Hugo and Celina's best friends and hosts in the US, George and Jairelbhi, are based on Dallas, and OKC is incidentally within a driving range from Dallas. It was fortunate to have them here.
Speaking of George and Jairelbhi, Tango community in Tulsa, OK is inviting them for a Tango event "OK tango" in Tulsa on 5/31 weekend. The event and the good instructors should be beneficial for the Tulsa community.
Now, back to the title's "request" part.
There are various Tango events going on in and around this city. So it happens, in this same weekend, another studio was inviting Salon Tango specialists from Buenos Aires. The event was sponsored by the Oklahoma Arts Council & The National Endowment for the Arts, so it was supposed to benefit this state's taxpayers through arts and cultural exchange.
[Just adding short explanation for the word Salon Tango. Argentine Tango is originated in Buenos Aires, and there are many people dancing the dance in crowded dance halls there as a part of the culture. They developed Tango styles fitted to be danced in the social environment. Many socially danced styles are collectively called the Salon Tango. Salon Tango is often contrasted to the Stage Tango (or Show Tango) that we see in Tango shows and performances on stage.]
So, Salon Tango is socially danced style. Well-danced Salon Tango has unique appeal of intimate connection and subtle yet intricate moves, and can be striking to watch. Some people hold high esteem for the style as "our dance".
Stage Tango, in contrast, has general and immediate appeal to watch (if danced well). Hugo and Celina performed one of their routines during the workshop's lunch break in front of around 20 teenage kids happened to be in the studio for their ballroom dance class. And the performance seemed to be very impressive to the kids. The dance was impromptu service to the kids, but some of the kids may remember it for a long time.
Of course, even if the instructors perform Stage Tango in shows, it does not mean they teach aerials and high kicks in their workshops in a group class format. I doubt any respectable professionals would do that, unless the workshop is specialized for the stage moves. Decent Stage Tango requires serious dance training, and is usually professional work.
Hugo and Celina's workshops were teaching solid basics, body usage and Tango styling. Patterns are mere tools to teach good "Tango". As "Tango is contagion. A best way to pick it up is through close contact with a heavily infected body (quoted from a book "The meaning of Tango")", sometimes you have to dance with a superb dancer-instructor and feel it to get it. In that regard, workshops with excellent instructors, regardless of styles, can be priceless.
First of all, quality, not style, counts. This should be applicable to any style of Tango. Then you can appreciate the apparent differences in "styles".
So, when I knew two independent events, one by superb Stage performers and another by Salon Tango specialists, falling on the same weekend, I saw them as a missed opportunity. For myself and for the community.
Honestly, I was interested in attending the other instructors' workshops, if they did not fall on the same weekend. But I had to choose one, and it was a shame. Could it not have been a combined event, and arranged as a mini-tango festival featuring champion instructors from different Tango styles?
Local studios operate according to their own plans. Yet, a better communication and event coordination among studios would benefit middle-to-small sized cities such as OKC from the standpoint of whole community service.
I would love to see a better event coordination next time for the whole Tango and dance community's sake.
With Hugo and Celina
