Last Christmas, one of the presents I was most excited about was from my brother Desmond, who sweetly packaged up Mac iListen, 1.5.2 as per my request from Santa Claus.
I though it would be a neat, time-saving way to finish off my transcriptions from all those interviews I’d conducted during my fieldwork. I could listen to a recorded interview in Indonesian with my headphones on, and then speak the English translation into the dictation program. If all went according to plan…Abracadabra! There would be my transcription!
What a wonderful idea…the simplicity of it is still marvelous. Over several days, I spent hours and hours speaking written passages into the computer via my fancy-dancy microphone in order for the computer to “learn my voice” and maximize dictation accuracy. This morning, I felt ready to proceed to the next step.
I woke up at 7am, and not having to be at work until 9am, I decided to conduct a simple experiment. I would repeat one line into the computer five times to test the program’s accuracy. Still not having shaken the sleepy dust off, I chose a rather inane line, but one that used words that would probably be oft-repeated.
I read:
Fusion composers link ethnic forms of composition with contemporary.
Well, as I said, it's not great prose, but whatever, I’d just woken up. The point is, I read it in exactly the same way, five times. These are the five responses that it came up with:
1. The end of a fusion composers later that animate the forms of composition one of and then bury.
2. Fusion composer is claimed that and I can proving that we can.
3. The above, due in the those are is claimed that have a form of composition with contemporary they had.
4. Fusion composer is a link that in the forms of composition with contemporary.
5. Fusion composer is a link at the neck of firms of composition with a good battery.
(Screams of agony). To say the least, the experience was frustrating.
I then said, "stop dictation," in hopes that the madness would stop.
The computer typed back:
"Stuff that dictation."
Now that, I agree wholeheartedly with.
Friday, April 25, 2008
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Cafe meetings/
The last month included tour around Java and Bali with first my friend Melanie, then my brother Dietrich, then off to East Java for a tour with Kiai Kanjeng and Emha Ainun Nadjib,I find myself sitting in an outdoor internet cafe, watching a lunar eclipse, as I get ready to go a Afro-Latino concert at a Catholic University. Not very Indonesian,but just thought I'd share. I ate Mie Ayam with a caccupino, it tasted unimaginably delicious.
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Wait a sec!!!
"With her last son graduating and making plans to move out of the house, Knauth, who says she never planned to have a large family, said she isn't overly sentimental."
Ok, ok, so she's not sentimental...I get that. But she's making plans to move out of the house?!!! No way! Someone confirm please. Where am I going to live when I come back from the Indoland?!?!?!
Ok, ok, so she's not sentimental...I get that. But she's making plans to move out of the house?!!! No way! Someone confirm please. Where am I going to live when I come back from the Indoland?!?!?!
Knauth Family Infotainment!
Seven months abroad can make you a little homesick. Or forgetful, as Cluckie said in Disney's Robinhood. That's why my heart was warmed to see a picture of my very own Ibu-Bapak (mother-father), with my adik laki-laki bungsu (youngest brother.) You might have noticed that my blogging has suffered over the last month, due to not ever being in the same city for more than a few days at a time. So, as a gift, I give to you the wonderous light-hearted reporting of Daily Freeman Correspondent...(drum roll please)...KATHRYN HEIDECKER!!! No, I have no idea who she is, but she made me happy, hence the drum roll.
One big class act
By KATHRYN HEIDECKER, Correspondent
06/24/2007
Statewide, just 67 percent of New York high school students graduate in four years, making the benchmark of high school graduation a significant accomplishment for any family. Multiply that times 11, and you have the Knauth family of Kingston.
The 11th child of Christopher and Thereza Knauth graduated from Kingston High School on Friday night, with son Devon following in the well-worn path of his ten brothers and sisters.
Taking a break from reading "Dumbth: The Lost Art of Thinking" by Steve Allen, mother Thereza Knauth took some time last week to reflect on the accomplishments of her brood, 10 of whom are Kingston High School graduates. Eldest son Daniel graduated from John A. Coleman Catholic High School in 1987.
"Kingston High School offered my children a great variety of programs and extra-curricular activities," said Knauth, who initially moved to Kingston with her husband, a human rights lawyer who works in New York City, because they thought it would be a good place to raise a family.
Daniel Knauth, the only Coleman graduate, later earned his law degree from Cornell University and today works as a corporate litigator in New York City. David Knauth, Kingston High School class of 1989, went on to earn his doctorate from the University of Toledo in astrophysics. David now lives in Maryland with his wife and two children and teaches high school physics and math. He dedicates his summers to research at Johns Hopkins University.
Deana Knauth, Kingston High School class of 1989, later graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology and works for a publishing company in New York City. Dorie Ann Knauth, Kingston High School class of 1993, eventually earned her degree in anthropology from the State University of New York at New Paltz. She now works for homeland security in Washington D.C.
Dalinda Knauth, class of 1995, holds a degree in music education from Lebanon Valley College and is a high school music teacher. Deahnara Knauth, Kingston High School class of 1996, graduated from the State University of New York at New Paltz and today teaches at Wallkill Middle School.
Dorcinda Knauth, class of 1998, holds a master's degree in musicology from the University of Pittsburgh. She is currently earning her doctorate and is studying on a Fulbright scholarship in Indonesia. Dietrich Knauth, a 2002 Kingston High School graduate graduated in January from New York University.
Deidra Knauth, a 2004 Kingston High School graduate is currently studying nursing in Albany at the Good Samaritan Hospital. Desmond Knauth, a 2005 Kingston High grad, went to Ulster County Community College and will head in the fall to the State University of New York at Albany, where he will major in computers.
As for Devon, he will be attending SUNY New Paltz in the fall. His major may be business or music and theater, Thereza said. He has acted and sung and also plays the piano and viola, among other instruments, she added.
That all of the Knauth children's first names start with the letter D was not originally planned, according to their mother. It was something the older children wanted to keep up, she explained.
With such an immensely successful family, Thezera said respect for her children was an important value that helped place them on the right track.
"You treat your children as human beings, not as little nothings," she said. "You must give them their value as people. Whatever they are going through at that particular time in their life, you must remember (that) to get respect you must give it."
Along with respect comes discipline. "People also think if a child (is) little, 'They are so cute!' They excuse ill-mannered behavior because they are little!" To Knauth, this borders on ludicrous. Discipline must start at a young age and continue throughout child-rearing, she said.
"You have to start right from the very beginning and never let up. Each phase of childhood is a challenge, but a challenge that can be met," she said. Of course, sometimes it is all in how a parent delivers the message, Knauth added.
"It was not always fun," she admitted, "but if you give children discipline (with) love, whatever it is you say they might not appreciate it at the time, but, if discipline is tempered with love, it works."
Today in society there is a lot of negativity, according to Knauth. It's a message that can infiltrate any home. "You have computers TVs and everyone thinks ... it is easy to put on the TV on and say, 'Watch this program,'" she said. But tuning in usually means children are tuning out, she added.
Growing up, a favorite family activity was camping. Camping "teaches them life skills and an appreciation for nature - to respect life," Knauth said. "Too many children think they have to go to hotels. Teach them how to pitch a tent!"
Having respect for one another is reinforced by camping, she said, because children need to learn to depend on one another in the wilderness.
With her last son graduating and making plans to move out of the house, Knauth, who says she never planned to have a large family, said she isn't overly sentimental.
"It's exciting - I don't view it as nostalgic, I view it as positive because realizing that they are realizing their dreams is a great joy. I don't view it as an ending. I view it as the beginning."
©Daily Freeman 2007
Best quote of the article: You treat your children as human beings, not as little nothings. Very to the point. That's my mama!
Congratulations, Devon! Happy Birthday, David!
One big class act
By KATHRYN HEIDECKER, Correspondent
06/24/2007
Statewide, just 67 percent of New York high school students graduate in four years, making the benchmark of high school graduation a significant accomplishment for any family. Multiply that times 11, and you have the Knauth family of Kingston.
The 11th child of Christopher and Thereza Knauth graduated from Kingston High School on Friday night, with son Devon following in the well-worn path of his ten brothers and sisters.
Taking a break from reading "Dumbth: The Lost Art of Thinking" by Steve Allen, mother Thereza Knauth took some time last week to reflect on the accomplishments of her brood, 10 of whom are Kingston High School graduates. Eldest son Daniel graduated from John A. Coleman Catholic High School in 1987.
"Kingston High School offered my children a great variety of programs and extra-curricular activities," said Knauth, who initially moved to Kingston with her husband, a human rights lawyer who works in New York City, because they thought it would be a good place to raise a family.
Daniel Knauth, the only Coleman graduate, later earned his law degree from Cornell University and today works as a corporate litigator in New York City. David Knauth, Kingston High School class of 1989, went on to earn his doctorate from the University of Toledo in astrophysics. David now lives in Maryland with his wife and two children and teaches high school physics and math. He dedicates his summers to research at Johns Hopkins University.
Deana Knauth, Kingston High School class of 1989, later graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology and works for a publishing company in New York City. Dorie Ann Knauth, Kingston High School class of 1993, eventually earned her degree in anthropology from the State University of New York at New Paltz. She now works for homeland security in Washington D.C.
Dalinda Knauth, class of 1995, holds a degree in music education from Lebanon Valley College and is a high school music teacher. Deahnara Knauth, Kingston High School class of 1996, graduated from the State University of New York at New Paltz and today teaches at Wallkill Middle School.
Dorcinda Knauth, class of 1998, holds a master's degree in musicology from the University of Pittsburgh. She is currently earning her doctorate and is studying on a Fulbright scholarship in Indonesia. Dietrich Knauth, a 2002 Kingston High School graduate graduated in January from New York University.
Deidra Knauth, a 2004 Kingston High School graduate is currently studying nursing in Albany at the Good Samaritan Hospital. Desmond Knauth, a 2005 Kingston High grad, went to Ulster County Community College and will head in the fall to the State University of New York at Albany, where he will major in computers.
As for Devon, he will be attending SUNY New Paltz in the fall. His major may be business or music and theater, Thereza said. He has acted and sung and also plays the piano and viola, among other instruments, she added.
That all of the Knauth children's first names start with the letter D was not originally planned, according to their mother. It was something the older children wanted to keep up, she explained.
With such an immensely successful family, Thezera said respect for her children was an important value that helped place them on the right track.
"You treat your children as human beings, not as little nothings," she said. "You must give them their value as people. Whatever they are going through at that particular time in their life, you must remember (that) to get respect you must give it."
Along with respect comes discipline. "People also think if a child (is) little, 'They are so cute!' They excuse ill-mannered behavior because they are little!" To Knauth, this borders on ludicrous. Discipline must start at a young age and continue throughout child-rearing, she said.
"You have to start right from the very beginning and never let up. Each phase of childhood is a challenge, but a challenge that can be met," she said. Of course, sometimes it is all in how a parent delivers the message, Knauth added.
"It was not always fun," she admitted, "but if you give children discipline (with) love, whatever it is you say they might not appreciate it at the time, but, if discipline is tempered with love, it works."
Today in society there is a lot of negativity, according to Knauth. It's a message that can infiltrate any home. "You have computers TVs and everyone thinks ... it is easy to put on the TV on and say, 'Watch this program,'" she said. But tuning in usually means children are tuning out, she added.
Growing up, a favorite family activity was camping. Camping "teaches them life skills and an appreciation for nature - to respect life," Knauth said. "Too many children think they have to go to hotels. Teach them how to pitch a tent!"
Having respect for one another is reinforced by camping, she said, because children need to learn to depend on one another in the wilderness.
With her last son graduating and making plans to move out of the house, Knauth, who says she never planned to have a large family, said she isn't overly sentimental.
"It's exciting - I don't view it as nostalgic, I view it as positive because realizing that they are realizing their dreams is a great joy. I don't view it as an ending. I view it as the beginning."
©Daily Freeman 2007
Best quote of the article: You treat your children as human beings, not as little nothings. Very to the point. That's my mama!
Congratulations, Devon! Happy Birthday, David!
Sunday, June 17, 2007
A Commentary on Women in Indonesia via Pirates of the Caribbean
A friend invited me for a night out at the Bandung theater. It was a traditional Sundanese comedic form complete with music, traditional costumes, etc. I was all keen on going until I found out that it didn’t end until 10pm. Which meant that I would have to drive my motorbike the hour back home after the standard feminine curfew…9pm! Pretty bahaya for an unaccompanied woman if you ask me. Yes, that’s right, bahaya means dangerous….or something you should really avoid. Someone once told me that if I ever was forced to ride unaccompanied after 9pm, I should really make sure that I was wearing a headscarf.
In a lot of ways, Indonesian morality reminds me a lot of what I imagine the U.S. to have been like in the 1950s. However, since I wasn’t around in the 1950s, this is just a hunch. My meaning is probably best illustrated by sharing some commonly held understandings of what women should and should not do. For example, it's a common saying that it's totally inappropriate for women to smoke. A female smoker clearly has loose moral standards, and is very likely a prostitute. Bahaya! Women who return home after nine (unless they are accompanied with a boy who has been interviewed by the family and deemed to be a suitable guardian) also have loose moral standards. Bahaya! Americans of course, are expected to break these rules, because Americans, as we all know, have NO moral standards. Indonesians know this, because they all have watched the movie American Pie, which, according to standard belief, is a highly accurate portrayal of American culture. Never mind the outcry that went up in America after the release of this film, because, let’s face it, it was a just a wee bit in poor taste. Also, do not date anyone in Indonesia, unless you have an intention of marrying them. Bahaya! Actually, in all seriousness, please let this be a warning to anyone coming here, who might think that there is such a thing as casual dating. In Indoland, it (mostly) does not exist. A kiss before marriage is like saying, “I do” (or, maybe an admission of being easy.) Of course, none of these rules apply to men. Men can return home as late as they want, smoke until they get lung cancer, and have a running line of girlfriends, all with no discredit to their name.
Despite Indonesia’s reputation for having very little gender discrimination, in my experience, a women’s role in life is to be a supportive wife to her husband, and a loving mother to her children. Indonesia probably gets its reputation for being “moderate” by once having a female president, though one might be suspicious of this on the grounds that she was not publicly elected, and she was the child of the first president…so it’s kind of like royalty. But Indonesia also probably gets this reputation because of the abundance of women in the workplace. Having children doesn’t preclude a woman from working; she most likely has a servant with whom she can leave the kids, or she can take them to work with her. However, work should never be an ambition for her. Her highest ambition should be to her family. Her biggest embarrassment would be not being a good wife to her husband; one of the signs of her devotion is always serving her husband his rice at meals. Men of course should be thinking of settling down too, but they can take their time about it. A 26-year-old woman who is not already married with kids, or even engaged, or worse yet…still single and not even prioritizing settling down, clearly has something wrong with her. She really should just get married already. That’s much more important than finishing school and choosing a profession. Life as we otherwise know it also pretty much ends after marriage. For example, let's say you were a professional dancer before you got married (the traditional type of dancing, not the hooker kind)...you'll probably give it up to be with your kids the moment you sign the marriage contract.
How do sexually liberated American men deal with this? Well, I have one friend who said he refuses to get involved with Indonesian women, ever since the girl he was dating had no conception of what a condom was. Others prefer to remain hopeless clueless. My other friend said, "When Indonesians start sending me messages saying, I love you, I want to be with you for the rest of my life, I figure they don't really mean it. How can they? We just met. So I just say it back to them. I loooooove you. I don't mean it either!" Personally, I'm convinced he's breaking a whole lot of hearts.
In any case, I opted not to go to the Bandung theater, in favor of an early showing of Pirates of the Caribbean. A show, by the way, which made me re-appreciate the magic and creativity of Walt Disney productions. Speaking of which, I’m really glad that Hans Zimmer wrote the music and not John Williams, who seems like the more common choice for that type of trilogy-adventure show. And even better than the movie, I was able to appropriately guard my feminine honor by being home safely by 9pm.
Although, if a career in ethnomusicology doesn't work out for me, I think I want to be a pirate. Embrace the Bahaya. Aargh!
In a lot of ways, Indonesian morality reminds me a lot of what I imagine the U.S. to have been like in the 1950s. However, since I wasn’t around in the 1950s, this is just a hunch. My meaning is probably best illustrated by sharing some commonly held understandings of what women should and should not do. For example, it's a common saying that it's totally inappropriate for women to smoke. A female smoker clearly has loose moral standards, and is very likely a prostitute. Bahaya! Women who return home after nine (unless they are accompanied with a boy who has been interviewed by the family and deemed to be a suitable guardian) also have loose moral standards. Bahaya! Americans of course, are expected to break these rules, because Americans, as we all know, have NO moral standards. Indonesians know this, because they all have watched the movie American Pie, which, according to standard belief, is a highly accurate portrayal of American culture. Never mind the outcry that went up in America after the release of this film, because, let’s face it, it was a just a wee bit in poor taste. Also, do not date anyone in Indonesia, unless you have an intention of marrying them. Bahaya! Actually, in all seriousness, please let this be a warning to anyone coming here, who might think that there is such a thing as casual dating. In Indoland, it (mostly) does not exist. A kiss before marriage is like saying, “I do” (or, maybe an admission of being easy.) Of course, none of these rules apply to men. Men can return home as late as they want, smoke until they get lung cancer, and have a running line of girlfriends, all with no discredit to their name.
Despite Indonesia’s reputation for having very little gender discrimination, in my experience, a women’s role in life is to be a supportive wife to her husband, and a loving mother to her children. Indonesia probably gets its reputation for being “moderate” by once having a female president, though one might be suspicious of this on the grounds that she was not publicly elected, and she was the child of the first president…so it’s kind of like royalty. But Indonesia also probably gets this reputation because of the abundance of women in the workplace. Having children doesn’t preclude a woman from working; she most likely has a servant with whom she can leave the kids, or she can take them to work with her. However, work should never be an ambition for her. Her highest ambition should be to her family. Her biggest embarrassment would be not being a good wife to her husband; one of the signs of her devotion is always serving her husband his rice at meals. Men of course should be thinking of settling down too, but they can take their time about it. A 26-year-old woman who is not already married with kids, or even engaged, or worse yet…still single and not even prioritizing settling down, clearly has something wrong with her. She really should just get married already. That’s much more important than finishing school and choosing a profession. Life as we otherwise know it also pretty much ends after marriage. For example, let's say you were a professional dancer before you got married (the traditional type of dancing, not the hooker kind)...you'll probably give it up to be with your kids the moment you sign the marriage contract.
How do sexually liberated American men deal with this? Well, I have one friend who said he refuses to get involved with Indonesian women, ever since the girl he was dating had no conception of what a condom was. Others prefer to remain hopeless clueless. My other friend said, "When Indonesians start sending me messages saying, I love you, I want to be with you for the rest of my life, I figure they don't really mean it. How can they? We just met. So I just say it back to them. I loooooove you. I don't mean it either!" Personally, I'm convinced he's breaking a whole lot of hearts.
In any case, I opted not to go to the Bandung theater, in favor of an early showing of Pirates of the Caribbean. A show, by the way, which made me re-appreciate the magic and creativity of Walt Disney productions. Speaking of which, I’m really glad that Hans Zimmer wrote the music and not John Williams, who seems like the more common choice for that type of trilogy-adventure show. And even better than the movie, I was able to appropriately guard my feminine honor by being home safely by 9pm.
Although, if a career in ethnomusicology doesn't work out for me, I think I want to be a pirate. Embrace the Bahaya. Aargh!
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Dealing with Political Correctness (or the Lack Thereof)
I always thought that the “politically correct” phenomenon in America was just plain annoying, and (dare I say it?) just a little bit offensive in its own right. However six months in Indonesia will just about make anybody feel all warm and fuzzy about the whole P.C. trend. (And this is coming from a mac user!) You see, political correctness as a concept doesn't really exist in Indonesia. I remember learning this lesson pretty early on in the game, when back in 2003, my first language teacher thought it would be a great idea to teach us colors by referring to the skin hues of various people around the world. Chinese were “yellow”; American Indians were “red”; etc. The state of shock that this induced in the all-American class was completely inconceivable to our Balinese teacher, who was only annoyed that all of a sudden, his students were rendered mute, unwilling to participate in the “let’s name people’s skin colors” game. To put it even more in perspective, these classes were held at the University of Gadjah Mada (UGM), Yogyakarta, which is always ranked as one of the top three universities in Indonesia.
The thing about it that's most disturbing to me, is that a lack of political correctness means you can get away with saying really racist things and no one will even bat an eye. Personally, I’d rather be annoyed at people being overly careful with their speech, than having to be horrified by overt racism. In Indonesia, most of the racist comments are reserved for the ethnic Chinese. In my mind, I liken the ethnic Chinese situation to what the Jews probably faced in pre-World War II Europe. Ethnic Chinese are the embodiment of all the worst personal qualities: uncharitable, exclusivist, opulent. At the same time the ethnic Chinese, as successful businesspersons, are thought to own a disproportionate distribution of the countries wealth. Moreover, they are subject to all sorts of discriminatory legislation on the basis of their ethnic origins.
The other most hated groups of people are communists, mostly because Indonesians have been indoctrinated to hate communists from the former regime’s anti-Communist stance. I think it also has something to do with the Marxian understanding of Communists as atheists, something that is not only inconceivable (How can someone not believe in God?), but unpatriotic. The Indonesian constitution requires the belief in one supreme God. Your religion (which can either be: Islam, Christian, Catholic, Hindu, or Buddhist) is even noted on your driver’s license. Hey, I'm just highly entertained to find out that in Indonesia, Catholics aren't really Christian. :)
Curiously enough, one man did rant to me about hating the Jews, something that I still find puzzling, since he himself to this day, has never met a Jewish person. Judaism is not even one of the five permissible monotheistic religions according to Indonesian law. It legally doesn't exist. Actually, what he told me was: “Indonesians don’t hate Americans. When they say they hate Americans, they’re really saying that they hate the Jews. If you’re not a Jew, then there’s no problem.” Now, I understand this kind of comment to be attributable to Indonesia’s support for Palestine as a display of Islamic solidarity, and therefore a criticism of the U.S.’s foreign policy and apparently unwavering support for Israel. I’m quite sure that if this guy ever met an American Jew, he would probably backpedal and say, “Oh, its not the Jews that we don’t like, but the American government.” However, it is more disturbing in light of Indonesia’s search for a charismatic leader, which commonly leads to the idolizing of Hitler as a powerful leader. You would not believe how many times I've seen pictures of Hitler as coffeehouse art, the sides of buildings, etc. But, Hitler-idolatry, my friends, is a whole other story, for another day.
The thing about it that's most disturbing to me, is that a lack of political correctness means you can get away with saying really racist things and no one will even bat an eye. Personally, I’d rather be annoyed at people being overly careful with their speech, than having to be horrified by overt racism. In Indonesia, most of the racist comments are reserved for the ethnic Chinese. In my mind, I liken the ethnic Chinese situation to what the Jews probably faced in pre-World War II Europe. Ethnic Chinese are the embodiment of all the worst personal qualities: uncharitable, exclusivist, opulent. At the same time the ethnic Chinese, as successful businesspersons, are thought to own a disproportionate distribution of the countries wealth. Moreover, they are subject to all sorts of discriminatory legislation on the basis of their ethnic origins.
The other most hated groups of people are communists, mostly because Indonesians have been indoctrinated to hate communists from the former regime’s anti-Communist stance. I think it also has something to do with the Marxian understanding of Communists as atheists, something that is not only inconceivable (How can someone not believe in God?), but unpatriotic. The Indonesian constitution requires the belief in one supreme God. Your religion (which can either be: Islam, Christian, Catholic, Hindu, or Buddhist) is even noted on your driver’s license. Hey, I'm just highly entertained to find out that in Indonesia, Catholics aren't really Christian. :)
Curiously enough, one man did rant to me about hating the Jews, something that I still find puzzling, since he himself to this day, has never met a Jewish person. Judaism is not even one of the five permissible monotheistic religions according to Indonesian law. It legally doesn't exist. Actually, what he told me was: “Indonesians don’t hate Americans. When they say they hate Americans, they’re really saying that they hate the Jews. If you’re not a Jew, then there’s no problem.” Now, I understand this kind of comment to be attributable to Indonesia’s support for Palestine as a display of Islamic solidarity, and therefore a criticism of the U.S.’s foreign policy and apparently unwavering support for Israel. I’m quite sure that if this guy ever met an American Jew, he would probably backpedal and say, “Oh, its not the Jews that we don’t like, but the American government.” However, it is more disturbing in light of Indonesia’s search for a charismatic leader, which commonly leads to the idolizing of Hitler as a powerful leader. You would not believe how many times I've seen pictures of Hitler as coffeehouse art, the sides of buildings, etc. But, Hitler-idolatry, my friends, is a whole other story, for another day.
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
Tango in Singapore, the Review
(Warning: this is a topic of considerable interest to me, and therefore is pretty darn long!)
I must say that for a thriving metropolis, I was pretty disappointed with the tango scene in Singapore. Not to say that I didn’t enjoy myself or meet cool people. Although I certainly didn’t have that special dance with anyone, the one that fills you with perfect contentment and sends you home warm and fuzzy no matter what else had happened that evening. Trust me: tango dancers reading this will understand.
I tango-danced a total of three nights: Saturday, Tuesday, and Friday. Each time, I was the only “newbie” to the scene, and not a single person came up and introduced him or herself to me or asked me to dance. Note: this would not normally be a crime in another type of dance venue, but to me, this is one of the main indications of how friendly a tango community is. Argentine tango outside of Buenos Aires is often freakishly small, and can sometimes be described of as “cultish”. However, this means that when a new person arrives on the scene, they immediately stand out as someone “different.” Not a bad kind of different, but just someone of interest. When the seasoned tango dancer sees one of these new people, the first thought in their minds might be, “however did this new person hear about us; we must find out everything we can about this kindred spirit in our midst.” However, such was not my experience in Singapore. My presence did not so much as garner a hello from anybody.
Luckily, I am not the kind of person who sits in the corner and mopes by myself, especially if I had to pay $20 just to get in the door—a ridiculously expensive sum to do anything in Southeast Asia. So, first I worked my way through the ladies table. I introduced myself, chatted a bit, and generally tried to get a feel for what tango was like in this part of the world. Now this night, there were more ladies than men. Apparently, the night before, there were more men than women…go figure. So I had a lot of time to check out the dancers. I think I saw every one of my pet peeves (beginning with the aforementioned lack of friendliness.)
For example, one man went up to each of the female dancers at my table with outstretched hand, just saying “Next!” with not-so much as idle chitchat, or a “how are you?” Now, for all you aspiring tango males out there, this is really annoying. Instead of being a social experience, the dance has been relegated to a charity case for female dancers. No thank you, I’m not that desperate. And the worst part was, that he never finished a tanda (the traditional set of 3-4 dances) with any of these women. Instead he displayed another example of poor tango etiquette, which is to walk away, leaving his partner stranded and feeling abandoned on the dance floor. Note#2 to aspiring male dancers: Walk off the floor with your partner. This is no buffet, where you can try one thing, decided you don’t like it, and leave it for someone else to clear away. Manners, people!
However, at least he was circulating dancers. The other male dancers stuck to their partners like glue, never moving one step beyond their comfort zone.
Now we get to the sixth pet peeve of the evening: women dancers who just sit there, waiting to be asked to dance. Not a single woman could lead, so, because it was a female-heavy evening, most of them sat dourly on the sidelines, looking bored. Note to women in this situation: Practice your leading…it’s not like there ain’t room! Especially in this particular dance space, which had a whole separate dance area just for practicing. Or get over there and just practice walking by yourself. At the very least, chitchat; be merry; eat the food; enjoy yourself! I practiced leading with some of the ladies, and it was probably the only moment of happy silliness the whole evening. Tango doesn’t have to be super-serious. It can be fun.
I finally scored a dance, when I forced one of the female dancers to introduce me to somebody, anybody… Now, while he quickly repeated pet peeves #2 and 3 (looking bored without so much as a hi, how are you?” and not finishing the tanda) he did walk me off the dance floor, where he proceeded directly to pet-peeve #7: “Criticizing your Dance Partner.” Granted, he only told me that I needed to relax my body but: a) I don’t recall criticizing him when he knocked me off my axis as he barreled through the steps) b) no offense mister, but you are not my teacher and I didn’t come to you for a lesson, so chill and enjoy what is meant to be a purely social dance, and c) if you don’t even finish the tanda, how do you ever get to the point of knowing another person’s dance style to the point where you can relax and enjoy the dance? Usually, my favorite dance is the second or third, after we’ve gotten acclimated to the way the other person moves and the bodies start working together.
Pet Peeve #8: A guy who repeats the same move three or more times, cuz the girl didn’t “do it right” the first time. Now listen guys, if this happens to you, chances are you led something wrong in the first place, or the lady has never done that before and she’s feeling a bit confused. Don’t make her feel stupid too, by repeating the step again and again until she “gets it right.” Bad, bad etiquette! Luckily this didn’t happen to me; I just witnessed it with some other poor misfortunates.
All those pet peeves aside, once I decided to brazenly talk to the “taken” boys, (those who obviously had set partners) we broke the dating barriers and had a merry time. We even went out for an early morning breakfast and I was offered a ride home.
So, moral of the story: if you are a tango dancer, avoid the top eight pet peeves of all time (or of me, in any case!), get to know the newbies, and help make the world a smaller place.
Overall score of the Singapore tango scene: C-
Tango dancers are very knowledgeable about the dance, but don’t adhere to standard etiquette practices, of which they claim to be aware. Music is ok, a varied mix of traditional, movie music, and Nuevo tango stuff. Dancers are friendly once you get to know them, but don’t expect anyone to go out of their way to make you feel welcome. Tips: Introduce yourself to a guy named Zee. He will put you in touch with tango dancers all over Southeast Asia, including...(gasp)...Indonesia!
I must say that for a thriving metropolis, I was pretty disappointed with the tango scene in Singapore. Not to say that I didn’t enjoy myself or meet cool people. Although I certainly didn’t have that special dance with anyone, the one that fills you with perfect contentment and sends you home warm and fuzzy no matter what else had happened that evening. Trust me: tango dancers reading this will understand.
I tango-danced a total of three nights: Saturday, Tuesday, and Friday. Each time, I was the only “newbie” to the scene, and not a single person came up and introduced him or herself to me or asked me to dance. Note: this would not normally be a crime in another type of dance venue, but to me, this is one of the main indications of how friendly a tango community is. Argentine tango outside of Buenos Aires is often freakishly small, and can sometimes be described of as “cultish”. However, this means that when a new person arrives on the scene, they immediately stand out as someone “different.” Not a bad kind of different, but just someone of interest. When the seasoned tango dancer sees one of these new people, the first thought in their minds might be, “however did this new person hear about us; we must find out everything we can about this kindred spirit in our midst.” However, such was not my experience in Singapore. My presence did not so much as garner a hello from anybody.
Luckily, I am not the kind of person who sits in the corner and mopes by myself, especially if I had to pay $20 just to get in the door—a ridiculously expensive sum to do anything in Southeast Asia. So, first I worked my way through the ladies table. I introduced myself, chatted a bit, and generally tried to get a feel for what tango was like in this part of the world. Now this night, there were more ladies than men. Apparently, the night before, there were more men than women…go figure. So I had a lot of time to check out the dancers. I think I saw every one of my pet peeves (beginning with the aforementioned lack of friendliness.)
For example, one man went up to each of the female dancers at my table with outstretched hand, just saying “Next!” with not-so much as idle chitchat, or a “how are you?” Now, for all you aspiring tango males out there, this is really annoying. Instead of being a social experience, the dance has been relegated to a charity case for female dancers. No thank you, I’m not that desperate. And the worst part was, that he never finished a tanda (the traditional set of 3-4 dances) with any of these women. Instead he displayed another example of poor tango etiquette, which is to walk away, leaving his partner stranded and feeling abandoned on the dance floor. Note#2 to aspiring male dancers: Walk off the floor with your partner. This is no buffet, where you can try one thing, decided you don’t like it, and leave it for someone else to clear away. Manners, people!
However, at least he was circulating dancers. The other male dancers stuck to their partners like glue, never moving one step beyond their comfort zone.
Now we get to the sixth pet peeve of the evening: women dancers who just sit there, waiting to be asked to dance. Not a single woman could lead, so, because it was a female-heavy evening, most of them sat dourly on the sidelines, looking bored. Note to women in this situation: Practice your leading…it’s not like there ain’t room! Especially in this particular dance space, which had a whole separate dance area just for practicing. Or get over there and just practice walking by yourself. At the very least, chitchat; be merry; eat the food; enjoy yourself! I practiced leading with some of the ladies, and it was probably the only moment of happy silliness the whole evening. Tango doesn’t have to be super-serious. It can be fun.
I finally scored a dance, when I forced one of the female dancers to introduce me to somebody, anybody… Now, while he quickly repeated pet peeves #2 and 3 (looking bored without so much as a hi, how are you?” and not finishing the tanda) he did walk me off the dance floor, where he proceeded directly to pet-peeve #7: “Criticizing your Dance Partner.” Granted, he only told me that I needed to relax my body but: a) I don’t recall criticizing him when he knocked me off my axis as he barreled through the steps) b) no offense mister, but you are not my teacher and I didn’t come to you for a lesson, so chill and enjoy what is meant to be a purely social dance, and c) if you don’t even finish the tanda, how do you ever get to the point of knowing another person’s dance style to the point where you can relax and enjoy the dance? Usually, my favorite dance is the second or third, after we’ve gotten acclimated to the way the other person moves and the bodies start working together.
Pet Peeve #8: A guy who repeats the same move three or more times, cuz the girl didn’t “do it right” the first time. Now listen guys, if this happens to you, chances are you led something wrong in the first place, or the lady has never done that before and she’s feeling a bit confused. Don’t make her feel stupid too, by repeating the step again and again until she “gets it right.” Bad, bad etiquette! Luckily this didn’t happen to me; I just witnessed it with some other poor misfortunates.
All those pet peeves aside, once I decided to brazenly talk to the “taken” boys, (those who obviously had set partners) we broke the dating barriers and had a merry time. We even went out for an early morning breakfast and I was offered a ride home.
So, moral of the story: if you are a tango dancer, avoid the top eight pet peeves of all time (or of me, in any case!), get to know the newbies, and help make the world a smaller place.
Overall score of the Singapore tango scene: C-
Tango dancers are very knowledgeable about the dance, but don’t adhere to standard etiquette practices, of which they claim to be aware. Music is ok, a varied mix of traditional, movie music, and Nuevo tango stuff. Dancers are friendly once you get to know them, but don’t expect anyone to go out of their way to make you feel welcome. Tips: Introduce yourself to a guy named Zee. He will put you in touch with tango dancers all over Southeast Asia, including...(gasp)...Indonesia!
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