Interview with Chico Frumboli

[Steve Pastor]

See the complete interview at
http://atdrc.com/default.asp?TextDisplay=1&Display=18

Meanwhile, consider this statement -

CHICHO: My idea, and that of Gustavo Naveira and Fabian Salas as well, was always that the tango needed to be popular in the world. Obviously it is born from one country and has its origins, but it needs to be universal. It cannot belong only to Buenos Aires. There is no way to prevent this expansion from happening, as every day more and more people are dancing tango in every part of the world .

 

[Mario7]

It's difficult to follow up this interview with a comment...I have lots of thoughts about it..but they are scattered...I find the dancer and his experience very interesting. I've seen this guy do some great stuff and some really dumb (ballet) stuff and I don't think that he is THE all seeing eye into the future...but I like most of what he says here.
In a way, not being in BsAs gives him an edge..ie: he is a BIG factor in the exportation and transmutation of the dance having placed his version of it into the hands of Europeans...interesting stuff, but I hope that the close-embrace Milonguero does not die out in my life time...I figure I only have ten or twelve good years of dancing left ..so, I guess I'm OK.

 

[opendoor]

Chico in english

(in a hurry), but so many thanks for posting and sharing this. Some ideas I like to discuss:

- are musicians the better dancers? I think he dances like a clockwork, much toooo exactly..

- solitary dancing: who to look at? You know, I think women dancing with Chicho take the back seat...

- english or spanish: seems that he can speak english, whereas his workshops are held in spanish, only...

 

[Steve Pastor]

Obviously it is born from one country and has its origins, but it needs to be universal. It cannot belong only to Buenos Aires.

And it turns out that tango was given to the world in a big way once before, and that was in the early part of the 20th century. And when the world "gave it back" it was accepted by the middle and upper classes of Argentina.
I stumbled across sheet music copyrighted in 1914 in the US. It features the habanera rhythm in the bass clef and was written by "Lew Pollack', and is titled "Tango-Toreador".

Duke University has a digital library with a bunch of interesting stuff, and that's where I found this. (I think I was looking for early blues, but honestly can't remember.)