[Tango-L] Structure of Tango

[Jake Spatz (TangoDC.com)]

List,

While Stephen has provided some useful info (for some readers here, 
anyway), I agree with Keith that he hasn't written of the underlying 
structure itself-- which is not the moves per se, but rather what makes 
them legible in a closed conceptual system.

E.g., observations like:
    * The dancers are always in either parallel (aka normal) or 
cross-system, unless someone is standing on both feet (or on their partner)
    * Whenever one dancer steps (changes weight) while the other does 
not, the system changes
    * Walking steps are either "open" or "crossed" (in front or 
behind)-- this one I've disputed at length
    * Turns/pivots have a center and a circumference
    * Both dancers cannot stand in the same place at the same time
    * A cruzada is just a step in place on the other side of one's foot
    * When it's neither led nor followed, you call it an "embellishment" 
(although if you can figure out how to lead it, you get to make up a 
stupid nickname)

This is structure-- an expression in all variables, which you cannot 
choreograph (as is) because it has no particulars. A list of moves 
(which you _can_ choreograph) is simply the tangible material in which 
structure, otherwise latent, may be discerned.

I notice that the structure of pivots has not yet (to my knowledge) been 
fully explored. My previous posts on analysis began to unravel the 
problems of a step-centric structure, but I'm still working on it 
intermittently.

Jake
DC



Keith wrote:
>  I think Stephen Brown has dug a deep hole for himself and is now struggling to get out. In an earlier post he blithely gave
>  'Structure of the Dance' as the 3rd of his 4 Layers of Tango Learning and, now, it's becoming increasingly apparent that
>  he has no real idea about what that means. All he can do is refer to other teachers and make a list of some of the more
>  common steps and figures that are danced in Tango.
>
>  If he either doesn't understand it or just can't explain it - how can it be such an important element im Learning Tango?
>
>  'Structure of the Dance' sounds like another ploy to overly-complicate the process of learning Tango. It really isn't that
>  complicated - just go to class, don't think about it too much and you'll learn how to dance. Leave the theory alone until 
>  you want to start sounding important on Tango-L.
>
>  Keith, HK
>
>
>  On Sat Jul 21  4:59 , Stephen.P.Brown at dal.frb.org sent:
>
>   
>> I think many of us who have been dancing for a while write and talk about 
>> the structure of tango without really defining what we mean.  I'm 
>> expanding on my previous post.
>>
>> If we think of tango as being made up of individual movements and 
>> sequences of movements (step patterns), the structure of tango is the 
>> fabric from which these movements are drawn.  Elements of the 
>> structure of tango were discovered and systemized by two different groups 
>> of dancers/instructors.
>>
>> One such approach emerged from a group of dancers led by Petroleo (Carlos 
>> Estevez) and Salvador Sciana during the golden age of tango.  The group 
>> explored and developed turns.  Mingo Pugliese was one of the youngest 
>> members of the group, and he is credited for distilling the group's 
>> thinking into a systematic approach to teaching turns (giros) as 
>> generalized eight-count right and left turns.  The system serves as a 
>> frame of reference for creating all turning steps including giros, 
>> molinettes, enrosques and ganchos.
>>
>> Another approach emerged from a group of dancers led by by Gustavo Naveira 
>> and has included such other dancers/teachers as Fabian Salas, Chicho 
>> Frumboli, and (possibly) Pablo Veron.  With 
>> contributions from his then partner, Olga Besio, and some of his 
>> compatriots, Naveira developed a systematic way for looking at all the 
>> movement possibilities in tango.  Some of the concepts included parallel 
>> and crossed systems of walking, ochos as part of the system of turns, 
>> boleos as an interuption of turns, and the equivalence between cross 
>> walking and back ochos.  Naveira's system serves as a frame of reference 
>> for creating all tango steps.  In addition, the system help bring into 
>> visibility some step patterns such as overturn ochos and a change of 
>> direction in turns that were not previously used with much frequency.
>>
>> These underlying structures can provide a frame of reference and an 
>> encyclopedia of tango movement.  Mastery of these structures can greatly 
>> increase the fluidity of a tango dancer's improvisational skills.  (What 
>> is required for such mastery, I will leave for further discussion, but it 
>> takes much more than 6 weeks.)
>>
>> Some of the structural elements of tango are:
>>
>>     Walks (Caminatas)
>>           parallel foot, in line
>>           parallel foot, outside right
>>           parallel foot, outside left
>>           cross foot, in line
>>           cross foot, outside right
>>           cross foot, outside left
>>           arrastres or barridas (drags or sweeps)
>>     Turns (Giros)
>>           forward ocho
>>           backward ocho
>>           giro
>>           giro with sacadas
>>           boleo/amague
>>           molinete (with lapiz)
>>           enrosque
>>           forward enrosque
>>           arrastres or barridas (drags or sweeps)
>>           planeo
>>           change of axis steps
>>           change of direction steps
>>     Sandwiches (Mordidas)
>>     Embellishments (Adornos, Firuletes)
>>     Structural Connections
>>           basic step as a hallway
>>           basic step as a turn
>>           parallel and cross foot walking
>>           interchangability between back ochos and cross-foot walking
>>           lapiz-enrosque
>>
>> For further reading,  I recommend reading Brian Dunn's interview with 
>> Gustavo Naveira:
>> http://pythia.uoregon.edu/~llynch/Tango-L/2006/msg04984.html
>> http://pythia.uoregon.edu/~llynch/Tango-L/2006/msg05040.html
>>
>> For a visual representation I recommend the videos by Gustavo Naveira and 
>> Olga Besio and those by Daniel Trenner.
>> See: http://www.tejastango.com/video_resources.html#Structure
>>
>> The Pugliese videos might also be helpful, but I find those videos are bit 
>> less direct about the fact they are teaching from a structural system.
>> See http://www.tejastango.com/bridge_tango.html#Pugliese
>>
>> Even better attend the Gustavo Naveira workshops that are upcoming
>>
>> With best regards,
>> Steve
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>>     
>
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