Styles anyone

She should get over it. It happens all the time.

In 1980 dancers in Texas called Wesern Swing / West Coast Swing, "California style swing". Texas "Shuffle" became known became known as Texas Two Step, or just "Two Step" around the country, even though there was already a different Two Step that had been around for decades.

Western Swing WAS West Coast Swing, but is now the same (maybe?) as "Country Swing" or "Cowboy Swing". People in Los Angeles country western clubs danced "Western Swing" in 1981 among other dances. Which one do you think it was? (That's a rhetorical question.)

In California dancers called the swing style from the East Coast "the New Yorker".

There is still, and ever will be, confusion about different styles of swing.

Why should we expect tango to be any diferent, especially since it is so global?

I see your are enjoying your new book... ;)
 
IMO, there are a several styles that can fall into the "collection" of "things" called salon. Milonguero style fits in there (as a subset of salon), and VU style (where they do tend to take big steps when the space is available) is another subset of salon.
 
The problem is that "styles" are now merchandised as incompatible labels. Why are they merchandised? It has become an industry, a lot of people live on dancing and teaching. To get along they proclaimed the one-style-only dancer. Of course of the only true style...

I like to dance "Salón" with Caló and Fresedo,
"Milonguero with Gardel and Tanturi,
"Neo" with Gotan Project
"Nuevo" with Pugliese
 
The problem is that "styles" are now merchandised as incompatible labels. Why are they merchandised? It has become an industry, a lot of people live on dancing and teaching. To get along they proclaimed the one-style-only dancer. Of course of the only true style...

I like to dance "Salón" with Caló and Fresedo,
"Milonguero with Gardel and Tanturi,
"Neo" with Gotan Project
"Nuevo" with Pugliese
No argument there, as the music very much will change the style I want to dance.

Out of curiosity, what is "Neo" style dancing? I've only heard that term used with music, not with a style of dance.
 
After reading comments on the article itself, I started looking at my notes from my lessons with Miller years ago. Then I thought about how some of the teachers here in Portland didn't obsess / talk much at all about what style they are teaching.

I see your are enjoying your new book... :wink:

Well, you know a little bit of knowledge is dangerous. So, what about a large bit information?
 
I only dance one style:

Follower style.

It's most distinguishing feature is that it incorporates the lead and the leader's intent, whatever he may be dancing.

I feel sorry for leaders... they're the ones who have to worry about all these other styles. ;)
 
There's very little to disagree with in Melina's post.
She makes observations more than inflicting her own view.

As for her getting over it . . . she and Detlef are teaching all the time,
globe-trotting too, these are bound to be one of the things they think about,
especially the problems of different understandings and interpretations
in different countries, probably even in different cities.

Teachers deconstruct, reconstruct and analyse continuously. They have to be
able to communicate their view (a view?) of tango. We read and write about
many of the same things on here so clear language and understanding has
some importance here too. But hopefully we forget all this at a milonga
and just dance, hopefully your own dance not teacher's.


Yes it is, but not in the way argentine vs. european teachers. It´s simply a question of education and academic claim. There is a lot of well trained and studied argentine teachers, that have unmasked the body-center-only-talk as a battle slogan of Miller´s Milonguero stylists. Also traditional VU-stylists claim: you should be able to lead with every part of your body.

There's a lot of well-trained teachers, well trained in what? Too much
training is the antithesis of an evolved social dance to the music.

And there's no such thing as traditional VU-stylist.
VU is the marketed product of dance schools interpretation
of salon tango adapted to be seem and look good/elegant,
for performance and to win competitions.
Firstly, it is the more difficult way. You only can do so if you have a firm body posture. Secondly the embrace DyM teach is already a little bit more flexible than the traditional apilado hold. They dance in a slight-V and do not cling to each other.
They don't lean on each other but they are more or less in line, not in a Vee,
and Melina certainly does cling to Detlef - see her arm slung over his shoulder,
hanging down his back, helping keep them together. I've tried it with a
partner so I could feel it and it produces a different very together
connection without the need for such a strong chest to chest connection.

They do not care about that VU-protocolls about the rhythmic interpretation of 8cB and 8-point-Molinete.
You make my point very nicely about VU!
 
There's very little to disagree with in Melina's post. She makes observations more than inflicting her own view.

As for her getting over it . . . she and Detlef are teaching all the time, globe-trotting too, these are bound to be one of the things they think about, especially the problems of different understandings and interpretations in different countries, probably even in different cities.

Teachers deconstruct, reconstruct and analyse continuously. They have to be able to communicate their view (a view?) of tango. We read and write about many of the same things on here so clear language and understanding has some importance here too. But hopefully we forget all this at a milonga and just dance, hopefully your own dance not teacher's.
I don't often agree with your posts, but I do here.
:cheers:
 
@ JE, there´s no need to convince me: think we´d get along with each other, though we´ve got different areas in focus.

well trained in what?

in didactics. I mean those teachers who know in detail what they are doing and can put it into words, as well. That´s unusal.

And there's no such thing as traditional VU-stylist. VU is the marketed product of dance schools interpretation of salon tango adapted to be seem and look ..elegant, for performance and ..

Contradiction: there´s one of them teaching in Berlin and Hamburg, and I´ve already discussed with him a lot: these guys stick together as an order of knights. No connection to dance schools at all. Only esprit de corps.

You make my point very nicely about VU!
;)
 
And there's no such thing as traditional VU-stylist.
VU is the marketed product of dance schools interpretation
of salon tango adapted to be seem and look good/elegant,
for performance and to win competitions.
!

dont believe the (anti-)hype..VU is a nice way to dance and has some good teachers. I can see its attraction and as melina said its another subset of salon..
 
dont believe the (anti-)hype..VU is a nice way to dance and has some good teachers. I can see its attraction and as melina said its another subset of salon..
Very true, and something else I've been told by several, the style existed long before someone gave it a name (like most stuff in tango).
 
style follows music

"Neo" with Gotan Project
"Nuevo" with late Pugliese

Out of curiosity, what is "Neo" style dancing? I've only heard that term used with music, not with a style of dance.

πάντα ῥεῖ

Neotango: Over here it is also used to describe the dancing of the post-Naveiraen generation as early Chico, Homer, Pulpo, wheras Nuevo is everything that leads to and culminates in Naveira. Nuevo dancing was the reaction on Nuevo music, whereas Neo dancing emerges with the fusion style of Neotango music. Think the style always follows the music, as in older times: when Tango de Salón was the reaction on the Decarian revolution in tango music.

.
 
πάντα ῥεῖ

Neotango: Over here it is also used to describe the dancing of the post-Naveiraen generation as early Chico, Homer, Pulpo, wheras Nuevo is everything that leads to and culminates in Naveira. Nuevo dancing was the reaction on Nuevo music, whereas Neo dancing emerges with the fusion style of Neotango music. Think the style always follows the music, as in older times: when Tango de Salón was the reaction on the Decarian revolution in tango music.

.
Interesting. I'm restating it only to find out if I am understanding you. To me it sounds like nuevo came first, and the the Neo style came after that. Is that more or less how you see it? FWIW, over here, all of that is called nuevo.

So how does nuevo music compare to neotango, over there?

Here, Nuevo is typically used for the dance style, and Neotango is used for the music style. We also use the term "alternative music" which includes both neotango music, along with "other" music that was not written for tango, but the DJ deems it suitable for dancing tango.
 
So how does nuevo music compare to neotango, over there?

My guess is that 70s-80s bombastic concert tango (e.g. late Troilo, late Pugliese, maybe Piazzolla?), which kept all the traditional instruments but rendered the music differently, is considered nuevo tango. Music that incorporates synthesizers, electronica, etc would be neo.

As for the difference in dancing style, that I have no answer. But of course, I'll venture a (very personal) guess. I associate bombastic concert tango with tango shows and stage-style (fantasia) dancing. Later "neotango" is more linked to Chicho's (and his imitators) style.
 
My guess is that 70s-80s bombastic concert tango (e.g. late Troilo, late Pugliese, maybe Piazzolla?), which kept all the traditional instruments but rendered the music differently, is considered nuevo tango. Music that incorporates synthesizers, electronica, etc would be neo.

Thanks, your explanation above coincides I think with this extract from a website I visit that has always puzzled me with their musical classification until your explanation above, albeit there seems to be some divergence regarding neotango and tangofusion and so their classification is still a bit puzzling to me.
devoted notice to music from the 'Epoca de Oro' (about 1940) with for example Gardel, Troilo, Canaro, d'Arienzo, but also Tango Nuevo (Piazzolla, Pugliese), neotango (non-classic tango dance-music) and tango fusion (Gotan, Narcotango, Bajofondo).
 

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