Talk & tango? I just can’t do it!

Have you ever started dancing with someone who wanted to have a chat while accompanying you around the pista? What was the outcome? How was the tango?

Many of us can multi-task quite successfully. But this combination does not work for me at all, and I suspect that I’m not alone. Today, while listening to my ipod, mercifully distracted from a dental procedure, I pondered why this might be so.

Music generates emotional & physical responses. Its influence can be energetic, calming, soporific, romantic, melancholic, joyful, etc. Understanding the lyrics isn’t a pre-requisite, at all, although it enhances the experience. Our brains are hard-wired to get the musical message (Daniel Levitin). Dancing is a physical expression of that. So whether or not we’re aware of it, my partner and I, together, are physically responding to the emotions evoked when a piece of music calls us to the floor. I like to make the most of the tanda with my partner, and if we’re lucky, we may experience that addictive tango-zone.

While dancing, chatting about a recent good film or a mutual friend, will simply interfere with that strong, but fleeting connection. It reminds me of those annoying TV commercials which pop up inappropriately at critical moments during a movie. No chance there of being transported by the dance!

Then there’s the complexity of much tango music, with so many delicious improvisational possibilities. Choreographed patterns of dance learned by rote can allow for talk. After all, the body already knows what it’s going to do. But to improvise, in other words to dance “in the moment”, your attention needs to be dedicated to the music and your partner. The concept of entrega is about abandoning yourself to your partner and the music … just for that tanda, of course. Little wonder that milongueros don’t get up to dance to just any music. They’re choosy about their music and partners. When they dance, they put ‘all the meat on the fire’ todo la carne en la parilla.

So what do you do if your partner wants to tango and talk?

1. Go with the flow and chat for the remainder of the tanda
2. Say “Thank-you” and return to your table
3. Ignore the talk. If you don’t respond, it may stop eventually.
4. Simply admit: “I’m not able to dance tango and talk at the same time”. Hopefully the message will be clear.
5. Never dance with that person again

What do you think?
Pat.

In need of a pick-me-up? Try a vals or two!

What makes the tango vals unique? Are there elements in vals music that distinguishes it from Viennese waltz, or are they the same but we simply dance them differently?

Joaquin Amenabar, in his book ‘Tango. Let’s dance to the music!’ says: “The tango waltz is not different, from a rhythmic point of view, from the Viennese waltz. They both have a three-beat rhythm".

"The only difference is the speed: the music of tango waltz is faster than the Viennese waltz. It is only for this reason that, whilst in the Viennese waltz one steps on every beat, in the tango waltz we normally step on only the first of three beats – if not we would be dancing too fast.”

He goes on to say that in addition to the simple-time step, we can also make double-time steps. However, we step on two of the three beats – either as 1st & 2nd beat, or 1st & 3rd beat. These can also be interspersed with simple-time beats.

If we are going to dance vals, then we are obliged to step on the strong 1st beat …… then we can choose to introduce double- time steps and pauses in response to the music.

But quite apart from these technical details, we only need to look at the following three clips to see that personal style & personality adds another layer that makes each person’s tango vals unique. The second clip is evidence that, despite Joaquin’s statement, there are also some beautiful slow valses.

The first from Tete and Silvia “Claro de luna” illustrates the sense of freedom and joy that Tete brought to his vals.

The second from Osvaldo & Coca “Con tu mirar” is a lesson on understatement, and it’s worth looking for those elements of rhythm Joaquin talked about.

Thirdly, Roxana Suarez & Sebastián Achaval’s “Pabellon de las rosas” shows a very skilful young couple with wonderful timing & musicality.

Finally, for the classical music buffs, the lyrics of El viejo vals start with the following line: Al lánguido compás de un vals de Chopin, mi amor te confesé ... (Orchestra: Francisco Rotundo, singers: Campos & Ruiz).

Bob

Poetry sung out loud

Maybe I've been listening to too much tango for far too long. But lately, I find myself quietly singing along to parts of my favourite tangos that have gradually embedded themselves in my brain. (Too bad, if you happen to be close by!)

Dancing to a tango, vals or milonga, when you know the story, adds an interesting dimension to the dance experience. Hence, the addition to our weblinks of two more tango websites with very good translations of many lyrics. So if you want another perspective to your tango experience, you couldn't go wrong with indulging in a spot of poetry reading while listening to the music.

Pat.

Tete Rusconi and Osvaldo Zotto

How can we make up for the recent loss of these two great dancers? In short, we can't. They take with them to their graves the essential elements that made Tete's valses unique for their vigour and sense of joy, and the beauty that Osvaldo's precision gave to his dance.

Tete was no doubt dancing as a young man during the Golden Age of tango - think of the great musicians and dancers that contributed to what became Tete's dancing. We saw him often at Maipu 444 and El Beso dancing with the energy of a young man; there was absolutely no doubt that the milonga was a second home to him and that he simply loved to dance.

Our first memories of Osvaldo were from his instructional tapes with Mora Godoy in the late 90s, teaching his viewers precisely where to step & how to lead. Later, we would regularly see him at the Club Sunderland restaurant with his partner Lorena and friend Carlos Gavito; it was very obvious how much he cared for Gavito and no doubt took part of him into his teaching and dancing.

Perhaps there is something we can all attempt to do to make up for this loss in a small way. We can strive to pass on to the next generation of dancers what we have gleaned from these two masters: the joy of tango and its simplicity when danced from the heart.

Here is a glimpse of the irrepressible Tete , Osvaldo with Lorena part 1 and part 2 (unfortunately, the recording of their dance to Indio Manso was divided), and finally Osvaldo in a remarkable solo.

Bob

Embrace me like you really want to dance tango

Tango is music and we can dance to it, but without an embrace, I’m not dancing tango – I’m doing something else. I make my connection with the music, with my partner, with the floor through the embrace. It’s my medium of communication – I propose a movement to my partner, she responds, I follow – our bodies communicate this through the embrace. Of course, I’m talking close embrace, and when I’m in Buenos Aires in particular, that means chest to belly contact – then we dance as one.

Taking up the embrace with a new partner is a defining moment. I take up the embrace with very clear intent. I want my partner to know that I feel confident with her, to reassure her that I know how to dance well, that I will keep her safe as she is led into the unknown, to create a feeling of trust. At the same time, my partner will communicate a lot to me when she takes up my embrace: I will be able to sense her love of tango, the strength of her frame (if she presents a weak right arm, then the dance may be compromised immediately), her willingness to surrender (entregarse). We are exchanging knowledge about each other - a lot of information flows back and forth at that moment, and almost immediately we create expectations and sense how we are going to approach the dance.

With a good embrace, I can lead one step then pause - we are able to wait-feel-listen while being transported by the music. With a good embrace, I feel confident that we can improvise and navigate regardless of the crowd. With a good embrace there is an intimacy, with energy flowing continuously between my partner, me and the music. Only with a good embrace can I dance tango.

Much has been written about the embrace and the following quotes encapsulate its essence for me:

• Mari in her tango diaries says: “Hold me like it’s personal”. She also writes about the ‘entrega’ mentioned above.
  
• Stephanie in her blog writes: “the embrace is about who you are and your ability to communicate that to another”
  
• Finally, Johanna in her blog ‘I’m so easy to please’ gets to the heart of the matter with a piece of fundamental advice: “Just embrace me like you mean it.”
  

And for those searching for the perfect embrace, a starting point could be the advice (at 2m30s) from one of our favourite couples, Melina & Detlef - men, give your partner a genuine hug, then take up her right hand.

Just do it.

So what do you want from the embrace?

Bob