[Tango-L] Tango without music?

[Huck Kennedy]

On Mon, Apr 25, 2011 at 10:57 AM, Nussbaum, Martin <mnussbau at law.nyc.gov> wrote:
> Totally disagree with all those who want to isolate tango instruction
> from the music.  The only reason to dance IS the music.

      While I absolutely agree that music is the only reason to dance,
learning a movement and practicing aren't dancing.  So overall I
disagree with Martin, and believe those who say learning technique
should come separately from trying to apply musicality are correct.
When trying to master basic movement, musicality can be a distraction.

      I remember a workshop long ago when I was still a beginner, and
the female half of the Argentine couple was scolding the class as the
male danced.  "See how musical he is?  See how he is so expressive?
Why can't all of you do that?"

      I thought to myself, "Lady, I'm a musician, and I have more
musicality in my little finger than your partner has in his whole
body.  I have the technique down to express that musicality with a
violin, but I haven't yet mastered enough dance technique to be able
to express it in the tango."

      When at a lesson or practicing and feeling a bit overwhelmed,
don't be afraid to put aside the music when you need to in order to
get your technique down.    There's nothing wrong with saying to your
practice partner, "Do you mind if we ignore the music at first and
slow it down until I feel a bit more confident with this particular
move?"

       We only have so much brainpower, and trying to put the icing
(musicality) on the cake (mastering the movement) before the cake is
baked can be counter-productive.  Once the movement is mastered and we
get into muscle memory territory, then we can concentrate on the
musicality.

       Now having said all that, and at the risk of sounding like I'm
contradicting myself, I agree with Martin that musicality still needs
to be introduced from the very beginning, even if it's just practicing
simple walking expressed musically.

Huck