Tango Diaries

[opendoor]

..A high standard performance.. doesn't set a good example, especially if it's entirely of moves unsuitable for the social dance floor..

I think you're devaluing such dance performances. They certainly don't have to meet the criteria of usability for social dancers. Its an art form in its own right. Performances should enchant and move the viewer. I expect to be told an imaginative story, complementing the music. I want to see precisely what I can't replicate. And let's be honest, anyone who complains about dance performances at dance events is usually a bad dancer themselves (at least in my experience, which of course doesn't seem to be shared by many here).

 

[Rabbit]

You are right, I am fed up of shows either. But from perspective of organisers they have to pay for performers and performance attracts audience.

Special events attract people, but I don't see why special events need to include the usual boring performances

 

[Rabbit]

Performances should enchant and move the viewer. I expect to be told an imaginative story, complementing the music.

Correct. And the typical performances at milongas COMPLETELY fail in this respect.

 

[opendoor]

Correct. And the typical performances at milongas COMPLETELY fail in this respect.

Sorry, I couldn't have known that. Master couples often visit my city and give workshops in studios on the weekend. There's always a show at the milonga. Honestly, I've only seen great performances in the last few years. But of course, I only go to milongas where the top acts are invited.

 

[Rabbit]

Sorry, I couldn't have known that. Master couples often visit my city and give workshops in studios on the weekend. There's always a show at the milonga. Honestly, I've only seen great performances in the last few years. But of course, I only go to milongas where the top acts are invited.

Sorry, but I don't find anyone, including the most famous names, interesting to watch in the typical 1 couple salon/mundial tango format.

 

[Brummbaer]

Correct. And the typical performances at milongas COMPLETELY fail in this respect.

Maybe they don't impress you much, but other attendees do seem to like them since numbers go. Either don't go, or get a majority to get the organiser to change.

 

[Brummbaer]

I think you're devaluing such dance performances. They certainly don't have to meet the criteria of usability for social dancers. Its an art form in its own right.

No, I'm not devaluing them. I've visited specific milongas to see performances for their own sake. But it is also a form of advertising. In general I wouldn't expect social dance at many milongas to 'inspire' others. Some are far too miserable, too introspective, and too serious. They don't even like performers. Add some live music in a more public arena and it might.

 

[Brummbaer]

Special events attract people, but I don't see why special events need to include the usual boring performances

Could you provide an alternative?

 

[opendoor]

Sorry, but I don't find anyone, including the most famous names, interesting to watch in the typical 1 couple salon/mundial tango format.

But we should also be able to distinguish between taste and pleasure and the dispassionate evaluation of the quality of the performance. And there's a third factor. Performers will consider in advance what they want to show a specific audience. They're also businesspeople who want to sell something. And the World Championship winners will offer their bestsellers. Therefore, quality is sometimes not apparent at first glance. Everything has two sides; I don't want to know what top performers think about the average milonga audience.

 

[Rabbit]

Could you provide an alternative?

themed nights, live music, community members showcasing their side projects like photography/fashion, occasional games... if you have to have a dance show make it one with an actual narrative or interactivity

 

[Rabbit]

But we should also be able to distinguish between taste and pleasure and the dispassionate evaluation of the quality of the performance.

It's like an AI generated article. the vocabulary and grammar are correct, the actual content is generic and unoriginal

 

[opendoor]

..I wouldn't expect social dance at many milongas to 'inspire' others...

That's a shame. It was different for me; I spent a long time studying the dance behavior of certain social dancers.

..Some are far too miserable..

This reminds me of an interview with Carlos Copello. He was lamenting the decline of milongas in BsAs. He said, in essence, that in the past, the pros danced at milongas, and the beginners watched in awe from the sidelines. Today, the dance floor is full of beginners, and the experts sit off to the side and think to themselves. That is, of course, a rather arrogant attitude.

 

[opendoor]

..community members showcasing their side projects..

That's fine when it comes to their main artistic projects. The side projects (tango painting, tango photography, tango tailoring, tango music) usually make me sick inside. But honestly, what do you have against a beautiful AI-generated performance? What do you have against World Cup finalists who dance (and usually look) like clones?

 

[Rabbit]

This reminds me of an interview with Carlos Copello. He was lamenting the decline of milongas in BsAs. He said, in essence, that in the past, the pros danced at milongas, and the beginners watched in awe from the sidelines. Today, the dance floor is full of beginners, and the experts sit off to the side and think to themselves. That is, of course, a rather arrogant attitude.

I don't mind people showing off on the dance floor so long as they aren't colliding with other dancers. It's more organic than the performances/competitions and fits the typical dance styles better

That's fine when it comes to their main artistic projects. The side projects (tango painting, tango photography, tango tailoring, tango music) usually make me sick inside.

You have to be, for example, a good photographer that also dances, rather than a dancer who decided to buy a camera to document their events... actually we have a couple of very good ones that I would love to see more of their non-dance photography

 

[TTanguero]

Could you provide an alternative?

Live music is the biggest draw by far – but it's expensive, so ...