“Dancing, Culture and the close embrace”
My friend Patrizia, the author of It takes two, has been writing for The Huffington Post. Her latest post: Dancing, Culture and the close embrace asks this question “…does anyone need protection from sensuality?”
I had a conversation with an acquaintance right after I got back from Baires. We discussed the different attitudes about tango from different cultures: western European, eastern European, Russian, Asian, Northern American…. He made an interesting comment:
All these people (from this city where he lives) go to BsAs and they embrace differently. They embrace like everyone embracing down there (more or less). But once they return home, they go back to the old way: distant, courteous and even cold. And that is pretty F%^&ed up.
I had to admit that he had his point. 
Does it seem that people here are likely to misinterpret the embrace? Because we have a “cooler” attitude to touch, when it happens it might be thought to be an invitation that has not been extended. Too bad, but true.
The embrace distinguishes the foreigners from the locals in the milongas of BsAs. If only the foreigners could relax and realize that it is a one-arm hug with someone while dancing.
Funny thing is that you, as a foreigner, has been most vocal critique to the foreigners; while the Argentine recognize the positive influence of the participation of foreigners. It is because the foreigners, us, that tango has thrived around the world.
I agree TP. Also, hard to relax around people who take you money and then treat you like an outsider and a fool.
E
Although I feel quite at home and welcomed at the milongas. There are some attitudes like that in Buenos Aires. I think good dancers respect each other. Only the mediocre ones or the bad ones have attitudes.
I felt at home too, and very welcome, except I could see some attitudes…but mostly I hear it from bloggers.;0
I don’t get it, Jan really does tell it ‘like it is.’ If one doesn’t like her personality it is still quite easy to look past it to the truth in what she says. Why take it as personal? There is a difference between the Portenio and the foreigner. It was the BsAs culture that produced this great music and dance. Dig the differences they are really there and they are quite interesting. The fact that most non-Argentines cannot give a convincing, warm hug is both amusing and a challenge for us.
Mario,
Truth? Whose truth? It is not personal. When one pictures only portenos dance tango, others don’t. Then that’s a matter of principle. Some of the dreamiest embraces I’ve had the pleasure to have were from the Russian, Asian, American and European. The best tango experiences I’ve had were dancing with the Russians. And Turkish dancers are well known as sensitive and good dancers. Here is the MY truth: tango evolves, like everything else. Keep an open mind. Until you are there, in Buenos Aires, start experiencing different milongas, everything you’ve read, heard is just someone else’ truth. Not your own.
And I think it gets ridiculous for a foreigner to tell other foreigners that the ones who were born in Baires, started their first steps dancing in BsAs milongas, and have been dancing for longer than the total time that this foreigner has lived in Baires aren’t dancing the real tango.