[Tango-L] Tangozone (was dull, dull, dull)

[Joe Grohens]

Lois Donnay wrote:
> You didn't mention interpreting the music - I find when I zone into  
> the music, with the right partner who also hears it, I'm "in the  
> zone"!
Yes. For me, at least, any high point or memorable tango dance has  
always been one where I and a partner "got tight" in the music, and  
improvised together mutually and musically.

If I were to define what "tangozone" means to me, it would _only_ mean  
having this musical synchrony with my partner. I would not call it a  
trance state, as many people do. Any more than I would call locking on  
during jazz improvising or afro-cuban drumming a "trance". I also  
would not describe tangozone dance moments as "unconscious". I think  
these are misuses of the words "trance" and "unconscious". Maybe I'm  
being too literal.

What I desire and appreciate in a dance partner is that she hear the  
music like I hear it, to a certain extent, but also that she really  
dance the music as she herself hears it. If she is too "compliant",  
let's say, and merely dances my ideas, does what I lead, that can be  
nice, successful, pleasant, but it is not what hooked me on tango. I  
want to feel her interpretation and improvise with her on the music  
together. Also, it won't be "the zone" if she dances her own  
interpretation so strongly that she disregards mine.

Sometimes tango partners won't hear music the same way. An extreme  
example might be when one partner hears a fast milonga and focuses  
primarily on the 16th notes of the melody instruments, and then wants  
to express all of them in a kind of frenzy. I would find it hard to  
join up with that kind of partner. The excitement and drama of tango  
music sometimes makes dancers want to jump out of their skin, and they  
are prone to moving big, or fast, or doing "a lot", when the other  
partner wants to express the same drama more minimally, through  
sublety of timing.

I use to think of some failed dances as "she was not waiting for me,"  
but that's really not it. It's more a matter of both partners being in  
agreement in their way of hearing the music.

Which is why appreciation of tango music is such an important part of  
learning to dance well. I'm still amazed at the number of tango  
dancers I know who don't own any CDs of tango music. They don't listen  
to tango music outside of the dances, practicas, etc. They are often  
the ones asking the DJs to play alternative music at the milonga. If  
they do by some "tango" music, it is often Piazzolla or neotango. It's  
no wonder that they want to try to dance to that... it's what they are  
listening to at home.