A friend of mine who was visiting Buenos Aires commented how my tango dancing had changed and how I was playing with certain kinds of elements more than others. The comment made me realize that some things I do is out of necessity due to the lack of space and the complete unpredictability of the dance floor of the milongas and practicas I attend. It made me look at other people’s dancing in a different light. Particularly, the collective way of dancing of the younger generation in Buenos Aires. It’s interesting to think that maybe a major factor that people dance the way they do is out of necessity. Elsewhere in the world the environment may be different (in terms of music selection, space, and ambiance). These teachers then have a huge impact & influence on the general poplulation who take classes from them or aspire to dance like them.
From a dancer’s perspective, it’s interesting because of the added constraints to how you can interpret the music. For example, if you interpret the music to be flowy but the floor doesn’t flow then you need to find another way to make your dance flow, etc. Or from a viewer’s perspective of watching a performance of true social dancers and wondering why someone chooses to interpret certain pieces of music a certain way. Maybe they are just accustomed to dancing with a certain constraint that it’s in their blood. With the constraint taken away, it still affects how they interpret the music (or simply, some just aren’t aware that the constraint is not there anymore?).