You tangueros out there might have noticed a few choice videos made using the programs from Xtranormal since 29 October 2010 from the YouTube channel by tangocynic. He has 325 subscribers.
Xtranormal's motto is: "If you can type, you can make movies." Well, sort of. You're limited to certain scenarios and certain characters although, as one would expect, that will expand with time. You might seen the same characters in the same scenario, say at the office breakroom, having different conversations, some that come painfully close to reality.
Q: Can I ask what communities you've danced in?
A: I have danced in tango communities on three continents (without wanting to sound like my "tango professor").
Q: How long have you been dancing?
A: I have been dancing for 16 years.
Q: What types of dancing did you do before Argentine tango?
A: I have done other dance forms such as Street Latin and Ballroom dancing but none was quite as addictive as tango.
Q: What inspired you to take Argentine tango up?
A: I wanted to be consumed by the passion and the drama... No, just kidding. I was looking for a challenge as a dancer, something to immerse myself in both physically and intellectually. My initial contact with the dance was rather negative: I was taught only sequences of steps and theatrical movements with little regard for the dynamics of social dancing. Luckily I found another teacher quickly who opened up "real tango" to me. There is so much depth in the dance, the music is so rich and it offers many opportunities to explore Argentine culture and society. Tango is not just a dance but a way of life. It is like speaking an additional foreign language. You go to other countries, visit a milonga and within a few hours, you are part of a social scene. It is a perfect vehicle for socializing and meeting interesting people all around the world.
Q: How long have you been dancing Argentine tango?
A: Four (rather intense) years
Q: What's your favorite dance movie?
A: Not the "Tango Lesson", as you may have picked up from the videos. Having said that, Sally Potter seems to have a very good understanding of tango. Run-of-the-mill dance movies are notorious for bad story lines but there are a few notable exceptions such as "Billy Elliot". I also liked the charming documentary "Ballets Russes" or Arne Birkenstocks "12 Tangos".
Q: What's your favorite movie?
A:This is about as difficult as naming my favorite tango song. There are just too many of them!
Q: Why motivated you to make these videos?
A: As you progress in tango, you come in contact with different teachers and different dance communities and you slowly start to form a picture of what this dance is about and how you fit in. I found that there are many universal themes and issues in tango that seem to crop up wherever the dance is practiced. Often we talk about them amongst friends but never voice them publicly: like the misrepresentation of tango amongst non tango dancers, like the "tango professors" who invariably lack some of the basic understanding of the dance or the people who walk into a milonga dressed up as tango dancers and everybody knows that they will either be really good or really bad. All I did was to add a pinch of cynicism to make these observations maybe somewhat more poignant than they would otherwise be.
Q: What kind of response have you received?
A: First of all, I never anticipated the viral spread of these clips. They were initially intended for friends only. The response has been overwhelmingly positive and I am very happy to have received so many encouraging messages. It confirms to me that the issues I raise in the clips are indeed universal and that we as tango dancers have many peculiarities in common and gossip about the same "tango characters" wherever we may dance.
Q: Any advice you have for tango dancers?
A: For the beginner: don't give up, whatever the tango cynics say. It took me a year to start enjoying tango and I would have probably given up, had it not been for my teacher who told me about tango's secret of delayed gratification.
For the more advanced dancer: don't stop learning. Once you think you know enough you either become a cynic or Mister Toiletpaper Roll, lecturing unsuspecting beginners. Be humble and open to new ideas.
You can visit TangoCynic YouTube channel and see the video you uploaded 7 March 2011.
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