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There's an interesting post on the use of cabaceo in Toronto at Irene and Man Yung's Tango Blog.
I'm still not sure where I stand on this one. I found the serious cabaceo milongas (the 'line-up' ones) in Buenos Aires intimidating – but then I didn't know anyone there. It's also clear that this kind of cabaceo grew up in a social climate quite different from the European or American present, a climate in which it was quite incorrect to have men and women who weren't closely connected sitting near each other. (Apparently they could dance together but not sit together.) At the same time the cabaceo, along with the practice of clearing the floor at the end of a tanda and taking a different partner, imposes a kind of order on a milonga, which tends to make the dance the focus of the evening, to the benefit of the dance.
This might seem excessively formal in our social climate, but a London milonga is a bit blurred between a dance and a social meeting, and what you do on the floor is less visible, less emphasised, perhaps less important, since the lights are kept low. As Irene and Man Yung say, it looks "lively" and "friendly" and "jolly" and "noisy" but this isn't necessarily the atmosphere for tango. Added to this, London dance venues aren't dedicated tango venues, so the layout of tables and chairs may not be helpful. What we do in London has 'just growed'. Of course, so did the cabaceo: people looked at how they organised their dances, saw the needs and the problems, and acted to resolve them. Adopting any solution wholesale isn't likely to be satisfactory, but I think it's a good idea to look at how we do things, and see if they can be improved. At the same time, of course, events have to pay their way, which means giving people what they want, or at least what they expect.
It would certainly be interesting to see how a milonga on fairly traditional lines would work in London, as an experiment. That's why I think the report from Toronto, a sort of 'limited overs' cabaceo*, is so interesting.
(* 'limited overs': a game of cricket played for a very limited period of time.)
6 comments:
Dear Tangocommuter,
You're right, it is an interesting dilemma for communities outside of Buenos Aires. Man Yung also thinks it is intimidating - especially since he is both myopic and astigmatic! However, he has found that he can "cabeceo" quite successfully in Buenos Aires. We are planning a post on Man Yung's experiences - hopefully there may be some useful tips there? If people find that it is not as difficult as it may seem initially, there may be more willingness to embrace the cabeceo outside the Buenos Aires.
Best,
Irene and Man Yung
TC - well crafted post that, along the way, neatly skirted but acknowledged potential mines. Perhaps, like some of us, you write better under time pressure? ;-)
I like the "limited overs cabaceo" idea, as a way to accustom people to the idea and test out whether it would fly. I have heard from some people that they found it challenging and intimidating until they got the hang of it. Then it became the preferred method where available. That has been true for me too.
We sometimes have "ladies' tandas" in London. Why not try a 3-tanda "cabaceo over"? Assuming the organiser turns up the lights.
@ I and MY, look forward to the post on MY's experiences!
@ GC, many thanks for the comments.
Andreas talked about cabaceo in his classes. If he returns to teach (soon, I hope) I wonder if he could, towards the end of the class, say that he would like to teach us cabaceo, and then set it up. It's still the class, so the lighting doesn't change. The 'class' would then go on for three or four tandas, a bit longer than usual, but people would be dancing. This might also be a guided practica, to continue the idea that this is still the lesson. Then, during the rest of the evening, a bit of casual questioning could find out people's responses, perhaps suggest that this could become a regular feature.
Personally I don't think there's special virtue in the cabaceo, but running a milonga that way may lead to a better concentration on the dance, and therefore better dance. Whether people in general want or like it is another matter.
Another possibility might be to establish a 'social' area where people can chat, and a 'dance' area just for dancing but unless everyone agrees to that it just wouldn't work.
TC - I agree there's no "special virtue", just a very useful means to an end - people find partners efficiently and with reduced risk of a publicly visible decline. It's worth encouraging if only to make the evening more productive and pleasent. The milonga will continue to function whether people cabaceo or not.
Re 'social' vs 'dance' area - good suggestion. I think this happens implicitly already to a varying extent within the limits of the venue layout in London. Those who want to chat stay further away from the floor and face each other, while those who are "ready" move forward and keep their faces in. The cabaceo would accentuate this, as that's the only way it would work.
Generally, I think people in London milongas could be a bit more mindful of non-verbal cues: men to pre-screen if women are open to being asked, and women to help us men by sending out the right signals. Assume the lighting is good enough!
i agree:
1. men should watch out for signals
2. women should send them out
In practice, I think both men and women send out and accept/reject signals. I've asked, and been asked, via the cabaceo.
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