New Tango Reality Show

H

Heather2007

New Member
Certain teachers are up in arms because a certain "other" teacher has been elected to be the teacher to take a bunch of non-tango people, train them and enter them in TV reality show incompeting against other newbies from around the world in Buenos Aires.

Now, to prevent anyone bombarding me with hate messages reminding me NOT to name names on the site I will describe this elected teacher as X and ask Londoners and other Britons to send me a PM if they want to discuss further.

My conversation yesterday with a tango friend at a milonga yesterday:

Friend: I cannot believe they have chosen X to be the teacher, the other teachers are so angry that they have been chosen. Nobody can understand I why.

Me: Yes, but X teaches show tango.

Friend: Yes, but who the hell dances show tango at a milonga.

Me: Yes, but if it is for a reality TV show -

Friend: Nobody rates him. He's too wild. Have you danced with any of his students

Me: Yes I have. But that's by the by. Picture the scenario. You're in the workshop, at home working on a new table. Then you hear your wife call out to you telling you to come and "watch this". It's a new reality TV show, she tells you, where people unfamilar with the dance are given the opportunity to learn AT. In a matter of weeks. Like other similar progs, there will be the good, the bad and the total nightmare in contestants and each week one will be eliminated. So, you decide to sit and share the moment with her. So tell me, truthfully as one who knows nothing about AT would you rather watch a bunch of people dancing like that [here I point to the dancers at our milonga] or would you rather watch the type of dancing that you see, say, on Strictly. Remembering, it is reality TV show not a professional milonga.

Friend stops to meditate on this awhile and then says, I still disagree H, we really do not think that X should be allowed to...

So, I left the friend to rant on and on and reminded myself to post a note to you guys.

After just that one class with X followed by the milonga, this is what I thought (and dismissing the fact I am an ex- contempoary jazzer and used to being thrown about the place because I am making my judgment with with AT in mind and what they have been taught). Verdict: Different. A bit too wild on occasions with one or two. Crazy. Experimental. I got a bit "show tango overload" towards the end as I was missing that slow, close-hold (as a follower) that you get at regular milongas but I did enjoy the evening. Esopecially the sitting and watching part.

So, what do you think? Of such a show, how they should be taught, and what style (regular or show). Should there be such a show.
 
Should there be such a show? Moot point. There is one now.

Style to be taught...I've got to agree with you. No one outside of the AT community will be care that that's not what you see at milongas. Hell, they won't even know about milongas. But, let's face it, fantasia is what non-AT people like to see, for the most part. And, it's "reality" TV.

But, at the core of it, fantasia is still (or can still be) AT. It's a different variety of it, but can still retain the characteristics.

Besides, by the time the show airs it'll all be produced and packaged and edited so that it bears absolutely no resemblance to reality any way you look at it.
 
I don't think I really care; we had a stage show here last week and it may bring in a few new students and I will just have to make it clear that they are learning salon tango.

Never liked "reality" shows anyway. Unlike Colin's documnetary of the Cardiff Milonga scene which I thought was far more interesting.
 
Heather2007 said:
So, what do you think? Of such a show, how they should be taught, and what style (regular or show). Should there be such a show.
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Yes there should be such a show. The more publicity for AT dancing - for partner dancing in general, come to that - the better (OK, with the possible exception of Strictly Dance Fever, which was yuk).

And it should be taught in a way that maximises viewers, like all reality telly. That's how the business works.

Hopefully, there'll be enough dancer involvement to ensure authenticity - in fact, in the long term, authenticity makes good business sense, because it seems that the more authentic and positive shows are also the longer-lasting ones.

As to what style of AT should be taught and shown - good grief, who cares? :rolleyes:

It's AT. It's on telly. It's great publicity. What more could you want?

Ten years ago, there was nothing on TV about partner dancing. Nada. Zip. Niente. Now, there's Strictly Come Dancing, there's Dance With The Stars in dozens of countries, there's SYTYCD, there's... etc.

We're in a partner-dance TV golden time now, let's just enjoy the ride.
 
It sounds like "teacher X" was lucky and got the break - Seems unfair but it is just how the business goes, or so I have been told. If it had not been "teacher X", everybody would be complaining about "teacher Y" or "teacher Z" getting the job and "selling out" the tango.
 
Me said:
It sounds like "teacher X" was lucky and got the break - Seems unfair but it is just how the business goes, or so I have been told. If it had not been "teacher X", everybody would be complaining about "teacher Y" or "teacher Z" getting the job and "selling out" the tango.
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I agree.

Some teachers will be better at marketing themselves than others - that's just the way it goes. It doesn't make them better teachers, of course, but it does make them better businesspeople. That's how business works.

Same for dancers, come to that - Vincent & Flavia aren't the best AT dancers in the UK, not even close. But they marketed themselves well, and they were in the right place at the right time, so they're now (relatively) rich & famous. And good for them.
 
Could someone post the name of this show? I'd like to try to catch it on BBC America, or else perhaps on YouTube.

Thanks.
 
Though, I feel that it is about time that dance is getting the public / theatrical / media attention that it deserves, my gut reaction is, "Oh yea! Another F*@#&g reality show about ??
 
How good looking, personable and engaging is Teacher X? These are also important factors for TV casting. ;)
 
Good point.

Also, perhaps Teacher X is able/willing to disrupt his life for the sake of the TV show, whereas others were not. I'd be curious about which other teachers tried for the show and were not picked--and whose decision (theirs or the show's) it was.
 
Me said:
It sounds like "teacher X" was lucky and got the break - Seems unfair but it is just how the business goes, or so I have been told. If it had not been "teacher X", everybody would be complaining about "teacher Y" or "teacher Z" getting the job and "selling out" the tango.
Click to expand...

Ha, ha, ha. Exactamundo!
 
Heather2007 said:
Ha, ha, ha. Exactamundo!
Click to expand...

This has all the makings of tango soap opera/Agatha Christie whodunnit

the back stabbings, wheedling and fauning to get the Celebrity Teacher Job;to
the outrage of the other miffed teachers,
teacher X dumps his current girlfriend /dance partner (Tina Sparkle) to partner with the far fmore glamorous femme fatale (P**** Galore) not knowing that BG blows both ways and has a secret lover of her own
THEN Teacher X is found stabbed in Bs As backstreet and the Polizei are not short of suspects

etc etc ;)
 
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