Let's Talk about Tango

A major goal when polishing Estancia Aldea Norteña was to avoid broad stereotypes. While Austen's writings (and more often the films made about them) have inspired a fandom image of the Regency era that does not always conform to the actual era, she herself differed from other writers by leaning into a more grounded method of storytelling.

In Northanger Abbey Austen both satirizes and recontextualizes Gothic literature. Catherine discovers what appear to be ancient documents only to realize they're last season's laundry bills. The titular abbey turns out to be quite modern instead of falling apart. The leading male character is "if not quite handsome, was very near it," while the heroine delights in being described as "almost pretty." Any retelling of this story should emulate this spirit of trope subversion (something I wrote about extensively when posting Gentlemen of Gloucestershire). I therefore took suggestions from multiple sources and research when describing and developing the world Catalina inhabits.

However, from the moment I discovered the concept of "tangolates" back two years ago, I knew that most iconic of Argentine dances would feature heavily in the story: the tango. This decision admittedly strays more into the international perception of the country than a strictly realistic one, in the same way that not everyone in the southern United States line dances or loves country music. But I didn't want to give up Austen's many dances, scene of so many character discussions and interactions. Setting a story in one of the countries considered tango's birthplace proved too great a temptation to pass up (not to mention providing a great soundtrack to listen to while writing/editing).

Tango has many different forms and terms that lend themselves to metaphor/symbolism as well. For example, in the next chapter, I reference a move called ocho cortado, or "figure eight." Here's how the resource Tanguito describes it:

Ocho cortado: an ocho which is interrupted half way through so the woman only draws half an 8. The story goes that a milonguero invented the figure out of necessity. He started leading an ocho, realised [sic] he wouldn’t have enough space to finish it and interrupted the move. Because it was born on a crowded dance floor, and a god send for any dancer stuck in a sticky spot in a milonga, it is one of the most typical steps of tango milonguero.

Milonga and milonguero refer to "the venues where people meet to dance tango," as well as an uptempo style developed for these tight, full spaces. The ocho cortado is a correction, creating something beautiful and new in compensation to the stresses put on the dancing couple. Readers may recognize that our hero and heroine both experienced some tension in Chapter 13 and may need to adjust to the new dynamics of the story. Will Enrique get boxed in, reach out, or interrupt and start anew? Tune in Wednesday to find out!

I watched many examples of Argentine dancing for the brief descriptions found in Estancia; my dance training from theatre school certainly helped. But as that character stated in Chapter 2, "How can I make my point if I only use words? To explain dance, we must speak with our feet." Here's a video from a tango YouTube channel showcasing "3 Argentine Tango steps you must know," including the ocho cortado (found at 4:32).

Despite indulging in the tango mystique I hope I've still managed to present a fairly believable vision of how Austen's characters might inhabit an Argentine environment. I appreciate all the feedback and critique that molded this story into the work being presented now, and the comments reacting to what's been posted so far. I encourage anyone interested to dive deeper into the many great online resources about this country rather than settle for just the vague impression that may come to mind first. Tango itself is a diverse and amazing art form enjoyed by people around the world. Until next time, ¡chau!