The difference between Nuevo Tango and Neo Tango

I believe this is an important question nowadays.

1. Tango nuevo is better to dance to tango music of 50-60 like later Pugliese.
Neo Tango is danced to non-tango music. Alternative so to speak. Pop, new age, eastern. Suitable.

2. Tango Nuevo is danced in regular tango cloth. Neo Tango - in super-modern baggy pants. It makes a lot of difference in dancing attitude. It is quite impossible to imagine a woman in stockings doing this.

3. Characteristic of Nuevo is long steps. Sort of flying. A lot of ganchos, sacadas, boleos. Circular dance, but pretty different from salon tango.
Main characteristic of Neo is separation. Elastic embraces which are often broken. Rotation around one's axis without touching a partner or one hand handling only. This does not exists in Nuevo. Extending an embracing arm. Ganchos, boleos are to extreme. Looks like fighting in a fast dance. Men's ganchos are really like martial arts kicks with bodies tilted from being vertical to a side, back, or front. Women do the same! It is totally absent from Nuevo. Waving movements of bodies. Hops. Men put their legs up around a lady, for example in a back sacada.

4. There is no Neo close embrace. Instead they prefer to dance slow open. In Neo slow dance - a lot of strange movements non-existing in Nuevo. As if they try to probe a partner - to watch the reaction, to find a weak point... If they go into close embrace - it looks like Nuevo close embrace.

5. Neo positions are exactly like martial arts positions - ready for a kick - soft bent legs holding the floor, relaxed bodies ready to react swiftly, watching eyes gazing inside the partner. Just a little bit more, and we will see actual kicks and blocks here. No wonder, martial art partnering is called "a dance". Neo is Capoeira ( 1, 2, 3 ) of Tango.

6. Nuevo - I think Gustavo Naveira and Chicho. Neo - well, Homer from San Francisco and Jaimes from Seattle. These are the first names coming to my mind.

7. Neo originated from Nuevo. There are some little things in Nuevo which differentiate it from other tango which are developed to extreme in Neo. However the difference between them is sharp. Nuevo is still tango, while Neo is not. Neo Tango is totally new dance: Neos are not able to dance Argentine Tango, they prefer different music, they do not mix with other dancers, they keep their own community,

8. And attitude. Ask Neo dancers - they all will tell that they dance nothing else but Argentine Tango. But this is not the same dance. This is a new dance and new community developing. They are not interested at all in older tango.

They say they are contemporary. They say that they progress tango forward. I think these are just empty confusing words. Except of a handful of Neo community leaders ( and not all of them ) these dancers do not have correct ideas what Argentine Tango is. They do not have a point to base the comparison. Well, they really could not care less. Me too. I will happily dance Neo as a relaxation from Tango, and then come back.

That is what typical young talented man from Neo community on his way in tango would say: "I listen to old music more and more and like it more and more, I can hear much more good stuff, I came to conclusion that I like it all! ". Well, I am happy about it! But that happens only if he makes an effort to listen, to learn.

One young man once he got introduction to Canyengue ( it is considered a very old style of tango, hmm.. ) said: "That is what I always wanted, that is mine! It fits me so well, I am crazy about it! ". Yes, that is what happens once the power of knowledge approaches you: insight! A recognition of your own power and abilities! Discovery of new worlds! There are many entities in life who would love you to know less. You should be aware of that.

9. And one last but not least difference. Nuevo still comes from Argentina. Neo, to the best of my knowledge - from USA and Europe. (...)