[Tango-L] colgada

[TangoDC.com]

Hi Michael,

Without wishing to spawn a semantic argument here over terminology, I 
think we should say that a colgada is an off-axis _position_, usually 
incorporating movement, usually in the form of a turn. Turning colgadas 
predominate; there's no question they're the most popular form; but I 
have seen performed, been taught, and done *linear* ones as well, as 
well as *static* ones.

As for centrifugal force... That circular momentum only occurs if you're 
doing a turning colgada, and even then it's an effect, not a cause. We 
say we've done a colgada well when we're able to manage this effect, but 
that's not how we make the move happen. Be careful, as always, not to 
reduce the thing to a single trick, because usually there's more than 
one trick involved-- counterweight, a shared axis, an elastic (and 
"safety net") embrace, and contoured posture, in the case of colgadas. 
(Add also circularity and contrary motion in the case of turning 
colgadas.) These elements, layered one way, produce a colgada; layered 
another way, or with different "geometry," they produce a volcada; take 
away one element, and you get something else; add an element, and you 
might create something we don't have a name for yet; isolate one layer-- 
e.g., contrary motion-- and you might get amagues; add circularity to 
that, and you get boleos... then take away the circularity again, and 
you can end up with linear boleos...

So does "centrifugal force" (or counterweight) have other applications? 
There are turns you can do with it or without it. Does that make two 
different moves? This is perhaps a semantic issue. What's important is 
that we recognize tango technique as a layered phenomenon, and realize 
that "what else" questions are as surely answered by creativity as they 
are by tradition.

As for your other question-- I think the feasibility of a "milonguero 
colgada" is a matter of taste and local prejudices. You can do a colgada 
so small it's unseen. You can do one that's detectable to the informed 
eye of another dancer, but barely. Whether we call this move 
"milonguero" or "nuevo" is going to depend on what the rest of your 
style is like, as well as how people interpret that element. For 
instance, if I'm primarily an open-embrace nuevo dancer, and I do a tiny 
(close) colgada in the middle of a dance, you could (a) call it more of 
the same old nuevo, or (b) say it's a stylistic change to close embrace.

Ultimately, the question of what style a move belongs to is far less 
interesting, I think, than the larger interpretive issues such as:
* Should we cross from one style to another as dancers (i.e., should we 
improvise styles the same way, and at the same rate, that we improvise 
steps)?
* Should we dance consistent but hybrid styles?
* Should we strive to preserve stylistic integrity?

I ask myself these questions as a pluralist, who's interested in finding 
the best home (or moment) for any given style. I'm not wishy-washy about 
these points: I have strong arguments for alternate sides, and haven't 
yet figured out how to surmount the question.

But as for whether your colgada (or pseudo-colgada, or whatever), 
Michael, belongs to "milonguero style" or not-- what do You think? Can 
you make a case for it? A case against? And does answering the question 
have a consequence?

Jake Spatz
Washington, DC



Michael Figart II wrote:
> Hello List,
>
> Geez, it's been quite boring lately, whattup? Right now, I'm interested
> in definition of colgada. I say that it's "any turn where the axes of
> each dancer "tilt" AWAY from that of the other". 
>
> Does it have to be a turn? Can it just be a turn aided by centrifugal
> force? Can turns involving this force always be considered as colgadas?
> Does this centrifugal force assist in other situations? 
>
> Can a "colgada" be considered as a milonguero element? I do a turn in
> close-embrace that involves all of the above......is it still
> milonguero?
>
> And who's going to Meet in the Middle?
>
> Regards,
>
> Michael Figart II
> Houston Tx
>
>
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