That is some nice contra-body torsion!
]]>The first tango teacher, the woman, said "Get more attractive women." Some laughed at her joke.
The second tango teacher said, "Always give the men things that they can't do yet, to challenge them. Otherwise they will get bored." Some men in the room nodded in agreement.
The third tango teacher said, "No, the opposite. Make sure that the men have it easy and build on small successes. If it's too hard for them to do, they will leave." Some other men in the room nodded in agreement.
The fourth tango teacher said "You must teach the women about their responsibility in the dance and give them their work to do. Don't always focus on the men. Otherwise, the women think it's just up to the men, but the men can't make such women dance until they themselves are more advanced. That's why the men give up." At this, all fell silent. Some had surprised looks on their faces. The next person to speak change the subject.
]]>This was my response, modestly revised.
My first milonga. Beautiful question.]]>
I'll call it "our" first milonga, because I went with my tango dance partner, who eventually became my girlfriend, and we still are together.
Our first milonga was in Chicago @ Tango Nada Mas (now defunct). We had taken a few private lessons from our local ballroom teacher where we live (Champaign-Urbana). I would say they were very good lessons, and he was and is one of the best dance teachers I have ever known. But he was just beginning to learn Argentine Tango himself, and what he taught had a lot of carry-over from ballroom tango.
Anyway -- teacher said we knew enough, we should find a place to go dance, and see how other dancers do it. The nearest place was Tango Nada Mas in Chicago - 2.5 hours away. I called Bob Dronski, said we wanted to come up. He reserved a table for us. (!)
It was beautiful, fantastic, glorious, changed our lives, etc. I remember that all we knew was a few patterns - a few 8-count basics, though I don't think they stepped backwards. We also had learned "the gancho", "the parada (w. sandwich, etc.)" and "the sentada". The sentada cracks me up when I think about it now, and I sometimes lead it for fun. It's actually a classic figure - Pibe Palermo used to do it. And I saw Carmencita doing it on one of the CITA videos.
Anyway .... we stood out like we were Harlequin and Columbina - a couple of puppets. Everyone in Chicago was so friendly and welcoming to us. A lot of the guys asked Carlota to dance, (and of course, were quite generous with the teaching.)
God, I remember that night so fondly. I was scared to death, and managed to dance a total of four songs the whole night (each one separated by a half hour of sweating pulse-pounding recovery).
I learned a lot from seeing real tango dancers dance.
And the part that makes us laugh to this day (more than 10 years later) is that when people could come chat with us and ask us where we were from, they always said "You seem to dance a different style of tango." Yeah, that's for sure.
That was when I started to think of myself as an orillero.
Oscar Ferrari died on August 20, 2008. He had been performing until recently, his pure tenor voice undiminished by age.
Excerpt from interview on Todo Tango (linked above):
I suggest to all who "dig" tango that they ought to have respect for the music, for the lyrics and that -before recording- they have to dive into the meaning of the lyrics; especially for a very simple honest reason: we are using the talent of the writers and musicians and the least we can do is to respect what they wrote. We don't have to change the music to fit our convenience. Today I listen to recordings in which the music has nothing to do with what the composer wrote. No, boys, no. When distorting the music, tango loses harmony, loses beauty, because the one who wrote it burnt his eyebrows to find the chords and to achieve the right harmony. The least we can do is to respect him, to sing according to the music the author wrote and not to accommodate the lyrics to make it easier for us. No, no, let us respect him, because we are using that talent without paying anything and living on him.]]>
In early July we heard the sad news that Nelly Balmaceda had died. Julia Balmaceda, Nelly's son, and his partner Corina were scheduled to teach in Chicago on the July 4th weekend but had to cancel.
This video shows Nelly and her husband Miguel Balmaceda performing to "Gallo Ciego" (Pugliese version) at Salon Canning. I believe the video was filmed by Daniel Trenner in the early 1990s. Please correct me if you have better info on this.
Miguel and Nelly ran one of the most important practicas in Buenos Aires during the 1980s and 1990s, until Miguel's death. Many of today's teachers started there. Susana Miller, for example, started learning tango there. The story is always told that Miguel would not allow dancers to do figures. He wanted them to train only in walking for the first two years.
In this video you see a lot of figures.
]]>
That is some nice contra-body torsion!
]]>Music Sampler: the best of alternative tango music (alterna-tango or found tango)
]]>Listening to the music is such a critical part of becoming a good dancer.
It's difficult to precisely name CDs, because there is much to choose from. It would be easier just to name orchestras. But here are my picks, which would give anyone a good starter set of commercially released CDs.
1. RCA Victor 100 Años, by Carlos Di Sarli
2. Poema, by Francisco Canaro
3. Yo Soy de Parque Patricios, by Angel D'Agostino & Angel Vargas
4. Solo Tango: Instrumental Vol.1, by Juan D'Arienzo
5. Al Compas Del Corazon, by Miguel Calo
6. Ausencia, by Osvaldo Pugliese
I like to buy from tangostore.com. They are in Bs As, where the exchange rate is decent and the shipping is reasonably prompt. A buyer can check out their mp3 samples before hand. I think it's good to choose music that appeals to you.
Also, Planet Tango sells their own DJ-selected compilations of CDs. The Planet Tango "Tandas" CDs have tangos, milongas and valses arranged in sets by various orchestras, and they are all selected explicitly for dancing (as opposed to just listening). It is a good way to become familiar with the most important dance orchestras.
Keith Elshaw has spent the last several years digitally remastering tango tracks and also sells his compilations on CD, or by MP3 download.
All of these websites are great places to explore and learn about tango music.
the mystery, the magic, the wonder, the innocence of never having done it before, those are the seeds of creativity that came into my personal story.
Last night Bob Costas from NBC interviewed Mark Spitz and Mike Phelps together.
Mike Phelps has just tied Mark Spitz's record of winning seven gold medals in a single Olympics game. Of course both men are in the same event - swimming.
I was really impressed with Mark Spitz last night. In contrast to Mike Phelps's inarticulate responses Spitz had some powerful words about Mike Phelps, about the mindset of competition at that level, and about how great Phelps's achievement is.
He told Phelps that he would come to realize that his greatness would have a tremendous impact on younger athletes, and that he had a huge responsibility to those coming after him, in what he showed them about sportsmanship and behavior and how he handled his competitions. And he said that he knew that Phelps was equal to that responsibility.
The assurance that Mark Spitz displayed in talking the greatness of Mike Phelps revealed a lot about Spitz's own inner confidence. It came across as "no self doubt whatsoever."
But then Spitz said something really interesting. He said that what kept him motivated and successful in his youthful days of swimming competition, in which he dominated the sport and broke many records, was "the mystery, the magic, the wonder, the innocence of never having done it before, those are the seeds of creativity that came into my personal story."
Doing something that you have never done before can be very scary. Having the aplomb to go forward into the challenge of the new, the unknown, that is an important quality.
That is the quality one needs in tango. Because the best dances are always the ones where you feel like you are setting out into undiscovered territory. Even if you are doing steps you have done before. If it feels like you don't know what's going to happen next, and you aren't sure if it's going to work, but you stay calm and immerse yourself in the moment - that is where the most memorable dances come from.
Gustavo Santaolalla’s Film Scores Are Minimalist and His Tango Is Newfangled - NYTimes.com
“We don’t consider what we are doing as tango,” he said. “We are doing contemporary music, music that expresses the urban landscapes of Buenos Aires and Montevideo. Obviously tango will be present there. But milonga, candonga, murga” — three other local rhythms — “and rock, hip-hop and electronica are also part of the genetic map of this place.”]]>
Two excellent articles on milonga customs and strategies for success.
Saber Milonguear 1 The obvious codes of the milonga.
Saber Milonguear 2 The hidden codes of the milonga.
Some years ago, when we were there, the dance floor was filled with an intriguing mix of dancers. Professional dancers went there (e.g., Gavito, Flaco Dany, Pupy Castello, Pulpo, Javier and Geraldine). But also it seemed that a lot of "ordinary" dancers were there too. It was like the title said - porteños (natives) and bailarines (dancers).
I actually liked seeing that someone as bizarre and non-traditional as Pulpo & Luiza would be on the floor with normal dancers, and nobody seemed to mind. Nobody was bumped. Everyone co-existed in peace and harmony, and respect. That's how it seemed to me. And the energy had a very creative and electric charge.
This first video comes from around that time, 2004. I didn't take the video.
This is possibly my favorite tango video on youtube. I like the music, I like the captured moments and evolution of the tandas. I love the waiter - so on the ball. One guy serving the whole place.
YouTube - Porteño Y Bailarin milonga
Recently a new video from this milonga appeared on youtube. It looks like tourists have taken over the dance floor, and neither professionals nor natives want to set foot on it.
Now the only person on the floor that's worth watching is the waiter.
]]>
[7927]--Rhythm, said Stephen, is the first formal esthetic relation of part
[7928] to part in any esthetic whole or of an esthetic whole to its part or
[7929] parts or of any part to the esthetic whole of which it is a part.
[7930]
[7931]--If that is rhythm, said Lynch, let me hear what you call beauty;
[7932] and, please remember, though I did eat a cake of cowdung once, that I
[7933] admire only beauty.
]]>Levels
We urge you to be sensible when assessing your own level. Please read the following very carefully.
The level suitable for most participants who honestly can say to themselves that they are good at tango is Level 3.
Please do not assume that having attended Advanced level classes with other arrangers means that you should automatically choose classes on Level 4 or even 5. Level 4 is already higher than Advanced with many other arrangers.
Given the precision of the descriptions below, we are confident that it will be easy to find your appropriate level. However, if your first day at Tango 59 Degrees reveals otherwise, we will be happy to assist you in finding another level which better corresponds to your standard of dancing.
Level 1
You have no prior experience of tango, or have perhaps attended a few introductions before practicas. Level 2
You have danced for at least six months to a year or more, 2-3 times a week. You are working on the fundamental techniques, and think you are getting quite good at them. Level 3
You are an experienced social dancer. You feel entirely comfortable with the basics and are working on intermediate tango elements and some more advanced stuff, in both open and close embrace. It is quite natural for you to adapt your style of dancing to different orchestras. You have been dancing tango regularly, by which we mean at least 2-3 times a week, for at least 2 to 3 years or longer. Level 4
You are a very experienced dancer who feels equally confident in tango, vals and milonga. You have excellent balance and technique and dance with equal comfort in both close and open position. You really enjoy dancing on very crowded floors and never collide with, unsettle or disturb other couples. You have visited several tango festivals outside your country of residence, and have been dancing tango regularly, at least 2-3 times a week, for 4-5 years or longer. For the few:
Level 5
You are very advanced, even when considered on an international level. You master all elements mentioned for Level 4 and have gone beyond them. You are able to analyse complicated movements and combinations of movements at a single glance. You have certainly been dancing tango frequently over a very long period of time.
Chicago Grant Park, Saturday, July 19, 2008 - Orchestra Tipica Imperial free concert.
I love the woman checking her phone messages in the foreground.
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