Connection between effort/performance and reward
It constantly blows my mind how little connection between these two paradigms is in the tango world. The DJ plays crap music, everyone still dances. Some dancer sucks badly and they've been sucking for years, yet people are still dancing with them. From the dawn of time, evolution happened because there was a connection between performance/effort and the reward. You didn't move fast enough, you didn't eat. So you either learned to move faster or smarter or you'd die. The good old times ...
Listen, if a DJ sucks, he/she has no reason to change what he/she is doing unless there is a relation between his/her performance and the results (people dancing). In some cases, the DJ doesn't even know how badly they suck, since everyone is dancing anyway. Same with dancers.
So, when a DJ plays some music you don't like, walk off the dance floor. You PAID for the event, they are there to cater to you, not to play for themselves. When a dancer does something that's generally frown upon, walk off the dance floor, but DO TELL THEM WHY, as they might not be aware of it. It may sound harsh, but when I was a beginner, the few times when my partner thanked me in a middle of the tanda, I was disappointed AND confused. If a dancer is a bad dancer and he/she doesn't seem to improve, don't dance with them. That would make them either improve or quit. It's a win/win.
4 comments:
I'll say this: Music apprceiation is totally subjective.
You may think he sucks, that's your opinion, and, you should speak to the DJ about his selections, but you better have some specific input if you want musical taste credit yourself from someone that is risking putting out his choices publicly. Did you poll the room to conclude that your opinion matches everyone else?
You may want to think about this some more.
Sean, my issue was with people dancing when THEY don't like the music. Many times I asked someone "How do you like the music?" and they said "I don't like it" yet they still dance on it, because they paid already ... !!! Well, that is not going to motivate anyone (the DJ or the host) to make any changes.
I'd say that if you don't like what the DJ is playing, make a few requests. However, if I paid to go to a milonga, the chances are that I'm going to make the best of it and dance (even if I'm not crazy about the music selection). In addition, I'd advise making a comment to whoever is running the milonga, if you don't like the DJ.
BTW, have some sympathy for us newbies. We learn a lot quicker when dancing with good partners (who give polite but constructive feedback), rather than with other newbies who are just as clueless as I am.
: )
i once heard a tango mixed in with bluegrass. yes, bluegrass. it was weird... then again, it was an alternative music milonga, and it was expected... and i actually had fun dancing with one of the funniest guys i have ever met on the dancefloor.
yes, music preferences are subjective... but appreciation is not a democracy (just like art is not a democracy, and talent is not a democracy). it may be an elitist thing to say, but true appreciation is an acquired ability, depending on experience and sensitivity on the part of the listener.
i think there is an art to mixing music, and some DJs are celebrated because the way they put certain songs together creates a mood where even people who have never before heard a single tango would want to get up and dance. and then there are DJs who are just random, and by putting certain songs next to others, actually diminishes each song, which makes for an uninspiring evening. i believe this lack of inspiration to dance is fairly universal at milongas, and you can tell it's because of the DJ.
the same goes for dancers. i interpreted this post as meaning, "watch out for the leads and follows who never improve even after years and years of study". which translates to "get to know the crowd, and then eventually filter out the absolutely hopeless ones". i think it's good advice, and didn't think it applied to beginners, at all. :)
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