Tango is not only a fascinating dance but also a fascinating philosophy, culture and lifestyle. The search of tango is the search of connection, love, fellowship, unity, harmony and beauty, i.e., an idealism that is not consistent with the dehumanizing reality of the modern world. The world divides us into individuals, but tango unites us into a team, community and species. In tango we are not individualists, feminists, nationalists, Democrats, Republicans, etc., but interconnected and interdependent members of the human family. Tango calls us to tear down the walls, to build bridges, and to regain humanity through affinity, altruism, cooperation, and accommodation. It is a dance that teaches the world to love.



September 17, 2011

Simple Is Beautiful


In societies of scarcity people are used to simplicity and frugality, while in societies of abundance like ours luxury and waste are the norm. For tasks that other people do with a simple kitchen knife, we use one equipment to chop eggs, another to cut meats, another to slice tomatoes, another to peel apples, another to shred cucumbers, etc. Our kitchens are crammed with junks. Our houses are more and more cluttered. So are our shopping malls, governments, and tax codes. Our national debt has passed $14 trillion, with an interest of $350 billion per year, and we still spend like there is no tomorrow. Our commercial culture is all about catching and impressing, which is why TV ads are made increasingly weird. I don’t think it's coincidental that our young people confuse weirdness with beauty. Just look at the punk hairdos, tattoos, rings on the nose, lips and eyelids, and pants that are about to fall down… Everything is about catching eyeballs rather than genuine beauty.

The way we dance tango reflects this culture. Like life, tango is actually a simple dance, but we insist on making it complex and difficult. While in Argentina tango is danced in natural, normal, simple and comfortable steps, our tango is cluttered with showy, gaudy, farfetched and awkward movements. Simplicity and naturalness are an acquired taste that we don’t have. We regard complexity and bizarreness as beautiful. While in Argentina tango is all about music, feelings, physical pleasure and harmony, our tango is characterized by fancy footwork, showy figures, thrilling performances, exposed costumes, luxurious hotels, and pricey festivals. We are too focused on the superficial things.

Let me proclaim a different aesthetics that values simplicity and naturalness. Nature is simple and it is beautiful. Light makeup looks more comfortable than heavy and queer ones. A house simply decorated is more pleasant than that cluttered with ostentatious ornaments. Concise writing is superior to redundant expression. Simple movements look more elegant than intricate figures. Empty space adds design and depth to a painting. Silence often expresses more. Too much can be worse than not enough. A kung-fu master practices his skill with great ease. The best way oftentimes is the simplest. (See Highbrowism and Populism in Tango.)

Artistic simplicity is among the most important principles in aesthetics, which can achieve unexpected and often superior results. The video below, which uses dance to recreate a classic Chinese painting, is an example. It is best viewed in full screen.




The same is true for tango. Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication - a quality those who focus only on superficial things do not have. Tango is not an extravagant luxury. It is a simple pleasure, an inner experience, and a personal expression that should not cost an absurd amount of money to enjoy. (See Boston Tango Marathon.) One has to sublimate oneself from the noise and bustle of the world to enjoy tango. People who love tango must keep it free from the contamination of the commercial world and the frivolous custom of our times. There is no need to spend on fancy steps and flashy dresses to enjoy tango. Tango can be danced in a simple and natural way, like how the milongueros dance it. We have to turn our attention from what is superficial to what is within. An ordinary-looking woman with refined inner quality is much more attractive than a pretty woman without it. Tango is the same. It is for feeling and not for looking. When tango stops to be a show, it will be simpler, deeper, better and more enjoyable. (See The Conceptional Beauty of Tango.)





2 comments:

  1. "It is for feeling and not for looking"
    You said everything there is to be said. Eventually, we all go inside, when we realize that we are not outside.
    I believe that Tango is one more tool to help this culture on its way.
    Thank you for the post, in more ways than you can imagine.

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  2. Easier said than done, but let's not give up hope that people will wake up and see what's really important in life. Unfortunately, Argentines are jumping on the tango bandwagon to supply whatever Americans want to buy related to tango. American capitalism is alive and well in Buenos Aires where the US dollar is welcome.

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