[Tango-L] Tango Music

[Sergio Vandekier]

This is about Jake's comments with whom I agree in great part.

I said "> Unless you spend time with somebody that knows the music and is able to teach you tango musicality it is obvious that you, by yourself will never discover the pleasure of listening and dancing to real tango music."

Jake replied " BUT I do not believe this necessarily needs to be passed down like a family recipe. Someone with a keen ear and an intuitive sense of movement-- and a sense of poetry (for the Argentines are a _literate_ people)-- can figure it out with some effort." - he does not agree with me on this point (learning musicality).

I am very precise when I am talking to Meaning of Life.  He has been dancing tango for about five years and has problems finding the beat and dislikes the traditional tango Music.  Obviously he does not fall under "someone with a keen ear, ...etc.

I was talking to him in particular and to all those that have similar problems (they are many).

With respect to teaching musicality Jake talks about counting the moves or steps:

We never count to teach tango, as traditionally we think that counting slows down the learning process as people continue counting for a very long time distracting their concentration from elements that more important than the steps themselves.  Tango figures or steps are many and frequently short ones to be combined in different forms, so it is a waste of time to count.

As to those with experience in other ballroom dances or ballet, there could be two aspects:

1- They come with preconceived ideas that they wish to apply to Argentine tango, not realizing that this dance is totally different from the others.

 2 - On the other hand they have valuable skills as to lead and follow and in reference to the dancing frame.

As to tango being a subculture: (this is true in many places).

When you become a real milonguero, frequently you live as such: 

You listen to tango music all the time: when you wake up getting ready to go to work, in the car as you drive, with your I-pod when you walk or exercise.  (When I get on somebody's car if he is listening to tango music I know that he is a good tango dancer. If he listens to other type of music then I have mu doubts).

The music produces a deep emotion in you which sometimes makes you happy, sometimes makes you  sad, and occasionally  moves you to tears.

You get home in the evening to take a shower, change clothes and then go to the practica or the milonga.  There you sit for a while, sip some wine, talk to a few friends and then when the right orchestra inspires you, you start dancing with real joy.

I recently took a cab to go to a milonga in Buenos Aires, I directed the driver to take me to a local club.
As he drove we talked about how much he missed dancing tango (his wife developed some for of arthritis and stopped dancing).  After a while as I was entering the club I notice that he had parked his cab and was in line ready to buy an entry ticket...I realized then that he was a real milonguero.

I do not wish to make this note too long, so... till next time.

With best regards, Sergio



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