Ban stiletto heels! Simples
The rules? Whose rules? You'd expect common sense to prevail, but it doesn't. Ought to be part of teaching (it was in ours). And where do you post this set of commandments? Or get buy-in to this 'contract'? Better education would achieve far more.
Utterly bizarre. All the DJ had to do was fade it out and that would be that.
Right, but even more so... Tango orchestras would alternate with Swing/jazz orchestras at one time. Later on, as related by Gustavo Benzecry Sabá, you had to be able to dance both AT and rock n roll. Had fun dancing swing for a short time at last year's Valentango. (might have been the only ones on the floor at that time)
Live music is obviously different as the orchestra played their set rather than the DJ choosing something. And AT radio shows for the US gave a cortina of adverts. So music presentation evolved.
Didn't get a sense that folks that dance other dances are comfortable dancing extensively at the cortinas, specially at events like Valentango. I see a lot of tango dancers at West Coast Swing / Fusion / Salsa events in Portland, but what I've seen is that folks mostly stick to tango at places like Berretin or Director's Park. The other dances are more open to have tango moves in them but doesn't feel like the other way around. Only at house parties that are like alt tango and zouk or at events like New Year's party where they put a lot of other music do people open up their other dance styles.
As you know, I have a contrary opinion on this. I've voiced it many times and always encountered rejection. Meanwhile I see that more as confirmation that I was right. If you open your eyes, you'll find tango dancers who actually also dance salsa, lindy, bachata, Brazilian dances, or balfolk. But admittedly, it's a subculture.
You can say the same about any social dance in isolation. Salsa dancers argue about the 1 or 2 and don't really understand when I ask "why not both?"
But this goes with the códigos: Thou shallt clear the dancefloor during the cortina or Thou shallt not dance other dances beyond 'tango' at a milonga - which some hold to strictly as the law which must be upheld (and the cause of the issue referred to). If you're aware of divisions within the church, it's not dissimilar, particularly amongst minor sects.
There's a tiny grain of truth there. More that AT accepts those who might be considered 'unmusical'. My experience has been that most other dances expect some 'musicality' in learning, even as a beginner, whereas AT typically starts with 'elements' and walking to a rhythm. So you then learn a musical interpretation of those elements, and it progresses from there - and into more complex music.
In my city there are two studios run by Argentinians. When the owners themselves DJ at milongas, they always play salsa and rock 'n' roll in between. And then the dance floor is packed. Latinos especially love variety.
Yeah, but there are some who discover AT and wish to enforce their 'one true way' and be miserable. AT isn't unique in that. People, and their perceptions of what's 'correct', are a problem across everything.
Some of it is the music, too. It's much easier to find and follow the beat with drum beats, instruments with more of a beat (like a guitar), and lyrics that come out in little 4 count bursts! Even drunk people in night clubs seem to have no trouble dancing to the main beat of rock and popular songs. On the other side, it took me about 3 months to reliably find the beat in Tango. Where are the drum beats? What's up with these drawn out, long note vocals?
Other dances I have dabbled in taught more ways to express the music -- feet are going one speed and arms are going another, for instance. IMO other dances' lessons introduce musicality concepts much sooner, and more often, too.
Death. I say it only half jokingly, it seems to be the last dance for many. There are a significant number of elderly ladies (I know I have danced with several in their 80s), unlike other dances I have dabbled in.