Maestro Gonzalo Robinson, welcome to Tango Talks. You are a long year tango teacher from the generation around Osvaldo Zotto, Roberto Herrera and Carlos Copello. As a real Milonguero you have spend half your life in the Milongas of Buenos Aires.
You have traveled the world of Tango for many years, teaching and transmitting tango and argentine culture, while you have collected many different experiences. I invite you to share your thoughts with us.
Gonzalo Robinson in Tango Talks
Some questions which seem interesting for us:
1. Can you please describe the most outstanding differences to Buenos Aires you have seen in some countries?
How do they diver from the original tango argentino?
I think the differences are in the cultural language. We Argentines feel the embrace, the dance the music in a different way, then people from other countries. Foreigners, not always but often, see the dance as a sport, thus they dance because they know how to dance.
For us in Buenos Aires, tango is a question of culture, our blood, our sensibility for tango.
2. Do you think it is important for milonga organisers all over the world to keep close to the original code of milonga ?
The code of milonga is quite complex for outsiders. We are born and raised by our parents and grandparents into this culture. We have absorbed these codes with time. Foreigners have learned these “codigos” and should never stop to incorporate them.
It is difficult for them to remeber all these things about cabeceo, how to walk in a salon, how to dress up, if you do not live in that culture. Therefore it is normal and understandable that the differences to our codes are abundant.
3. How to understand better and therefore enjoy more the argentine tango?
What advise can you give to us foreign dancers, teachers and organizers
My advise is never stop learning.
It is not enough to just know how to dance, how to select music as a DJ , how to organise things , being a teacher. Tango is so abundant with such a rich history, that you never should stop investigating about it.
4. Maestro, an article written by Sasha Cagan “Tangasm vs. Orgasm. Is Tango Better Than Sex?” describes a certain sensation felt by women in the tango embrace.
Women specially travel to Buenos Aires to experience those joyful moments.
What is your impression, from the view of a milonguero and tango teacher ?
About the article, i think many women live this experience. Others just have bad or total different ones. In my opinion women who come to Buenos Aires have to live their very own experiences.
For me it is very difficult to know what they feel regarding the fact that they come from many different countries.
As a milonguero I see them enjoying in the milongas and we milongueros are part of it by providing a nice embrace, saying nice things with respect and they will feel protected with what they feel.
In their countries they probably do not experience the same and they get surprised and entertained in our milongas.
As a maestro, i think that women should learn properly first before going to a milonga. After having incorporated the dance, the close embrace and all, like i have seen many times on my travels as well.. it feels fantastic to me.
Eevery woman has to know very well what she wants and what she does, then she can enjoy our milongas to the fullest.
Maestro Gonzalo Robinson, thank you for sharing your time and thoughts for Tango Talks.
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