Tangueros in the West

From "Tango," the book,

by Paul Pellicoro, Argentina

Tango is like writing a letter, it has a beginning, periods, commas, stops and an end. If you are doing figures and gyros (turns) all the time, people don't see anything and that is why there is the walk - the invention of the people. In this dance of the people, which is what tango is, all the famous couples have used the walk, and they use it constantly.

"I should not believe in a God who does not dance." - Friedrich Nietzsche

The tango is on the ground, It is caressing the floor. It is the ball of the foot supporting the weight of the body, right on the axis and each person on his/her own axis. If you make pupils walk at the beginning, they get bored and want to learn steps and more steps - to show off at the dance hall. So pupils need to have the luck of meeting a teacher who tells you: No. Look. You must walk. First you walk.

"La Comparsita" by Libertad Lamarque
 

People talk about the different styles of tango, but there is only one tango. It accommodates itself to every place and every era. When the tango was growing it took shape from location to location. For instance when it first reached the outskirts of the city (Buenos Aires) it was danced one way, In the clubs they danced a different way. In the city salons is was forbidden to dance it the way they danced in those other places."  *  *  *  *

"A Media Luz" by Libertad Lamarque

 

 The Modern Era

 

Now in the 21st century, with the exotic new tango music has come new innovations and experimentation to fuse Argentine Tango with other influences from swing, night club 2 step, salsa and waltz. We are seeing Swango and other fusion classes all over the country. Swing Dance Fusion is revolutionizing partner dancing.

The erotically charged Tango is Latin America's dance of passion. This sensuous and sophisticated dance inhabits a world where everything can be said with the flick of a leg, the tug of a hand, the tap of a foot, and the arch of an eyebrow. Not all tangos possess all of these characteristics. Now on Oahu the American tango is still predominant.

But of course with the International publicity of the Dance Contest, the English style has been moving up fairly fast in the last 30 years. The Filipino tango has always been there but somewhat hidden and only used in ethnic group functions, both as a dance to enjoy and also as a good exhibition.

"Uno" by Libertad Lamarque

It is now been awakened specially in West Oahu and I look forward to some fusion between the Filipino and the American. From what I have read the Filipino originally comes from the American Tango that was danced by the Americans when they were in the Philippines. The coming big influence could be if the new "dance pavilion" is built in the West. The independence of the West Oahu dancing will show up very nicely.

"The Argentine Tango that is danced today is not the same tango
that was introduced to Europe one hundred years ago."