[Tango-L] Why dancers should judge musicians in Tango not otherwise

[anfractuoso x2]

On 2/28/07, Igor Polk <ipolk at virtuar.com> wrote:

> Of course, we can not make neither melody nor harmony.
> When you listen to complex rhythms produced on sets of drums, like Brazilian
> Samba, and other genres, one does have an impression that this is music not
> else. The same with us.
> When we dance without music it is so intense..

Hmm, this is kind of entertaining in a spaced-out way.. Let's take
your statement seriously for a second, as opposed to it being a poetic
expression, figure of speech, emotive imaging, etc.

I claim that you can't actually dance without music. ("Music" here
includes rhythm and/or melody and/or harmony - we have to include
rhythm as rhythm invariably gives you queues to musical pitches even
when you are not fully conscious of it.)

Let me explain: Start "dancing", but try very hard not to let your
brain give you a melody or a rhythm. No aural hallucinations (and of
course no music played). No sound waves, complete blank. Also don't
think of images of dancers or any other images that associate to
music.

I think you will find that it is very hard if not impossible to do
(this includes learning to be aware and not let music in
subconsciously). Try, while doing what you consider expressive
movements, to not let your brain queue you some soaring notes or other
musical queues. Try to erase your memory of music completely. And if
you eventually do succeed, even for a few seconds, you may find that
your "dancing" for that duration feels like ... well, not dancing...
just movements.

These movements do not have to be void of any meaning, just as
movements while crying, hitting a wall, other bodily expressions of
emotion do have meaning. But they are not dancing just as crying
movements are not dancing. So you can't dance without music.

Well, some people are not musical at all, so they move in a background
of music and call it dancing. No prizes for guessing if these people
find it easier or harder than others to switch different musical
backgrounds and keep making the same style movements.

We are all cultured, have learnt to perceive body movements as dancing
precisely because of the connection to expressing music. Take the
music away completely (see above), and dancing goes back to being a
body movement.