[Tango-L] Finnish tango

[Tango Mail]

As a Finn I'm the first to admit that we did not invent the tango. Name alone would suggest non-Finnish origin.. G is not a common letter in Finnish, although pronouncing 'tango' in Finnish is more smooth and flowing than in English.

I can't find my source right now, but the very first time tango was introduced to the Finns was somewhere between 
1912-1913 ( I can't remember exact date nor names - There are accounts of newspaper ads for lessons and dances in 
the Autumn of 1913).
An upper class Danish couple, who learned the dance from Argentines in Paris short time before, gave a 
demonstration dance in the ballroom of an upper class hotel (for that time) downtown Helsinki.
This was prior to our "civil" war which lead to our independence in 1918 (just an FYI).
Within a few decades the music changed keys and went to a steady 4-count and took on a very march-like feel.

Mr. John Ward of the list was talking about the accordion. "Harmonikka" is the Finnish word for an accordion. There are,
of course, many different types of accordions; ones with keyboards and ones with buttons only and combinations.
I often used to call the accordion "Harmonica" when trying to translate and not remembering it was called an accordion.
Our word for harmonica is "huuliharppu", direct translation meaning "Lip Harp". I can not now remember the exact word I'm looking for, but to me "harmonikka" means 'the Beat maker' or 'the Beat keeper'. Like the base instrument which dictates 
ones movement. Although if you listen to modern FT music the beat master most often is the drummer. Personally 
I never saw a Bass-player in any tango band setup. 

During the outdoor summer dances a lot of other dances were danced as well, not only tango; Jenkka, Humppa, Waltz, Foxtrot, Polka, etc. Incidentally all dances are the kind that allow you to "let loose". Finnish culture of course has always
been very over bearing and introverted. Eye contact and physical contact are avoided, especially in public places, UNLESS one is dancing.

Derik mentioned that he, and his Finnish ancestry, thought that FT was boring; well I have to agree with him.
Although some very good Fin-AT dancers have told me that at the competitive level it is very challenging and 
(to them) as beautiful (within ones self?) as AT. I never danced FT myself; I grew up having to hear it until it was
coming out of my other ear, and hated it. As a kid growing up in Finland in the 70s and 80s.. summers were quite boring
because the Number One televised events were the tango festivals and the Tango King and Tango Queen 
competition series/tour (singing competitions). Not much for a kid to watch, I'll tell ya. So I am quite surprised that 
I ever got started dancing tango and to have so fallen in love with it in older age.

Steve Pastor linked some warmaterial and included some quotes. I found that website to be misleading to the
Finnish position during the war. I hope that those interested in actual historical facts do some further research than
what was published on that website. My father was a "war child" himself and his side of the family lost a lot of people
to the Soviet lies after and before the wars (there were two; Winter War and Continuation War).
BTW if you put into modern perspective what the out-numbered Finns accomplished in 1939... If the Iraqis would have
defeated the initial US onslaught and pushed them back into Kuwait, that would have been a match. Man-power-wise 
Iraq had a lot more men than the Finns.. it was 1 Finn to 100-200 Soviets. Also, Finland is and was the only country 
to have paid it's war reparations in full and before schedule. My mother's mother saw the last train leave for Russia
containing train engines and trucks and other supplies that the Soviets demand Finn pay back, eventhough they were
the aggressors.
Other sites exist to cover the war era but an excellent online resource to Finland can be found at 
http://virtual.finland.fi

Cheerio!
JK of CS
"Finland alone - in danger of death, superb, sublime Finland! - shows what free men can do."
Winston Churchill
Broadcast speech
1940

"A nation which has fought so valiantly for its independence deserves respect."
Joseph Stalin, 1879-1953

Pay no attention to what the critics say; there has never been set up a statue in honor of a critic.

-Jean Sibelius