Perth Tango Embrace

This subject is viewed strictly from the perspective of a milonguero. I do not wish to start a theoretical argument or question the definitions given by professional musicians, who might well eye my definitions rather suspiciously.

The music of tango is defined by two elements, its rhythm and its melody. In this it is no different from other rhythms. Another name for its rhythm is the famous "dos por cuatro" (two-four time), and this is played by the percussive instruments of the tango orchestra. The tango melody is either sung by a singer or, in instrumental tangos, played by certain melodic instruments.

When dancing I advise you to focus on the rhythm, at least during the first years of learning. When beginners dance to the melody and don‘t yet know the rhythm really well, they tend to easily lose the beat and dance outside the music. In fact, the dancer is just like another member of the orchestra, a singer or a musician, and dancing out of time is like playing out of tune - it hurts one‘s sensitivity.

One thing is for sure, it you want to be able to dance to the melody it is absolutely necessary to have developed a good sense of the rhythm first. In general, the milongueros who dance to the rhythm are champions, and they will usually dance well to any rhythm - whatever happens to be played at the milonga. Being able to feel the rhythm sharpens one‘s senses in general and enhances the pleasure of dancing, not only of tango. Learning certain rhythm techniques does not guarantee that you will dance in time, but it reduces greatly the risk of losing the beat. Without knowledge one is at the mercy of chance - the happy chance of encountering the beat from time to time, the haphazard chance of depending too much on one‘s individual talent, or, sadly, the misfortune of never finding the beat, and just being another one of those dancers who have been dancing out of time for years. Above all, it comes as a marvellous revelation when you merge with the music and its rhythm. For the beginner this is the greatest motivation for learning.

The rhythm of tango has a continuous beat, like the pulsing of the heart, a square regular emphasis, which is given by the orchestra and is the permanent foundation of every tango. It is silent very rarely, and even when the solo instrument is playing the melody you can usually hear it pulsing underneath.

Now, let us look at the role that the various instruments play. Although this may vary considerably, depending on the different orchestras, there are some general rules:

The double bass and its modern equivalent, the bass guitar, are usually responsible for the beat and rarely play the melody.

The piano, as for instance in Pugliese, is also mainly used as a percussive instrument, and will mark the rhythm throughout most of the piece.

The bandoneon in the early stages and in traditionalist groups, also has a percussive role. But with masters like Laurenz and Maffia and, later on, the great virtuoso Aníbal Troilo, it has evolved from marking the rhythm to singing the melodies more poignantly than any other instrument.

The violins play the melody.

The singers, obviously, sing the melody.

Now, in order to dance to the music I would like to define three concepts.

1) The beat or main emphasis of the music I will call the simple beat. Basically, to dance rhythmically to the music, all you need to do is make a step and shift your body weight on each beat. (What follows further down does not contradict this basic statement.) On the other hand, he who always steps to the simple beat, although he is not dancing outside the music, he will become a monotonous, if not to say boring dancer.

2) The second concept - and here we start adding colour to our dance - is about the "corriditas" (little runs), "traspiés" (stumbles), variations or alterations of the beat. In these figures there are three steps to the time of two beats. This requires an accelerated change of weight, hence the name "corridita" (little run). These quick steps can be done on the spot, forwards, backwards or in turns.

3) The third concept we need to apply to our dance is the pause. This implies silence, coming to a standstill and starting again on a new beat.

In my classes I stress these three concepts. It is a magical moment when the students finally connect with the rhythm and truly dance to the music. In my experience, beginners learn quicker when the focus is on the music and the rhythm. And the more advanced dancers add quality to their dancing. Finally, I would like to stress the fact that these three concepts apply to absolutely all the figures and steps of tango.

I invite you to put these three concepts into practice - you will see that they will bring you pure joy

Tags: The Rhythm of Tango | Dancing to the Music

Hits: 287 | Read more...