Neither Tangosynthesis nor our original brand Jivebeat would exist without Freedom of Movement within the EU. The first idea of starting a dance club may have been mine, but whatever the future might hold for us the original contributors to the Jivebeat vision are from all over the EU and none of them would have been here if it wasn't for Freedom of Movement.
Jivebeat and Tangosynthesis are - and always will be - European, and we are proud to say that they are stronger and better for being inclusive.
To deny the multi-cultural background of partner dancing is to miss the point entirely. All partner dances are to some extent born of cultural mixing, and neither Argentine tango nor LeRoc are exceptions to this.
Dance is just about the most multi-cultural thing you can do. It is an activity that is born of collaboration, of immigration, and of migration. Dance ignores borders and mixes cultures, and even those dances that have a strong heritage in one particular region owe as much to external influences as they do to anything local.
If you look at the history of Argentine Tango, you will find that it was born from dances brought into Argentina and Uruguay by African immigrants, adopted by European traders and visitors, adapted for competition and social dancing, re-absorbed back into Argentine culture, then exported again to America, Finland, Europe, and elsewhere. If you love to dance, you love multiculturalism. It's as simple as that.
#StrongerIn #WeAreEuropean
Graham