In response to a friend's inquiry (thanks Trista), I briefly put together this 'stereotypical' list of 'levels of tango community'...most of it is paraphrased from Clay Nelson's ideas (levels 1-4).
Also, I've added two more (levels 5 & 6) and I've added example cities which are highly subjective and always changing. Feel free to express your own opinion (especially if I'm way off in my judgment and current knowledge)?
Tango Community Level:
1. One person is running/teaching tango, no conflicts, everyone joins in - like a big family (Kauai is here, Anchorage was/is like this for many years now and is bordering 1.5)
2. More than one person is teaching/hosting tango events but there still is a family attitude, no conflicts (Asheville, NC was here but recently started moving into 3, they're like 2.5)
3. Free/open market competition starts and it can be very aggressive & unfriendly in some cases...(Chicago continually boarders this level and the next, they're like 3.5)
4. The community is large and mature enough where folks co-exist even if they have multiple events on the same day/night and there usually remains some negativity floating around or erupting from time to time (Portland is here, SF is here and trying to get to 5, & perhaps NYC too).
5. There is a governing board or organization, or several schools trying to work together (Berlin is arriving here, Cincinnati was here and may still be?)
6. There are national and international societies/organizations (like with professional engineering societies) that set standards, govern ethics, resolve conflict, provide health insurance, etc, and otherwise dictate what professional responsibilities are (this may take some time to arrive here but there are signs and interest!).
