[Tango-L] Musicality. What is it?

[Janis Kenyon]

Huck Kennedy wrote in part:

For those of you of a certain age in countries
where the Beatles were hugely popular, do you remember
how so many people growing up at the time knew every
single one of their songs intimately, so much so that the
music was practically running through our veins?
...
Well that's how well you need to know the various
tangos in order to dance them with musicality. >>

Thank you, Huck.  That was an excellent example.  I listened to the Beatles'
music so much in my teenage years that I haven't forgotten the lyrics.  The
music I enjoyed and studied as a musician is part of me.

If people don't understand what it means to KNOW the music after your clear
explanation, they'll never get it.  I take it for granted since I'm a
trained musician.  I can dance to music I don't know, but I'd rather dance
to music I know well.  It makes all the difference in how you feel dancing.
You connect.  I've been listening to tango in the milongas and on the radio
for the past ten years.  I'm finally getting to the point where I can
identify the orchestras within a few bars before accepting an invitation to
dance.  I won't dance a tanda until I identify the orchestra and decide if
it is one to which I enjoy dancing.

I decided to test myself at a milonga yesterday.  I sat at the table with
pen and paper, making a note of the orchestra for each tanda.  I was within
a few feet of the deejay, so I could ask him for help.  I have to thank the
milongueros for identifying the orchestras for me during tandas over the
years.  After La Cumparsita, I ran my list by the deejay who filled in a
blank for me on one tanda.  The format is usually
tango-tango-milonga-tango-tango-vals-tango-tango-milonga-tango-tango-vals
until the last half hour when it was four consecutive tandas of tango.
There are more tango recordings than milonga and vals combined, so it is
logical there are more tango tandas in milongas.

I danced only three tandas in 3-1/2 hours because I was enjoying the music
so much.  I would enjoy it even more if there wasn't so much conversation.
People who aren't dancing are talking so loud that their conversations are
public rather than private.  It's worse to hear those dancing engaged in
conversations.  What is so important to talk about while you are dancing?
No one can dance well while having conversation, so that this is a good
indication of dancers to avoid.