Word

August 23, 2017 No Comments

At the beginning of our Tango lives, most of us who start out taking a weekly series to get our feet wet, just so that we can say we ‘learned’ to tango. If only that were the end of it. It’s not. The classes never stop really. If you want to improve. If you want to get better and better dances with better partners, then you need to improve.

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The Neurology of Leading – Part 1

August 29, 2017 No Comments

There’s a component to Leading that you cannot even begin to assess or even address that happens because we’re in the line of dance. All of us have spent time in practice sessions, or in working with somebody one on one, or doing solo practice work, or class time, or solo practice time, or solo class time with your teacher. All of that is warm up to getting you to what happens in the line of dance. This is what I refer to as the neurology of leading.

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Keep something in the back of your mind: What you’re seeing in a youtube video is a couple that is performing for the 15th row for a room full of people. They’re not social dancing! Whereas this website is all about ‘Social Tango’  or how to make things function on a social dance floor. Social Dance floor ? Your local milonga! They are showing you flashy moves as a presentation, to show off! But not stopping and talking about how this works which is what you need to see. This website and all of it’s content show you the how and  why you’d want to put that piece of vocabulary there, or how to make things work. This website is all about those things and more!

You could watch Tango YouTube videos and thereby spend your time, trying to infer, and figure out how things may work in that particular situation. Bend your body this way or that, twist and force this position or that. Place your foot here or there and figure it out. This is known as Tango Twister.  Which can be a lot of fun, but more than likely it won’t help you, because you’re missing something: The explanation from an experienced teacher showing you how to properly excute this stuff from a Leading Perspective as well as from a Following Perspective!

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