?<P> <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR><B>Finnish Town Struts Homespun Tango</B><P>John Acher, Reuters<P>SEINAJOKI, Finland (Reuters) - ``Someone once said that the Finnish tango is an Argentine tango with a bucket of water thrown over it,'' says Ilkka Heiskari.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P><a href=http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20010806/lf/finland_tango_dc_1.html target=_blank><B>More</B></a>

Well, at least they are dancing.....

The tango has always been more popular abroad than in Argentina...but Finnish tango? That's a new one.

But don't you love that quote about the bucket of water?!!!!

"A bucket of water" may imply that the Finns have a simmered down version of the tango, but apparently it isn't tame enough for the Christian population. "During this year's event devout Christians living in Seinajoki and nearby areas denounced the sinful Tango Market from loudspeakers mounted to buses driving through the town." Granted the tango is sensual, but sinful?

The Free Presbyterian Church of N. Ireland, whose best known figure is the Rev. Ian Paisley, is opposed to dancing of all kinds which they describe as a 'worldly practise'. It came to light due to the enormous success there of Line Dancing, which they have denounced from the pulpit.<P>In Germany prior to the First World War, tango dancers were arrested for lewd and unseemly behaviour. So the Finnish Christians seem quite tame in their views by comparison.

The Finns dance a form of tango that is not quite the Argentinean style we are used to. The tango went from paris to Russia and the Russians danced it on their estates in Finland. The Finnish servants used to copy and hence was born Finnish tango. That story came from an Argentinean gentleman who went to livein Finland and Sweden to teach. He fled from Argentina during the 70s dictatorship - like many intellectuals/artists during that epoch. Tango has not really been more popular outside than inside Argentina. During the 70s and after, many of the artists left Argentina and went to whatever city they felt would accomodate them - mostly Paris, Rome, Berlin, parts of Spain.... They did not have the means necessarily to make a living but because they identified tango with their home land, plus were artists, they became tango dancers and teachers. Not all, but a large number. That is why enclaves of tango grew up during that period in Europe having died a death afther its original fashion in earlier years. The tango was banned for a period in Argentina (quite definitely by Peron) and so declined. A few dancers kept it alive and tehy were largely responsbible for its resurgence in the late 80s and 90s.

Its interesting.There was a segment on 60 minutes a few years ago about dancing in Finland.It seems to be an accepted way of expression.<BR>As I remember,according to the segment,Finland has the highest rate of depression in Europe,high suicide and low birthrate.When they filmed showed the faces of people,they looked pretty dour,unsmiling.They say its do to the climate ,long nights,lack of sunshine.<BR> They interviewed a popular singer;she said people were at 1st taken aback by her cause of her appearing so outward(at least to them).

Emma - was there a reason (other than just craziness) that Peron banned the Tango in Argentina?<P>That's interesting Angela, I had heard the same thing (suicide, depression, etc.) about Iceland.

It was all part of Peron's authoritarian/patriarchal campaign - the half-slang/half-poetic language of Buenos Aires, "lunfardo" was (unofficially) banned from radio and since tango songs featured a great deal of this language, they were subejct to a great of "cleaning up" and modification. A lot of the language contained slang words for saucy topics and also tango songs contained a great deal about love, death, fights and all sorts of "popular" subjects thought inappropriate and seditious. Tango was supressed because people danced it in dark, shadowy places which were thought to be sites where inappropriate topics might be discussed that were a threat to order and the regime.

A couple of years ago I attended a conference in Finland and one evening we visited a dance in a large purpose-built shed with open sides. It was clear that the Finns love to dance and not just the Finnish Tango. I had a good time and didn't tread on too many toes.

Maybe dance is an important form of self-expression in a country where the people are generally very quiet.

<small>[ 07 June 2004, 03:12 PM: Message edited by: Stuart Sweeney ]</small>