Travel Anecdotes and Tango Myths in Buenos Aires
Marie-Anne Pontré
The Tango Embrace Lesson
Marie-Anne Pontré
The Milonguero Dancer and His Body
Raúl Cabral
The Rhythm of Tango - Dancing to the Music
Raúl Cabral
Our last trip to B.A seems to be so far away gone, yet it made such an indelible impression on our structured life style! In the summer of 2004-2005, our expectations ran wild for, Cecil and me, while preparing for this journey to the promised land! As our trip grew closer, we gathered hosts of information on renowned ‘milonguero’ teachers in particular, as well as Milonga venues. Learning Latin American Spanish became our motto few months prior to our departure. Our aim on this special adventure, was to discover and understand the real essence of tango and the culture surrounding it.
As the days grew closer, we were inundated by well-meaning “do’s and don’ts” from tanguero friends who did previous trips to the Tango land. After a day long journey via Auckland and Chile, mixed with anxiety and trepidation, we passed B.A. customs with flying colours. Next test was to obtain the correct taxi at the correct stand in the Airport, as was advised by one of our friends. In the back of my mind came flooding all the horrible mishaps that befell some of the unwise or unlucky tourists hopping in the deceitfully labelled taxis! A ‘Remise’ (privately owned car) was called for us. In no time we were whisked away from the airport to our apartment in Anchorena Street.
Lining the vast avenues from the airport, lush green vegetation provided a most restful and welcoming backdrop on that sunny evening. Couples and families enjoyed intimate picnics in the last sun rays. The view changed rapidly to dreadful squalid towers with dilapidated street facades. The contrast with the other side of the freeway was flagrant. Wealthy looking mansions glowed in the last glorious summer rays marking the scene for what we were to encounter during our stay.
Our private chauffeur who spoke some English was keen to share few anecdotes with us. Once he left the freeway, his driving skills metamorphosed into an erratic dance, negotiating his way with horns and speed, through line of cars. Red lights were the only adhered-to-road signs by all drivers. Otherwise, pedestrian crossing (cross at your own risk), right of way, marked lanes vanished as dusk descended upon this vibrant chaotic city. We hanged on to our seat belts, fortunately existent in that car, and made it in one piece to the apartment.
Apart from fearing for our own safety whilst riding in taxis, they became our saviour during our 6 week stay in B.A., as Cecil couldn’t do much walking due to previous knee injury. These black and yellow vehicles were a cheap and convenient commodity, whenever we required them, right in front of our door step. Naturally Cecil and I became adept at spotting the correct ones- radio taxis. Between our broken Spanish and their broken English, we engaged in some very fascinating mono-syllabic conversation about the country, its culture, its people and of course its dance. We got an insight into the locals’ perception of the tango dance itself. Certain old established taboos are still pervasive among some sections of the community. We even met a taxi driver turned tango dancer at night.
Vivid in our mind, is Ramon, colourful and eccentric, in his battered-looking taxi, he took us around on few occasions, sharing about his social love life and life in general. A guy in his late fifties, keen on Salsa dancing until 4 in the morning, starting work at 7 a.m. How does he do it? The last time we stepped out of his car, we felt relieved to be still alive. Through midday- mad-rush city, Ramon weaved his way to Confiteria Ideal, one of the land marks in B.A., with one hand on the wheel, head turned toward us, showing with the other hand, photos of his young girlfriends. A very busy affectionate man.
Looking after one’s own safety is paramount when travelling in big densely-populated cities, particularly with high unemployment rate. The pieces of advice we received regarding jewellery, bags and money were duly taken on board, as these were not only reinforced in the travellers’ guide book, but by the locals themselves. Walking down the large avenues of B.A, the unaware tourist used to structures, law and order, faces a great culture shock.
The contrast between what used to be and is, between the have and have- nots present a visual and visceral shock to the system. Strolling down Florida Avenue, one of the fashionista arteries of the city, can create quite an uncomfortable experience when one is not used to be constantly bombarded by eager pedlars; harassed by hungry sale agents, or over-zealous taxi-door-helpers, all trying to make a living. As darkness wraps up the wealthily adorned shop windows, homeless shadows make their way stealthily under the large over-hangs along the pavement. A city of contrast asleep.
On the brighter side of this ever-effervescent artery, entrepreneurial buskers, particularly Tango dancers display their artistic prowess. Tourists are constantly entertained. Their avid senses titillated by the ever-vibrant-treats on offer at Borges Cultural Centre, Galeria Pacifico and a plethora of mouth-watering confiterias.
Another culture shock for Cecil and me was B.A night life. We were taken by surprise to hear people in our apartment block, living loudly until 2 in the morning, every day of the week. How do they make it to work every day is a puzzle! On the other hand we were aware of Milongas starting at 11p.m till 4 in the morning. We attended few of these mainly because we were eager to be entertained by excellent shows by the top Argentine performers as well as living life like an Argentine.
Discovering the ‘real tango’ was by far a harder task than we had imagined. “Milonguero” style dancing as advertised by the magazines were mostly glittering words on a piece of paper, attracting the unaware tourists. One needs to have a sound prior knowledge of Tango and an understanding of its various styles before travelling to B.A., we felt. Meeting with local tangueros and teachers, we learned that the essence of Tango is passed on mainly and only from Argentine maestros to their Argentine students. These classes are not advertised to the hordes of tourists who descend on this city, preying on the exotic, cheap lifestyle and glitter tango form.
In our quest for the essence of Tango, we also found out that not all Argentines, as erroneously believed, dance the Tango. Only 3 to 5 percent in a city of 15 million inhabitants. Though originating from the slums of Buenos Aires, it is only in the last 15 years that this dance regained popularity in its own land after obtaining great ovations abroad for its flamboyant shows. It would be fair to say that there are more passionate, frenzy Tango dancers and promoters around the world than in Argentine itself. In the last 15 years, tango has developed into a very lucrative commercial commodity in Argentina and abroad due to economic and entrepreneurial reasons. While some genuine Argentine teachers have been true to its essence and ethics, the same cannot be intimated for a plethora of overnight-turned-teachers, eager to earn a living from the overly- eager- generous tourists.
Having learned the art of this dance for 6 years prior to our trip, Cecil and I detected very quickly the unethical so- called- teachers with whom we wasted no time, nor money. However the unaware or naïve tourist-students, spilling out of these classes more confused than when they started, their mind full of fancy- figures- soon –to- be- forgotten, remain locked in the same stage of their dance. A hybrid tango.
Finding the ‘real ‘tango’ in B.A. is like finding an original art piece by its maker. Once this gem is found, you recognise the real artist and you would not desire to go for its copies. Our search led us to some great milonguero maestros like Ana Shapria, Susana Miller, Maria Plazolla, Carlos Gavito and last but not least Raoul Cabral, whose class consisted only of local Argentines. It was pure joy to be with a small group of Argentine tangueros and experience the dance from ‘within’ first – musicality, phrasing, pausing etc…We felt quite at home, Cecil and I, sharing a common language – the embrace, the connection from within with the music.
At the end of our journey in the birthplace of Tango, we carried home memories of a warm, loving, passionate people, proud of their country and its inheritance despite their economic struggles. The dance continues to echo the people’s joy, love and sorrows as it did since its beginnings. That is the essence of the Tango. A dance from the soul.
Marie-Anne Pontré
His gait is gracious
like a ballet dancer.
His movement – voluptuous
like a leopard.
His pleated black pants
Fall on an open cuff
on his high-heeled shoes.
Left arm outstretched,
right arm holding an imaginary partner,
Cecil teaches us how to
walk across the dance floor.
Torso leaning slightly forward,
knees flexed and feet together,
he draws an invisible line on the floor,
with the ball of his right foot.
Then follows in the same manner, his left foot,
while keeping a perfect balance.
We, the students, follow him
while a traditional D’Arienzo Tango
fills the air on a Tuesday night.
Within few minutes,
the dance floor vibrates
with the Tango cadence, while
the dancing shoes desperately
try to keep walking in Latin rhythm.
The Tango rhythm,
the Argentine Tango.
Lean forward – says Cecil.
Stretch that right foot first
keeping your leg in the centre of your body.
Next, bring along the left foot
slithering alongside the right foot,
in the same hip movement,
lightly brushing the right foot
as it moves along.
The music continues.
The dancing shoes and bodies keeping
with the rhythm and the person in front.
The whole room moves
in a circular motion.
One dancer behind the other,
wearing mostly black
with high heels for the ladies,
while the men bring
colour and variety.
Cecil clicks his fingers
to keep us in rhythm, step after step,
like models on a fashion stage.
When the music stops
every one sighs with relief
for a short while only.
The music starts again
with stronger beat,
enticing, rhapsodic, full of
passion and mixed emotions.
The Bandoneon rises,
evoking warm and busy scenes
around a café
in the streets of Buenos Aires.
Cecil, moves nonchalantly
to the middle of the room,
holding a tall brunette.
They demonstrate how the tango is danced.
The man leads and ‘marks’,
says Cecil as he holds his partner
in a close embrace,
their upper torso merging as one,
their face turned in the same direction.
As the music empowers them,
the couple creates their tango,
their story, with series of fancy steps –
Ganchos, Boleos, Saccaras, Sables, Occhos…
The students are filled with
a mixture of admiration,
anticipation and apprehension.
We are all enraptured
by the tango music, the tango
It’s the beginning of a long dance.
The Australian Argentine Tango.
Marie-Anne Pontré
The milonguero‘s body is the king of the milonga. The milonguero listens to the music, receives it inside, and searches for the beat, like his lungs for air. Then his body speaks - authentically, unalterably.
His body moves as a unity when he dances, neither his arms nor his legs move independently. He doesn‘t separate the arms, thus breaking the embrace. Embrace is embrace. If not, it is nothing. He embraces firmly, but does not asphyxiate, he knows the exact measure. He puts no pressure on his partner, does not lean on her; he invites her on a musical voyage.
He never moves his feet first. It‘s his body as a whole that initiates the movement, followed by his legs - never the other way around. And so he never kicks or treads on his partner. He steps firmly with his whole foot and thus defines the beat.
There is nothing tense or hard in his body. The more flexible he is, the more varied he can make his dance.
The milonguero interprets the music he hears, it is as if he became an additional player in the orchestra. He uses his body like a musical instrument and either steps to the beat or makes his partner step to it. He never loses contact to the music, never dances out of time. That‘s why even his simplest movements are beautifully musical. He leads with his whole body but his main message comes from his chest, the center of affection, which he offers his partner, welcoming her into the home of his body. He never loses his contact to her, not even an instant, and never cuts the flow of communication. From his chest he communicates the sense of direction, the size of the steps, the pauses, the variations of rhythm, etc., etc.
The shelter he offers his partner obliges him to take care of her and protect her. And so he doesn‘t collide with the other dancers, but moves with skill in the space available and changes direction with ease, sometimes opting for unorthodox solutions, but absolutely always respecting the flow of the dance floor.
He is a truly good example to follow on your way to discovering your tango dance.
Raúl Cabral
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
Raúl Cabral