Hugo Mastrolorenzo: Dancer, Choreographer, Researcher, Writer
As Argentine tango is a dance that has captured the interest and passions of different types of people, it is no surprise that many of those in the tango community possess talents in other fields.
Take writing for example; many people who practice tango also tend to write about tango, whether in their personal blogs, websites, or books. A quick Google search will lead one to find a whole spectrum of tango books, blogs, websites, and even podcasts dedicated to discussing this global dance phenomenon. Tango books can even range from the informational or educational to fictional novels that use Argentine tango as the main driving point of the plot.
One dancer who has written about tango is Hugo Mastrolorenzo, a tango dancer, teacher, and choreographer whose contributions to the genre extend beyond the dance floor.
One of his books, Tango Dance: In Search of the Method That Has Never Existed, has gained critical acclaim for diving into the fundamentals, technicalities, and contradictions surrounding the present method of teaching tango choreography. His other book, Tango Dance: The Origin of the Species, participated in the 64th International Book Fair of Frankfurt, Germany in 2012. He also wrote Tango Has Died on Stage, which reviewed traditional tango as opposed to the more modern, showy, and commercial style.
The Dancer and the Author
Similar to other tango personalities,
Hugo Mastrolorenzo has had an extensive background on dance, having had the academic opportunity to study different types.
According to the “About the Author” page in the blog In Search of the Method That Never Existed, Hugo Mastrolorenzo completed his studies in the The National Ballet, an institution certified by the presidency of Argentina.
The types of dances he studied include contemporary dance, dance theater, native percussion, zapateo (Argentinian folk tapping), and, of course, tango dance.
He also studied sport dance with the Argentinian Association of Sport Dancing and Dance, the Argentinian Olympic Committee, and the International Sport Dance Federation. Outside of dance, he took up studies and seminars for singing, drawing, and painting.
Right off the bat, one can see that Hugo Mastrolorenzo has his sights set on pursuing an artistic craft. In fact,
at the age of 18, he already began his international career “by participating in the ‘Festival Mondial de folklore de Drummondville’ in Canada, and performing in other cities of Canada, such as Chicoutimi, Quebec, HearthSong, and Toronto.”
He has also performed various choreographic works for film and TV productions in Europe. Some movies and TV shows he worked on as a dance choreographer include Deseo, Tangos Robados, Noviembre, Bastardos del Tango, Telecinco, Globomedia, and Grupo Arbol.
His knowledge in dance — coupled with his experience as a tango dancer and choreographer — figured into the process of writing his critically acclaimed books.
Unlike today, publishing a tango book tended to be more difficult in the past. Not only is tango a dance largely taught without written instructionals, but there used to be a prevailing mindset that wasn’t entirely encouraging to dancers writing about dance. Tobi Tobias, writing for ArtsJournal, gives a succinct background about why this has been the case until recently:
“Traditionally, dancers — especially classical dancers, who commit to their profession in childhood or adolescence — had the reputation of being essentially physical creatures and thus nonverbal. Even when it was admitted that they might be intelligent, they were still often labeled ‘dumb’ in the sense of ‘mute.’ This myth has constantly been challenged. Today, the argument for the articulate dancer is strengthened further by the fact that dancers in ever-increasing numbers are finding their voice through writing about dancing — and editing dance publications as well. [...]”
“Times have changed, however, and today’s trend toward self-empowerment has permeated the ivory towers and prison walls that once sheltered dance (or, depending on how you look at it, cut it off) from many worldly realities. More and more, dancers are speaking out and, having found their voice, writing — commenting on, judging, and influencing the activities in their profession.”
“This social evolution has combined with the resources of the Internet to make today’s dancers more articulate than their predecessors. Anyone with a computer and access to cyberspace can set up shop on the Net, cost-free, in something like twenty minutes and publish what he has to say, bypassing (at his peril, of course) the roadblocks of editors.”
Argentine tango itself subscribes to some very traditional mindsets where many older practitioners don’t generally see the need for tango to be taught in the way other dances might be — that is, in a systematized way.
In fact, the authenticity of tango even comes into question in the case of “show tango” or “stage tango,” which many practitioners tend to dismiss as orchestrated and therefore not in line with tango’s fundamental principle of being a dance of improvisation.
That said, writing a book exploring the methodology and origins of tango can prove to be an admirable feat indeed. During the launching of this book, Tango Has Died on Stage, Hugo Mastrolorenzo — along with his historic dance partner Agustina Vignau — even discussed the disputes between traditionalist tango practitioners as opposed to those who advocate for a more showy variation of the dance.
EL TANGO HA MUERTO EN ESCENA (Spanish Edition) Kindle Edition
Covering this book launch, the Spanish publication Perfil narrates:
“The speakers [Mastrolorenzo and Vignau] wondered about the emergence and evolution of tango. They recalled that in the social context of 1900, it was danced among men because the prostitute origin of this dance prevented women who were not part of that environment from practicing it.”
“How was it possible that a dance branded as 'immoral' in its beginnings quickly moved from the confines of the city to the downtown salons and attracted the attention of the wealthiest sectors without losing its essence of the outskirts? At what point did the break between tango danced in the milonga, exhibition tango, and tango for export occur? With a teaching vocation, Agustina and Hugo answered these questions one by one.”
Tango practitioners know that this debate about modern versus traditional tango has been going on for years, making Hugo Mastrolorenzo’s book a significant contribution to the discussion, which may even help reconcile the two opposing sides.
Likely, this knowledge comes from his experience as a tango choreographer in Buenos Aires and other parts of the world. According to the blog In Search of the Method That Never Existed:
“He has obtained more than 50 awards as a choreographer and performer in national dance contests. One of the most outstanding prizes is the first prize in the category of tango dance couple he won in La Plata national dance contest (1996). In 1997, he won four first prizes, one second prize and a special recognition in the same championship, as a result being awarded the titles of the best delegation and the ‘Best performer in Dance,’ having the president of the jury the judge of the Cosquín international dance festival.”
Through his extensive experience, Hugo Mastrolorenzo was able to open up opportunities to lead several research groups, which helped him conceptualize his books and even develop a new teaching method for tango that he discusses in Tango Dance: In Search of the Method That Never Existed.
Hugo Mastrolorenzo’s Most Controversial Book
His first book — Tango Dance: In Search of the Method That Never Existed — is considered as one of the most controversial yet also one of the “sharpest contributions” to the tango genre.
As mentioned, tango as a dance has always held onto traditionalist beliefs, and questioning those established beliefs is not something that’s often done by many practitioners or instructors. This is perhaps due in part to the reverence given to the “old guard” of tango who were the teachers of many tango instructors today. However,
Hugo Mastrolorenzo’s book sought to approach the tango methodology in a more analytical way instead of simply relying on anecdotal experience, which can vary from person to person.
The “About the Book” section of his blog, In Search of the Method That Never Existed, explains what readers should expect from his material:
“The author of the book dares to ask a question and to refute it by searching [for] the answer in not more or less than one hundred years old teaching systems of the tango dance. In the essay, the natural and fundamental preconditions of this dance face each other (choreographic ones and those of character), described by the precise technical terminology, profoundly analyzed and ratifying the following consideration: [the] main knowledge that would have to [be obtained by] all lovers of this dance.”
“Then, a synthesis of the basic characteristics of the present teaching method and, finally, a critical analysis revealing the contradictions between both elements, the contradictions of the present teaching method. Later, a historical research of these methods is exposed, from the origins until nowadays, put under the magnifier of a technical-dance study, in order to explain the reasons that have led it to this antagonistic state.”
“Today, not only hundreds of teachers in Buenos Aires and in different parts of the world teach the tango dance following this contradictory method, but also institutions at the college and/or university level.”
“The essay draws out a great argument of the knowledge achieved on the basis of existing teaching systems. Even so the essay offers many answers; in fact, it conceives the question: is it clear that this is not the suitable method, but which is the method that does not contradict with natural preconditions of the tango?”
In a way, one might be reminded of Gustavo Naveira’s Tango Nuevo movement, which is often mistaken as a style of tango dancing when, in fact, it is an approach to learning and teaching tango in a more systematized and structured way.
Hugo Mastrolorenzo’s first book likewise serves as an invitation for tango practitioners and instructors to view and consider a new teaching methodology for tango — one that marries the historical and the technical facets of the dance and encourages everyone to develop their mind as well as their sensations for tango dancing.
Beyond the Dance Floor
In a post from The Marginalian, author Zadie Smith — in her collection of essays Feel Free — argues that writing and dancing have much more in common than meets the eye. Quoting Smith, The Marginalian writes:
“‘The connection between writing and dancing has been much on my mind recently: it’s a channel I want to keep open. It feels a little neglected — compared to, say, the relationship between music and prose — maybe because there is something counter-intuitive about it. But for me the two forms are close to each other: I feel dance has something to tell me about what I do.’”
Citing Martha Graham’s famous advice on creative work, intended for dancers but replete with wisdom for writers, Smith considers the common ground beneath the surface dissimilitudes between these two art forms:
“What can an art of words take from the art that needs none? Yet I often think I’ve learned as much from watching dancers as I have from reading. Dance lessons for writers: lessons of position, attitude, rhythm and style, some of them obvious, some indirect.”
In many ways,
Hugo Mastrolorenzo was able to apply these seemingly dissimilar talents of writing and dancing into works that display his insightful passion for research, knowledge, and tango.
He sought answers to questions that explored the technical aspects of tango as opposed to understanding the craft purely through experience. His work as a dancer, choreographer, researcher and writer definitely extends beyond the dance floor, contributing profound lessons to an old genre thriving in modern times.