| Like personal engagements with many forms of art, | | | | "what really happened" in any culture's history), it is |
| deciding whether to learn about the history of | | | | generally understood that dancing tango during this |
| Argentine Tango depends largely on what type of | | | | time was the most common form of social |
| relationship one wants with the dance. One need not | | | | expression; that is, going out to milongas is just what |
| be an expert on the difference in time signature or | | | | people did. Various styles of dancing and music |
| tempo between valses and milongas or on the | | | | developed, accessible and specialized, and they were |
| effects of the anti-Peronist political coup on the | | | | shared and mystified, but they existed and drew |
| popularity and accessibility of tango music and social | | | | people to dance and socialize nightly. Although we are |
| dancing, for example, to be attracted to and enjoy | | | | in a very different cultural moment now in the United |
| taking tango classes or dancing socially or to | | | | States, understanding tango with this frame--as one |
| spectating dance or musical performances. And it | | | | method to express sociality--takes the pressure off |
| would be reductive to argue that knowing this | | | | me to compete with other dancers and, most simply |
| information equates to more proficient dancing. This | | | | and most importantly, makes dancing and learning |
| does not mean, however, that there is little value in | | | | more fun. |
| historical and contextual investigation. In fact, I argue | | | | Understanding this social context has also helped me |
| that knowing about the historical and rhetorical | | | | better determine with what type of teacher I want |
| context of any part of our lives better equips us to | | | | to study. I want to learn with instructors who |
| articulate the reasons for our life choices. And this is | | | | emphasize physical technique and vocabulary that are |
| exactly the point. Having access to knowledge can | | | | useful in a social and improvised environment instead |
| help us establish, however tentatively, what kind of | | | | of those who load up students with memorized |
| relationship we want with the dance, what kind of | | | | steps that ignore the pragmatics of dancing with |
| students and teachers and dancers we are and want | | | | different partners outside of that particular class. |
| to be, and what tango adds to our lives. This, of | | | | Although I may have been able to figure this out on |
| course, can change as our dancing experiences and | | | | my own, my formal knowledge has certainly |
| dancing relationships change, and it is within this | | | | complemented the inexpressible feelings I have in my |
| adventure that the beauty of the art lies. | | | | gut about what constitutes a "good" learning |
| Creating a framework for how to think about my | | | | experience from a "weird" one, and it gives me a |
| involvement with Argentine Tango has become | | | | context for decisions based on those experiences. |
| particularly useful to me as I continue to study and | | | | I first wanted to learn to dance Argentine Tango out |
| dance. For example, thinking about tango as social | | | | of curiosity. I became romantically involved with a |
| expression has helped me ground my study as | | | | dance teacher, and I wanted to know more about |
| anti-competitive. This may seem a bit counterintuitive. | | | | what his life was like--as much as I could as a |
| One might think that emphasizing the social | | | | beginning student. This wasn't very long ago, and I |
| interactions--meeting new people, connecting with | | | | continue to study as a beginning learner, having |
| friends and enemies, developing dancing and | | | | already satiated my inquiry into my steady's line of |
| community relationships--encourages dancers to | | | | work. I realize this story isn't very interesting, but |
| compare abilities and styles in a competitive manner. | | | | what I think is worth discussing are the reasons one |
| And perhaps, for some, it does. But what is useful | | | | continues to study Argentine Tango despite its |
| for me here is thinking about the way people danced | | | | physical and sociocultural inaccessibility. Understanding |
| in Argentina during what is referred to as the Golden | | | | a bit about our relationships with tango through |
| Age of Tango, roughly mid-1930's to mid-1950's. | | | | learning about its history is perhaps one avenue into |
| Although the cultural memory of Argentine Tango is | | | | feeling encouraged and motivated to continue learning |
| at times uncertain (like many other discussions of | | | | and, eventually, to finding our own voices. |