its all tango (tangoing below the radar or unsung heroes and heroines)

"Tango attracts passionate people, which is a good thing. I believe that you have to have a passionate disposition in order to feel the dance, feel the music, find the connection and express the emotion. It is part of the attraction of the dance. Almost like a slight edge of danger due to the undercurrents.

And yet the flip of this is that it can easily degrade into flinging sand in the sandbox when people feel that they are "right" someone else is "wrong" or there is a difference of beliefs on a basic level. This is why I left a tango list. It got to the point where I was not reading any posts anymore because I did not want to deal with all the assertions of right and wrong about an art form that in its essence is improvisational, and therefor fluid. I know people who are anti-nuevo, anti-traditional, anti-alternative, anti-Piazzola, anti-occasional dancer, and so forth and so on. And they are all right and they are all wrong. It's all opinion and preference. And yet the force with which they assert their beliefs sometimes takes me aback. Tango is a large umbrella and envelops many styles, ideas, concepts and beliefs. Being judgemental, in my mind, does not help with the image tango has. I have also noticed a trend among some of the writings that I read where similar assertions have been creeping in. It really makes one want to say "Shut up and Dance!"

I was questioned recently about why I dance with such a range of leaders. Some of my favorite leaders have very different styles and preferences within tango. One is a very traditional milonguero with a slight V frame, another is nuevo with sweeping and dynamic moves, another is very experimental with a traditional base, and then there is Sorin :-), dynamic and musical who takes what he likes from different styles, although his base is traditional. The person who questioned me saw me dance a milonga set with the milonguero and then a tango set with the nuevo, and they could not understand how it was that not only did I change leader styles abruptly, but my "style" also radically changed between leaders. They could not understand why I did not have my own voice. My answer is that I do have my own voice, ask any leader who dances with me and I would like to think that they would say that I do have a clear style/voice/contribution. But I adapt to the style they lead. I don't think this makes me lesser of a follower. I would like to think it makes me better because I have not pigeon holed myself into one aspect of tango.

They thought I was crazy and did not believe me when I said that I enjoy all of these styles.
It disappointed me that they felt this way. If one adamantly dances one way , in my opinion, one misses out on so many aspects of tango that it makes me a little sad.

I feel as though there needs to be acceptance towards the aspects that one does not particularly like/relate to/connect with and a willingness to explore within the art the different shades and hues that tango offers."

debbie from a tango blog
and a a leader I feel the same way. anyone who pigeonholes me just doesnt understand