As holiday seasons come and go we count our blessings for another year of tango. For most people the increased politicking that takes place in the name of the tango as communities grow goes unnoticed. They have more pressing issues to deal with, like the precision of their ochos and the latest description of how to do a volcada. And that is how it should be. We love the tango, otherwise we wouldn’t spend so much time and money in workshops, milongas, shows, trips to Buenos Aires, and the like.
We were the first to publish a newsletter starting in 1994. It was born out of the need to educate an entire new generation of dancers, to provide a forum for open discussion, and foster and preserve the rich cultural heritage of the Argentine tango. We did it keeping a light attitude, sometimes laughing at ourselves, and working hard to enjoy our tango more.
Success breeds imitation, and sometimes envy and jealousy. Tango music and its dance are all about feelings and emotions. In a culture where emotions are held close to the vest, the way people act can have a profound effect in a community. It can be argued that life is a tango, and that for many tango is their life. It has been for us since the early nineteen nineties. For the good of tango we always tried to keep a good supply of olive branches, but for good measure we also have pieces of the tree.
As public figures we have buried our happy faces in the ground like the ostrich oblivious to the danger around, but like the ostrich we left our behinds exposed to the proverbial kicks. To be honest we have many good friends who have helped us along the way spread the goodwill, but it’s also disheartening to be surrounded by people who react in virulent ways to other people happiness. That is also tango for you.
As the end of a century remind us of the irreversible nature of life, we reflect on the need to keep the tango strong and accessible to everybody, saving it from becoming a hollow shell. Without a doubt tango politics is the silent killer of the social fun aspect of the dance. One of the worst weapons is self promotion that takes advantage of the efforts of dedicated volunteers.
There is a tradition of respect for the elder that tango dancers understand and value. With some notable exceptions, our young communities lack elder milongueros so it is up to those who know, who live and love the tango to speak up against those who attempt to legislate behavior, those who pass judgment on who’s good or not based on their personal promotion agendas.
Judging, criticizing, or trying to legislate how people dance or choose to express their emotions are annoying traits that could and should be ignored, except when they cause good people to walk away and never come back. There are times when somebody needs to speak up for those who can’t or won’t.
Tango is about life, so we hope it will never become a hollow shell. In life there are those who live and those who survive. The tango evolved from obscure and hybrid origins to become a way of life for people all over the world. Many have and many will attempt to “own” it, to make it their fad of choice, and to legislate behavior. Until that time when they start putting shackles on people’s ankles, the tango will continue to exist because it lives in each and everyone of us. It lives in those we love, in those we don’t; in those we care, in those we ignore; in those we know, in those we never met.
Tango lives every time we say I love you. It exists every time we long for a hug or a kiss that doesn’t happen. Tango lives when we are angry, when we are jealous, when we feel insecure, when we feel powerful, when we are tired, when two lovers or two strangers embrace and move together. Tango even exists when somebody leaves and no longer wants to be with you.
After we’re gone, somebody else will walk across the floor catching somebody’s eye. Two people will hold hands and silently move onto the floor ignoring what you or anybody else may judge to be good or bad, pretty or unpleasant, right or wrong. It is about their lives, not yours. Live and let dance.
