[Tango-L] Back to the 8CB

[Tango22]

Not being a fan of the 8cb, I got to wondering where it came from.   
Not so much who came up with it, or when; but why, and does it make  
any sense?

Then it struck me.

The 8cb follows the structure of tango music, in that tango is  
composed in phrases of 8 beats, with the phrases arranged in  
particular sequences.  Each phrase ends with a pause or a signal.   
This structure is carefully explained in Amenabar's book "Dance Tango  
to the Music" (currently only available in Australia, NZ and Europe).  
Amenabar is currently touring Europe and will be touring Australia in  
July where he will conduct "music for dance" workshops for the Milonga  
Para Los Niños charity ball.

So the 8cb may have some value, in that it encourages the beginner to  
dance the phrases of the music, pausing at the end of each, or some  
phrases.  The problem in my experience is that (a) beginners "lock in"  
to the sequence and find it an extremely difficult habit to break and,  
(b) most dancers and teachers do not understand the structure of the  
music or how to recognise the phrasing.  I find it more convenient to  
impart this knowledge in a series of listening and simple walking  
exercises rather than a fixed sequence because students, especially  
beginners, do not have to concentrate on two things at once and it  
avoids the "lock-in" habit.

It is very important for teachers of Tango to have a clear  
understanding of the structure of Tango music and to impart to their  
students the ability to hear (and dance to) the phrasing.  Without the  
ability to interpret and dance to the music (phrasing) it is difficult  
to progress beyond a flat, dull dance.

Tomorrow it's Saturday.  Let's dance.
John