Modern Tango World N° 6 (Montreal, Quebec) | Page 2

Editorial This is the second issue of our second year. Modern Tango World has survived many trials and tribulations. But, we are still here. I am very happy to say that the audience for modern tango music has substantially grown over the past two years. Modern music is now accepted as part of most of the major events, although it is still called ‘alternative’ and confused with ‘non-tango’. It has become common practice to play an 80-20% mix of ‘traditional’ vs. ‘non-traditional’ at many milongas. At festivals, there are often seperate rooms or evenings set aside for ‘non-traditional’ tango. All of this has led me to believe that we do truly live in the Golden Age of tango. Tango has spread around the world in the same way that it did during La Guardia Vieja in the 1920s & 30s. New tango songs are being written in almost every country. Old songs are being given new orchestrations. Modern pop songs are being revised and turned into tangos. It’s happening all around the world. The Internet and Facebook have given tango a worldwide platform to stand on. Contemporary tango dance performers and dancers have found audiences almost everywhere in the world. But, the circuits remain very disorganized and professional booking agents are few. Modern Tango World has developed databases of annual events and venues for use by these agents for the development of more efficient circuits. Please contact us if you are interested in this project. On a more modest scale, I am conducting a promotional tour for the magazine called Milonga2Milonga. Our next step will be across the Central South of the United States from Detroit to Miami. The tour is now entering its second year. One of the things that I have discovered is the special tandas that are specific to the tastes of the local communities. In Mexico, it is not uncommon to have a tanda or two of salsa or cumbia, or even danson. In the central part of the US, you can encounter a blues tanda or two. This local flavor truly adds a special spice to a milonga and enriches the tango dance, in general. Individual communities then go on to develop styles of their own, and contribute to the evolution of a ‘living’ tango. The editor for this special Montreal/Quebec edition is Jean-Sébastien Viard, He holds a PhD in Biblical Studies from the Université de Montréal, with a specialization in exegesis. He is an editor of an interdisciplinary theological journal, and is currently editing a special issue that focuses on the relationship between dance and spirituality. He turned to tango after many years of salsa, ballroom and other Latin dances. He taught ballroom dancing for four years and has been dancing tango for over eight years. When he is not teaching or DJing, he is dancing. We are most happy to have him edit this edition of Modern Tango World, and I hope that you will visit Quebec and Montreal to enjoy the dancing in this extensive tango community. In addition to the major feature articles and a guide to Quebec, this issue contains a gallery of the Danish visual artist, Bruno Ingemann, and an interview with the Norwegian composer and musician, Sverre Indris Joner, the leader and founder of Electrocutango Thank you for your ongoing support. [email protected] Cover photo by Nicolás Fernández —2— To ToSubscribe, Subscribe,Click Clickhere here