[Tango-L] Igor's Question: a woman's perspective

[Tom Stermitz]

I understand there is a problem, but disagree that it has to be a  
problem.

Argentine Tango seems so improvisational and flexible that you can't  
find the structure. Specifically, the phrasing structure of Tango is 4 
+4=8. This is easy count and easy to match with simple steps. But  
when you have too many steps, you lose the musicality. That is why it  
is so hard to teach musicality to intermediate and advanced dancers.

The cool thing is: IT IS VERY EASY TO TEACH MUSICALITY TO BEGINNERS.


On Oct 2, 2007, at 12:40 PM, Endzone 102 wrote:

> On 10/2/07, Tom Stermitz <stermitz at tango.org> wrote:
>>
>>
>> Teaching Musicality.
>>
>> So, when I teach I am highly focused on showing the men where the
>> beat is and where the musical phrasing is. Change the music, repeat
>> and rinse. It takes repetition and time, as this is a strange foreign
>> genre to most. Basically, if they don't know the music, then they
>> have to be shown exactly where it is, and how to make their movements
>> relate to it.
>>
>> Musicality is when your energy matches the musical energy, the surge
>> at the beginning of the phrase, the suspension at the end, the flow
>> and "wave" of the waltz, the staccatto of D'Arienzo, the walk of Di
>> Sarli, the drama of Pugliese.
>
>
>    This tends to be the thing I find most guys around here struggle  
> with.
> In ballroom dances, there's a known timing that you can find in the  
> music.
> With Argentine Tango, there isn't.  AT is more about feeling the  
> music.
> That's a difficult concept to get across sometimes, especially when  
> you're
> also trying to teach them how tango works.  This gets more  
> problematic when
> the music branches out away from traditional tango music.
>
> -Greg G