I think it is safe to say that Janiss preferences and biases are pretty well-known here. Anyone who follows this list very long knows where she is coming from. Competitions, particularly those in BA, are part of the tango world whether we care for them or not. And Manuel is correct; competition among dancers has existed as long as there has been tango. The competitions attract hundreds of people and generate a lot of interest. Personally, I appreciate hearing the view of a skeptic like Janis who is on the ground. Otherwise, the only news available on them would likely come from there own press releases. And questioning why Janis would report information about them given her views is like expecting all war correspondents to be in favor of war. Ridiculous. Fortunately, Im pretty sure Janis is not the type to let a little criticism deter her.
As far as the competitions themselves, I share the opinion that judging virtually any artistic creation as being the best or better than someone elses creation is relatively meaningless. Regardless of the number of rules imposed, it will always be too highly subjective, too personal. However, having said that, I am also for anything that generates increased interest in our Argentine tango. No one has convinced me that competition, whether in tango, ballroom, art, or movies, regardless of its general validity, serves to stifle interest rather than to generate attention and interest. The more people who become interested in tango, the more rich and diverse our community will become, thereby increasing its chance of survival. Cynically, it sometimes seems to me that some are more interested in continuing to play the big fish in a small pond rather than trying to increase the size and number of fish in the pond. In deference to Chris UKs perhaps appropriate low opinion of many teachers, sometimes I am afraid that were it not for teachers marketing Argentine tango, social tango would simply die out, overtaken by far easier and accessible dances. Some have said here correctly than the type of tango at competitions and choreographed performances is considerably removed from social tango, and therefore builds false expectations. And for those who become interested enough to try tango themselves, it is true that some will be disappointed and leave, but there will also be others who find the real social tango can be even more amazing, for all the reasons most of us here know. If social tango is to survive, there must continue to be visible vehicles that capture peoples attention and imagination, to draw them to it, even if it sometimes is a little bait and switch. Some will find it was well worth it. WBSmith -------------------------------------------------------------------- mail2web.com Enhanced email for the mobile individual based on Microsoft® Exchange - http://link.mail2web.com/Personal/EnhancedEmail _______________________________________________ Tango-L mailing list Tango-L@mit.edu http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/tango-l