Some tango quotations

I thought I'd share some quotes which ring true for me. Some from tango celebs, others not. Let me know if you have other favourites you'd like to share. Pat.


"A good dancer you recognise by the way he walks, not by acrobatic figures" Pablo Verón

"Don't dance 100 different steps in one way, dance 1 step in 100 different ways" Jean-Michel

"It took several years to get past being fascinated with the steps, which were my first draw to the dance. The dancers who were doing less footwork were uninteresting to me and I just didn't see them. Then, years of advice from the milongueros to feel the dance, not just learn steps, began to take effect. I started to notice the dancers for how they stood, embraced and felt the music. It isn't like I didn't know these things before, I just didn't see them ... even though they were right in front of me."
Daniel Trenner

"Tango ... a sad thought which is danced"
Enrique Santos Discépolo

"El tango te espera" (Tango waits for you)
Anibal Troilo

"When you dance tango, you must give everything. If you can't do that, don't dance."
Ricardo Vidort

Entrega ... or what could be likened to "The Tango Zone"

Many say dancing tango - as danced in the salon, not on the stage - is about the man, the woman and the music. But that doesn't quite get to the heart of it for me, and it certainly won't help the uninitiated "get it".

For quite a while I have thinking about this notion of la entrega in tango. More and more, I believe that is what dancing tango is all about. It's something like surrendering to the emotion of the music together; and the stronger you both feel about the music, the more powerful that fleeting experience may be. Rick McGarrey in Tango and Chaos writes about a shared informed passion. But better see for yourself what he has to say about that.

The rest of his website is also a must for any tangoholic.

Happy reading,
Pat.

Another tango movie, with a difference ...

Ever wanted to work with Pablo Veron? Fancy an all-expenses-paid trip to Buenos Aires? Like to tell your tango story? Well here's your opportunity.

Just go to the Seduced by Tango website for more details. You know the old saying: You've got to be in it to win it!

Pat

Tango, tourism and the economy

Tango tourism in Buenos Aires is big and making a significant contribution to the Argentine economy, according to a recent travel item in the Sydney Morning Herald. Carnivores get a good run for their money, too!
Pat.

Two angles on the tanda

… a dancer’s perspective

Before I even consider dancing a tanda, the music needs to ‘grab’ me, because if I can’t connect with it emotionally, I certainly won’t connect with it on the dance-floor with my partner. The nature of the tanda will also govern how I dance – the figures I lead, how much I dance to the down-beat as opposed to other lyrical aspects of the music (usually the violin or the singer), how I employ pauses, etc.

For my partner, the first tango will be her time to discover how I dance to this style of music – how I lead & vary figures that she’s familiar with (anticipation is the ‘killer’ of improvisation), how much time I tend to give to pauses (hence if & how she’ll decorate), the level of energy going into my leads (hence the speed of her pivots, etc). It’s also my time to determine her responses to my leads, rhythms, & energy. It’s therefore not surprising if the first tango lacks some fluidity, but there’s every reason why the remaining tangos can reach a high level of connection such that we are moving together in response to the music we are hearing, and to each other.

The cortina signals that we should go our separate ways (after I have escorted her back to her table, of course) because the music in the next tanda will be different and the whole process can start again. After all, my responses to tangos from Di Sarli, D’Arienzo, Rodriguez, and Pugliese will all be different, and the same will apply to valses from Caló as opposed to Biagi, and milongas from Canaro as opposed to D’Agostino. But that’s part of what makes tango the seductive challenge that it is.

Bob.

… a DJ’s perspective

There is a range of views on the best way to compose a danceable and satisfying tanda. Well, one thing’s for sure: a haphazard collection of tangos, even from the same orquesta, does not a tanda make! At the other extreme, some DJs go to the extent of considering the beats per minute of each song when making their selections. For me, the selections are based on the feel of the music (eg. predominantly lyrical, rhythmic) and the emotional response that each piece of music evokes.

The first song of the tanda should, in my opinion, generally be a call to the dance. With the subsequent 2 - 3 songs somewhat consistent in their flavour, but not so similar that boredom sets in. On the other hand, a degree of coherence means that having liked the sound of the first piece and therefore got up to dance, dancers will not be disappointed with the rest of the tanda. I love concluding a tanda with something really memorable – a mini finale, of sorts.

Next tanda?
A different emotional response will be created. Does the energy of the dance-floor need to be raised or lowered? Are the dancers sufficiently primed for music of greater intensity and complexity? What does my DJ’s intuition tell me?

If you’re interested in the role which music plays in the brain, you will find Musicophilia, by Oliver Sacks, riveting. He was recently interviewed on ABC radio

Pat

Tanda — A set of dance music, usually three to five songs, of the same dance in similar style, if not by the same orquesta. The tandas are separated by a brief interlude of non-tango music called a "cortina" (or curtain) during which couples select each other. It is customary to dance the entire tanda with the same partner unless the man is rude or very disappointing as a dance partner, in which case the lady may say gracias (thank you) and leave.