Two guys dancing to El Tango de Roxanne from Moulin Rouge

[+ quoththeraven]

 

This is pretty amazing.

[+ purplekow]

It was enjoyable but I kept thinking that the roles of leader and follower were the same as in other tangoes. If one man lead and then the other took the lead, that would make this tango different than the traditional. As it is, it was a well performed traditional tango and the lead led and the follower followed. I have to say, the man in the white pants was very limber and quick with the legs. Quick legs are a nice trait in a man.

[BigK]

Too bad the video quality was so bad. They look like they might be ballet dancers.

[+ sync]

So impressive. When I get up from a chair and stick the landing, it's an Olympic moment.

[BaronArtz]

I read somewhere that in its very origin, Tango was always danced by 2 men. Could be wrong though.

[+ quoththeraven]

According to Wikipedia, BaronArtz is likely right, although tango's same-sex origins seem to have more to do with the relative paucity of women in the immigrant communities where tango began than with homosexuality. There is a worldwide Queer Tango movement that extends the availability of tango to same-sex partners, who can change roles midstream if they want, and the ability for opposite-sex partners to switch roles (i.e, for the woman to lead and the man to follow). I'm not sure, however, how well that would work in this specific case. The follower's steps and poses are more intricate and showy than in what I remember of traditional tango, requiring a great deal of flexibility, and what the leader does requires a lot of upper body strength and coordination.

 

According to the notes at YouTube, the man who is the follower is a professional tango dancer. I agree, though, that the way he moves -- especially the leg extensions -- is reminiscent of a ballet dancer.

 

Even though it's not technically a tango, what I was most reminded of was Torvill and Dean's Olympic-winning ice dance routine to the music of Ravel's Bolero.

[rguer]

Quite amazing.