Aguante Fiore!

Followers can help train leaders to use the cabeceo if they refuse when a guy comes up and asks to dance. If not, the guy succeeds and that becomes for him a winning strategy to get more dances. This is a problem in the USA for sure. Thank you both for a precious video.

Great interview/conversation. It was informative. Thank you to both of you. I love to dance with dancers regardless of their gender as long the have decent skills and good musicality. ❤

Thank you for an inspiring dive into the conversation of learning both roles. You have me interested in testing the waters. While I have substantial experience coaching followers’ technique and connection, I haven’t invested the time and attention to actually performing the follower role. I’m a leader 6’4” and to follow it takes for me a well grounded, clear and well-timed lead. In the context of working on my leading role I have experienced this momentarily only from very advanced professional teachers. I think my next training I will ask for a session focused on following.

I completely agree! I’ve always said that dancing isn’t the only thing that draws me to Buenos Aires! If it wasn’t for my experiences with the Porteños what reason would l have to return! There are many other places to dance Tango. I’ve been asked many times if l live in BA! No, but l do feel @ home! I’m not a Tango tourist!

Wow amazing video, learned lots!

@ 30:51 this the way they do in North America and this is not only in Tango. Self Expression is everything, no matter the rules. @ 37:26 there is not only Tango that is superficial today... Thank you for the video, very interesting!

Good interview! Leonel and the Seoul Tango Festival have not only influenced Tango in Korea. We can safely say they had a big impact on Tango in China as well.

Thanks for this interesting interview and looking forward to more talks with Leonel about the Tango scene in Korea at present.

9:00 interesting distinction! "20 years experience" could mean 20 years doing the same thing, so no growth! Happens in music too.

I'm an older female Tango dancer. Before Tango, I competed in ballroom for 10 years and trained like I was going to the Olympics. Maybe not as extreme now, but I still train like that for Tango. I do core and balance exercises every day and a strenuous hike each week to keep my endurance and strength up, besides attending classes. Yet, with a lifetime of playing music, boatloads of musicality, years of dance background, very fit and trim,. and definitely better than the novice young women who never sit out a Tanda, I sit and sit and sit. Heads purposely don't turn my way. Eyes move away. When you say we should accept the reality of age and accompanying physical changes, given my physical shape, that seems to me to be more of an excuse. I also find it to be a harmful stereotype to be pushing here when it's not always true. In fact, I know a lot of young people who are in worse shape than the older crowd I hang out with. The problem we older followers have is we come on the scene older. Young followers instantly have men, like vultures, circling around them, even those who are horrible. I saw one really good leader who won't even look my way, dance with a newbie. She was bouncing all over the place. I don't think she ever took a Tango class. He gave a look of pain to a leader sitting next to me, but then proceeded to ask her for another tanda. Older followers who are new don't get that chance. No one dares ask us to dance, so we never get to prove ourselves. It's a slow process picking off one leader at a time at classes that rotate, but this is what I'm trying to do. To make it worse, though, at the class I attend, 90% refuse to rotate. "Give it time," I'm told. "It takes years." Some of us don't have that many years, and we are never given the chance. At the same time, I do not believe any man is responsible for me enjoying the dance. I can't change you. I have to accept the reality that age preference and discrimination is real, especially in Tango. If I may, I'l like to suggest you interview older women on this topic. I appreciate hearing from men why they don't include older women, but women will tell you a very different story. I don't know that it would help though given the reality.

❤este tango me encanta! Más la melodía que la letra. ❤

Nice and interesting interview! 👍🙏

Very interesting. What is the book and dvd that Melinda mentions? The standard of tango teaching in my experience is poor especially in classes where teachers tend to teach overly complex patterns with a “do it like me approach”

This is all about the energy which people bring, style, health, hygiene, and skills so the chances are there for everyone. However, each dance has a sexual component in which biology works. Therefore, the age of women matters to some leaders and this should be also understood.

This is all about the energy which people bring, style, health, hygiene, and skills so the chances are there for everyone. However, each dance has a sexual component in which biology works. Therefore, the age of women matters to some leaders and this should be also understood.

This is all about the energy which people bring, style, health, hygiene, and skills so the chances are there for everyone. However, each dance has a sexual component in which biology works. Therefore, the age of women matters to some leaders and this should be also understood.

This is all about the energy which people bring, style, health, hygiene, and skills so the chances are there for everyone. However, each dance has a sexual component in which biology works. Therefore, the age of women matters to some leaders and this should be also understood.

Interesting chat! I was talking, at a local milonga yesterday with a friend of mine, we are both leaders, and he felt that many women didn't want to practice much after having danced for many years. Then, when a local marathon was announced, they turned up at a milonga or two beforehand to "brush up" before going to the marathon. They felt that they knew how to follow and didn't need to practice any more. I have also enouraged female followers to lead, since they would get to dance more but also as I would like to be lead, both in order to improve as a leader, but also because it is nice to be lead, to not be responsible for navigating the floor and also the feeling of being cared for that I have experienced when following. One female follower I spoke to didn't like to be lead by another female because she felt that it was uncomfortable to be, "breast-to-breast" with a female. I certainly would only want to be lead by a female, I have absolutely no desire to be in such close proximity to another male, whether it is politically correct or not! Thanks for sharing the knowledge and experience!

Muy lograda version, tanto la orquesta como el solista alcanzan nivel de expresividad que conmueve

If you're not dancing, you're not talking, you're not sharing, and you want to dance but you're not picked up or chosen to dance with... watching other people hardly is gonna help, that is a point of view of someone who has its dances.

A very good topic and good work! Congratulations! The main issue for dual role dancers like myself is that there is no easier way to be recognized at not local event(s). Wristband is harder to be seen under dim light. Armband could be harder to be used by a woman who doesn't dress sleeved cloth. I'm wondering if it's possible for organizers to create a seating area for dual dancers. I lead men followers only when I was told that they like to follow. Sometime or a lot of times at an event where I don't know anyone, I try to cabeceo a woman follower and get a look of a doubtful one or a up and down one or "let me watch and maybe later" one. Hope this podcast brings more awareness of this issue and do hope we have more and more dual dancers.

So glad you are asking a woman about this topic. Thank you!

Gracias, Lucas, por transmitir la escencia del tango.

I completely agree. I am a soloist, not a loner! Tango has made me aware of:my preferences. Of course, everything depends on one’s attitude. I’ve worked on my dance skills & that definitely has increased my dances.. I don’t think about my age. I think about the dance, the music! Nothing is perfect, however you can make the experience positive. No matter how old you are!

Me recuerda mucho haberlo escuchado en alguna película o dibujos antigua. Alguien sabría el nombre de la versión en inglés si existe? Un saludo

This is such a great interview with so much depth and insight on crucial issues with Tango today. Thank you for hosting this conversation and amazing perspectives by Myriam.

Como decía Cadícamo, "al tango hay que dejarlo como esta"

Amigo Lucas, creo que ese es tu nombre, así como en Belgrano quedan pocos caserones de tejas, también quedan pocos argentinos que aprecien la belleza del tango. Es una alegría conocer tu interés en esta música. Y tus interpretaciones son acertadas. Un abrazo desde Buenos Aires!

I forgot to mention that my community is mostly latino. There is still reverence for older people in our culture. Perhaps that makes a difference?

Dancing skills are the main attraction. I am a female leader. I love Milonga. The male leaders seem to shy away from Milonga. The other women young and old enjoy dancing with me and they ask me to dance. It actually sometimes becomes a problem. I've had situations where I had 3 women that wanted to dance with me. So when I choose one, the other 2 become disappointed. I have had younger women turn down male partners and choose to dance with me. The compliment I usually receive is that I am a better leader than the male leaders. And I am 71 years old. Go figure 😂?

Los foxtrot me recuerdan a las viejas películas y dibujos donde era normal oir esta música de fondo.

hi from UK. I found this interview totally fascinating...he opened my eyes.. my mind to so many aspects of tango ... specially tango in Tokyo was so interesting .. im delighted for having come upon this on the web.. I would love to see him dance.. so im going to look out for that..thanks so much !!

helo from Uk. thanks so much for this very insightful interview with this lovely teacher.... goodness I have been at the deep end full of confidence and totally unaware of the mud and danger under my feet so to speak..and yet I was totally fascinated by this interview and now I understand about the difficulties we face here and understand why we lose the beginners.. I already had my own views on this subject but it was nice to hear from a professional ... the reason why I became interested in this search on the net was cos two of newbies to tango after 4 classes are feeling totally dejected...despondent and want to leave .. and no matter what I told them they cannot be persuaded..and now I can see why.. and I can see why a class of 15 all left tango by the end of 3 to 4 months.. by the 6 month there was only one in the class... !!!! I have found this video so very helpful.. many many thanks ..

hi from UK .. yes a very interesting topic .. I have quite by accident come upon it.. and im so happy I did... cos I have lots of thought s on what you described so effectively and I seem to have a totally different view on the subject. I am a professional person from a completely different background but passionate about tango and dance in general... I never attended Milonga s for a long time for many reasons which I won't go into .. but I totally disagree on so much focus on age... I don't mind dancing with a senior man if he has good dance skills .. if he can lead well .. lead not with his arms ...but through his soul and through a deep connection.. and allow me to express myself to the music. etc.. I have seen many senior ladies .. but im not looking at the wrinkles on their daces or counting the white hairs ... if its a beautiful dancer .. beautifully turned out.. and shows dance presence and moving beautifully that s what im looking at.. if my teacher is senior and looks like miss Marple and teaches just the most boring style of dance..then for sure im not going to attend further classes.. I can go on about this...but I won't..... as for why there are fewer and fewer men.... on the floor ... the short answer most of them are just not interested enough..in the skill and art of technique.. its too much for them.. they just can't be bothered..but if there is a man who can dance and then hey ho .. its a winner.. if he can't dance im not going after him no matter his age.!!! one of the comments below was he did not want to dance with a beginner.. well all I can say is in one line his memory is a big foggy.. we all started somewhere .. its always good to dance with a beginner and to inspire confidence in them cos they are the future of this amazing dance.. and to be interested in improving your skills your attitude .. you dance presence.. and be humble and generous with your time and just enjoy the joy of this beautiful dance is more important.... I don't like dancing tango with women I must admit ..cos I have not met a good dancer .. the ladies just stick to 3 moves..and I cannot feel the lead or read the lead most of the time.. in other dancers I enjoy dancing with women ! sorry my comments on this subject is so long.. I have even more to say ....... I would love to have an email connection to the lady . thanks

Piazzolla , prefiero a Penon . No olvidemos a Roberto Alvarez y a Osvaldo Rizzo " Pichuquito " . En fin ... son tantos

Músicos Geniales.

Totally agree with Ayano!!! I always say Tango has to be social first! I encourage socializing and yes - not making "professional" students - but encouraging the beginners to become part of the community. Thank you for giving a voice to our similar strategies!!! YAY for tango babies!!! Quack Quack!!! :)

Two of the best! I have known Ayano and Felipe for over 15 years, they practice what they preach, always great to see their smiling faces at the milonga many times with their students in tow., Bill W.

Nice another vid!

You're so right in your interpretation 🙏👍

Nice Lucas.

Great video about one of my favourite valses. It's too bad Laurenz didn't record more with Del Campo (only one other tango, I think?)

Hermosa vercion de este vals, Pero''creo que la de Alberto Castillo ,no tiene Comparacion , El ritmo y la emocion del Cantor ,hacen que este vals entre a todos los Corazones.

Recordando a mí viejo, que me hizo amar a los angeles del tango

Un mejor milonguero!❤❤

It was another time, place and culture - now it's spread throughout the world and home cultures interpret these social rules differently rather than appropriating them from BA. When in BA, do as in BA, but elsewhere it's different. Why make a mockery of cabeceo by walking over and grimacing when the whole environment is non-conducive? The overall lesson is 'respect', as appropriate to the culture of the venue.

When there's a mixed age community, the real age demographic distortion happens when older leaders prefer younger followers (of course, the younger leaders as well). Since there are usually more followers than leaders, this leads to a decline in opportunities for older followers to practice, as well as the 'rapid learning' of young followers who get a lot more floor time. I find BA to be more gender balanced (when it's not high season), and the young leaders are so focussed on improving that they will dance with older followers just to be out on the floor. I also think they're more accustomed to touch as a society, so they're more comfortable embracing someone they're not physically attracted to.

Love you Scott. You’re the inspiration.

Important for me follower be not beginner dancer. There are follower are very good dancer, nice walking, know basic 8 steps, nices 8. I go to ask to dance nor matter her age. Same for men