"A feeling that is danced" Discépolo

I've noticed an interesting phenomenon in our tango community of late - there's an increasing level of interest in and sensitivity for the music played in practicas and milongas - in particular the Golden Age music.

In the space of just a couple of days various comments were made quite independently from each other, and came, it seemed, out of the blue from several dancers. One person was saying that they didn't used to "get" Golden Age music until recently, but now the modern stuff just doesn't interest them much. Another was visibly annoyed when a tanda of tango - all Golden Age - wasn't coherent in their view. They felt that one of the tangos simply jarred when combined with the other three in the tanda.

These comments bring me back to an earlier posting in February: Two angles on the tanda. Let's face it, the music evokes a physical and emotional response. For most of us, that's why we feel like dancing, or for that matter .... sitting out a tanda. Hopefully, the DJ will generally be able to sense what the crowd needs at various stages of a milonga ... and respond to that so that the dancers feel they have engaged in a satisfying emotional experience, rather than a roller-coaster ride. Equally, too much of anything - music that is energetic, romantic, intense, etc. - simply leads to desensitisation and boredom.

Creating a mood at the start of a tanda, only to jolt dancers out of it within the very same tanda can feel like a slap in the face. Try this pair of Di Sarli tangos as an example: Nada followed by Shusheta. Lovely - but not together, please! Singers can make a huge difference, too. The orquesta of Ricardo Tanturi with the romantic voice of Enrique Campos, creates a totally different mood to Tanturi with the voice of the streets, Alberto Castillo.

Want to know more?
Guides to Tango Music developed by Stephen & Susan Brown
Heroes of the Silver Disc by Melina Sedó
ToTango DJ Forum
Tango DJ

Pat.

A fabulous Biagi vals danced by Julio Balmaceda & Corina de la Rosa

Delightfully playful footwork and damn good turns!

Tango therapy

We all know that tango is a good form of physical exercise. And not long ago, there were articles in the press extolling the merits of learning to dance as a strategy for delaying the onset of dementia. Now, the therapeutic benefits of learning to dance tango are being studied in the fight against depression. Read more in ABC news online.

Who knows, soon you may be able to claim those lessons on Medicare!

Happy dancing,
Pat.

Australian International Tango Festival

Adelaide Tango made a significant impact on Australia's biggest tango event of the year. 22 tangueros from Adelaide took the opportunity to immerse themselves in the most diverse range of workshops yet, as well as five milongas in five nights!
The strong SA contingent received a special mention at the Opening Milonga, also DJed by yours truly. And at the final milonga on Sunday night, Arthur from Brisbane made the unsolicited comment that the Adelaide folk were not only nice dancers, but the friendliest bunch of people as well!

We were spoilt for choice with the widest array of workshop options, electric performances and seven renowned teachers from Buenos Aires. For the first time in the festival, the structure of the music and how it influences the dance was tackled in a thorough and practical manner in a series of workshops by Joaquin Amenabar, a BsAs professor of bandoneon, and tango dancer.
Joaquin's close work with a trio of talented local musicians meant that their live music at two of the milongas not only pleased the ear, but kept the crowd dancing.

Los Hermanos Macana were true to form and entertained with their comic antics. Cecilia Gonzalez and Donato Juarez, both regular visitors to Sydney, were in demand with their warm teaching style and focus on technique & elegance in figures. While Aurora Lubiz and Hugo Daniel's multi-faceted contribution to the festival included technique & coordination, various tango rhythms & chacarera, and a generous desire to share the culture of tango with us all. Not to mention Saturday night's mesmerising folkloric performance. For many of us, they were the stars of the festival and we sincerely hope to see them back in Oz soon.

Congratulations and thanks to Lilian and her tireless team of volunteers. It was indeed a festival not to be missed!

Pat & Bob.

Music for milongas workshop

Do you go along to a milonga and dance to anything that's played?
Have you experienced the music transporting you and your partner?
What goes into selecting music for a milonga?

These questions and more were tossed around and debated at the recent Tango Adelaide Club workshop, with lots of perceptive insights. A key thread was the emotional impact of music. Natalie's point about the influence of music in movies was not lost on us, at all. Here's an experiment for you. Just focus on the music accompanying a scene in a film or TV show sometime, with your eyes closed. How does it make you feel? I'll bet you find that the choice is not accidental, nor the impact incidental.

Sometimes the music is sublime to listen to, but does it move you to dance? Is dancing to it within your current capabilities? Especially with a partner in the tango embrace?

Does a piece of danceable music energise or calm the floor? When might a few tandas result in a chaotic dance-floor, put most people to sleep ... or irritate the hell out of you?

Stimulating stuff, but we only had 2 hours for the workshop, and we needed time to put the theory into practice ... by constructing danceable tandas. Walking the talk - that's when the things got really challenging.

Want to know more? Take look at Stephen & Susan Brown's highly regarded website.

Pat