Oh how the Brazilians love to dance! The monthly magazine all about dance in Brazil--Falando de Danca--has ads for every kind of dance instruction, from classical to the newest rage, Forro. And in between there are Arabe, samba, hip hop samba, bolero, salsa, zouk, and tango. The Brazilians dance while walking down the street.
But they dance in their own way, estilo brasileiro. As the old saying goes, you dance who you are. Ruben and I experienced lots of tango in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, but not much tango estilo milonguero. Brazilians dance big and open and with joy, but are not too interested in connection or a great embrace or floorcraft or expressing nuances of the music. It's MOVE! So naturally the tango there is the same--stage moves, nuevo steps, sexy poses, non-traditional music. It was fun, but not the tango we're used to.
Ruben and I were welcomed so warmly and made to feel so at home in the milongas and workshops. The organizers and dancers were very gracious to us. Our heart goes out especially to Selma Sena, the organizer of the milonga Bistro Mac in a gorgeous museum by the water, who took a week off of work to drive us around in Rio. She was a gift!
This is a little condensed video to give you an idea--yes, that's me dancing with the pibe in white trainers!
It was a wonderful experience to visit tango in fabulous Brazil. But there is nothing like tango in Buenos Aires!
Why Is This Country Dancing? A One-Man Samba to the Beat of Brazil by Jon Krich, Simon & Schuster, 1993, puts it all in perspective, historically, culturally and geographically.
For more info on tango in Brazil:
www.riotango.com.br
www.tangoporsisolo.com.br
criatango.blogspot.com
momentosdetango.blogspot.com
www.bardetango.com.br
riotango.fotoblog.uol.com.br
No comments:
Post a Comment