[Tango-L] "Alternative" Music....

[Meredith Klein]

While it's true that you're more likely to hear alternative music
played at a milonga in the US, it's also happening here in Buenos
Aires, especially at practicas like Villa Malcolm.  I've even, late at
night, heard non-tango songs played at a couple of traditional
milongas.  For example, I once heard a Llasa song played late at night
at Confiteria Ideal and, if I remember correctly, it was played after
a cortina (in other words, it wasn't the cortina.)  At Malcolm, when
an alternative song comes on, it's just like any other song.  If you
want to dance, you look for a partner, and if you don't like the
music, you refrain from dancing.  But no one dances differently
because Llasa came on or claims that they're not dancing tango
anymore.

I've noticed that in the past year it's become more popular for the
younger teachers to perform in the milongas and practicas to
alternative music.  I've recently seen couples like Pablo Inza &
Eugenia Parrilla, Gaston Torelli & Mariela Sometband, and Ricky &
Soledad (an incredible new couple that is performing a lot now) give
performances in the milongas where they chose to dance 1-3 alternative
songs out of 3-4 total songs performed.  Often, the other songs that
they chose were traditional "golden age."  I think the variety of
music enables them to show more of their range as dancers and
therefore helps them keep the attention of the audience for 3-4 songs.
 I think that DJs are using alternative music for much the same
reason.  Introducing non-tango music brings new moods, emotions,
tempos, and dynamics into the room and when you use tango movements to
express these other affects, it can be pretty interesting.  At the
least, when you hear Di Sarli or D'Arienzo again afterward, you're
even happier than you would have been otherwise.

By the way, I heard a fabulous orquesta tipica, "El Afronte," at Villa
Malcolm tonight.  All of the musicians are young, they have a great
singer, and they play fantastic new arrangements of golden age tangos.
 They sound a bit like another orquesta tipica I like, "Fernandez
Fierro," but without the self-conscious and somewhat exhausting
intensity of Fierro.  It's really exciting to see young people taking
tangos that are 60-80+ years old and giving them new life.  Hearing a
brand-new arrangement of Bahia Blanca that makes you reflect on the Di
Sarli recording, while challenging you by emphasizing parts of the
music that you may not generally hear, is wonderful.  Apparently they
play in San Telmo every Monday night.  Details are on their website
at:  http://www.elafronte.com.ar/


On 24/02/07, musette fan <musettefan at yahoo.com> wrote:
> I agree with Elemer.  I call it "freestyle partner
> dancing" for lack of a catchier name, because that's
> what it feels like it is to me, and I don't think has
> to use only tango steps.  I think it's great fun to
> do, but I also enjoy dancing other partner dances, so
> that may have something to do with it.
>
> When I dance Argentine tango, which I adore, I am a
> purist or "traditionalist" for sure. They seem like
> two completely different things, but I do think there
> is a difference between dancing to totally non-tango
> music and to stuff like Gotan Project, and then it's
> neo or nuevo tango, in my mind and body at least.
>
> Terri
>
>
> --- ELEMER DUBROVAY <Elemer_7 at msn.com> wrote:
>
> > When you are dancing argentine tango, it means that
> > you are dancing to argentine tango music.
> > If you are using the same tango steps to dance to a
> > different music, it is not tango dancing anymore,
> > you can call it dancing "whatever...." with tango
> > steps.
> >
> > Elemer in Redmond
> >
> > *****************************************
>
>
>
>
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