[Tango-L] Argentine Tango II

[Amaury de Siqueira]

Sergio,

Thank you for the clear and objective explanation.  If
I understand well we
can definitely say that Argentine was the birth place
of an art form that
combined features from multiple socio, economical and
cultural background. 

So how do we come to terms with the argument that for
one to excel in an art
form one needs to be born in its place of origins? 

I have read similar arguments (albeit in more virulent
forms) throughout
history.  And honestly, the results of such
intellectual stance have
invariably led to ethnic intolerance, dissent,
discrimination and
prosecution.

These were my first words ever posted to the list.  I
am more of a lurker
than a talker.  

However this particular thread stroked a chord in me. 
Perhaps because I
have spent so much of my time volunteering to help
others to take their
first Tango steps.  Or just because I like to think
that as humans we have
in all of us the basic emotions and feelings that are
such fundamental part
of the dance.


Thank you for the opportunity to have my voice heard.

Thank you all,
Amaury

   

-----Original Message-----
From: tango-l-bounces at mit.edu
[mailto:tango-l-bounces at mit.edu] On Behalf Of
Sergio Vandekier
Sent: Wednesday, July 18, 2007 11:22 AM
To: tango-l at mit.edu
Subject: [Tango-L] Argentine Tango II

Amaury asks ; (thank you Amaury for stimulating an
interesting discussion):

"I do have a question to our group.  Lets for a
minute,
for the sake of
conversation, accept the argument supporting national
origin as a factor
influencing artistic performance.  Would the same
apply to music playing and
composing?

If so, than Yo-Yo Ma is a hell of an Argentine.

Cheers,
Amaury "

It is precisely in the music where the Argentine
character is expressed the 
most.

It is obvious that one of the most important ancestors
of tango is the 
Milonga. The early tangos were very similar to the
milonga. Even today some 
of those primitive tangos such as "el Porteqito",
"El Esquinazo" or "El Entreriano" are frequently
thought to be milongas 
abroad.

La milonga was born in rural areas where the main
entertainment of the 
gauchos was to gather around a fire and play the
guitar.

They had verbal competitions in which one of them
would improvise lyrics, 
usually in the form of a question, on a certain theme
( philosophical 
subjects such as love, life, death, God, fate, etc) as
he accompanied 
himself with the guitar. Another cowboy would answer
in verse as well.

This is still done in rural areas, mostly as part of
the celebration of 
national holidays, along with rodeos.

Blacks listening to this form of "rap" baptized this
event with one word of 
their African Language
"Milonga" meaning "palabrerio" too many words.  This
original meaning od 
milonga is still used in slang, when somebody comes
with a long  complain he

is told "ok, do not came now with that milonga".

In time this guitar playing at the "Payadas" (this is
the name of the verbal

verse competition), was followed by dancing to the
guitar rhythm, (this 
dancing, was also called milonga) and later on the
place where the payada 
and the dance took place was also called 'Milonga".

This is the reason we still  go to the "Milonga"
today.

Gauchos (cowboys) would bring cattle to the city of
Buenos Aires and 
Montevideo and camp in the outskirts where the
slaughter houses where 
placed.  It was in this periphery of the city where 
the rural milonga 
interacted with other rhythms brought by immigrants
from Spain (Tanguillo, 
something like Flamenco) or by sailors from the
Caribbean (Habanera) and 
music and dances played at the Candombes of African
origin.

>From the confluence of those rhythms it is thought
that Argentine Tango was

born.

Other dances evolved in rural areas,  dances that form
part of the rich 
Argentine Folkloric repertoire.

Some of those dances are becoming very popular abroad
such as the "Chacarera

and even the Zamba".

This is getting to be too long so I will stop here for
now.

Summary: The dance and the music both are strong
reflection of the Argentine

Character.

Nobody says that you have to dance like an Argentine;
although many of you 
do it and learn to do it to perfection, others inject
some of their own 
culture and personality in their dancing, this is not
wrong.  You should be 
able to dance the way you wish, the way you prefer to
do it.

Tango has a strong, broad embrace that encompasses all
of us.

Have a nice day, Sergio

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