[Tango-L] My learning of musicality

[Tim]

Bruno Afonso wrote:
> Hi Greg,
>
> That's an interesting musical education problem we have here. I must
> say I've fascinated by music in all of its aspects. It is, after all,
> a presence that affects our brain in a remarkable and fascinating way.
>
> While we can - as humans beings - easily find the "beat" if it's not
> too obscure, interpretation requires a more fine understanding of a
> music. And that can be taught. After all, every musician has in a way
> or other built from previous knowledge.
>   
3.5 years ago, I started dancing Ceroc/modern jive (improvisational 
lead-follow partner dance with basic step being a walk). I had never 
danced before (I'm the guy who stood leaning against the wall with arms 
crossed while everyone else was fooling around on the dance floor).
At first it was an achievement just to hear the beat. Then I managed to 
do the moves on beat! At some stage I learned to dance on beat.

At one workshop, the teacher explained the structure of the music we 
(ceroc/modern jive) normally dance to. It was a revelation. I knew there 
was a structure, and if I could find where I was in that structure, I 
could predict when there might be a hit or break in the music.

That kept me busy for some time.

Then I started West Coast Swing (improvisational lead-follow partner 
dance with basic step being a combination of walks and triples). 
Suddenly I had to worry about triple steps. At a musicality workshop, 
the teacher explained almost all the same things I'd heard at the Ceroc 
musicality workshop, but added an explanation of how the triple steps 
fitted. Another revelation -- there were things that happened between 
the beats.

That kept me busy for some time, in both ceroc/modern jive and WCS.

At a more recent WCS workshop, the teacher disregarded the beats and 
started pointing out things in the melody or words that we could 
interpret in our dance.

This is still keeping me busy.

A little while ago I started Argentine Tango (improvisational 
lead-follow partner dance based on a walk). I have a lot to learn about 
AT technique. I constantly get comments about leading with the arms 
(ceroc/modern jive is mostly arm-led). But I also get comments about how 
good I am with musicality (3 years ago I couldn't find the beat in an 
Elvis song).

With regard to musicality, I'm using only what I have learned in my 
previous dancing experience. The basic structure of bars and phrases is 
the same. The rhythm within those bars may differ, but beginners won't 
notice that anyway.
For hits and breaks (and any other emphatic elements) the music itself 
tells you something is coming.

With regard to dancing with musicality, there is a mindset which I have 
reached over time, but which is not often available to beginners.
The music is more important than the move.

It both helps and hinders.

In ceroc/ modern jive, I have the technique and dance vocabulary to 
respond almost instantly to something in the music (if my partner also 
has enough technique).
I haven't danced WCS for quite a while. When I tried recently, I could 
hear lots of things in the music that I did not have the technique to 
respond to in my lead. My respnnse was to stop dancing because it was 
too frustrating hearing the music and not being able to dance as I want.

In AT, I can hear many things in the music. But all I can reliably do is 
walk. So I can walk quickly, walk slowly, or pause, depending on the 
music. Sometimes I remember how to lead other steps, but I don't want to 
lead them just because I've remembered them -- I want to fit them to the 
music.

So if the moves don't fit, I don't lead. Or I might think the move fits, 
but mess up the lead, or do the move correctly and it doesn't really fit 
the music.
All bad dances; I know they are bad dances. And I know (from this list 
and various forums) that AT women avoid dancing with men like me, who 
don't know lots of moves and lead them to fit the music.
That took me 2 years in ceroc/modern jive, where the prevailing culture 
is to help beginners and dance with them no matter how painful. Although 
AT is closely related to ceroc (both improvisation, lead-follow partner 
dances based on walking), I suspect I need another 2 years to get the 
same dance vocabulary and feeling for the music, and it will be harder, 
given the attitude I see from various postings (here and elsewhere), 
that people should not dance with people of lesser experience/ability.