[Tango-L] Cadencia vs rock step

[John Lowry]

June Es wrote.....
That question was  "What is cadencia?", in tango....

In a Spanish dictionary (http://www.spanishdict.com), the Spanish word "cadencia" translates to "cadence" in English. This is  where the ambiguity arises. I quote: --------- 1. Cadence, fall of the voice. (f) 2. Cadence, number, measure, flow of verses  or periods. (f)  3. In dancing, the correspondence of the motion of the body with the music. (f) Hablar en cadencia -> to  affect the harmonious flow of rhythm when speaking in prose.---------- the lilt was on a horizontal plane and there was definitely NO bouncing up or down. The feeling was that of smooth waves of motion across steps. We did not rock forward and back over our feet. I felt more body motion through flexion of knees ........it was a very musical and dynamic experience..............

June,
Your dictionary definitions really describe cedencia for me, but, for me, much more than you experienced.  The key phrases are "fall of the voice"; "measure, flow of verses or periods"; "motion of the body with the music"; "the harmonious flow of rhythm".  For me, the references here are not so much to the smooth motion or rise and fall of each step, in themselves good technique, so much as the dancers' response to the "flow" or variation in rhythm across each musical phrase (both the fixed rhythmic pattern and the free melodic rhythm) and part of the music.  [reference also Joaquin Amenabar's book "Dance Tango to the Music].  For me, this aspect is one of the key features of Tango music and dance that make it an extraordinary experience.

Hope to see more Sydney dancers at Milonga Para Los Niños in Brisbane, 1st week of August.
John