4784  Dancers make music when they dance

Date: Tue, 27 Feb 2007 22:46:02 -0800
From: "Igor Polk" <ipolk@virtuar.com>
Subject: [Tango-L] Dancers make music when they dance
To: <tango-l@mit.edu>

Jee, I like that! Let me make a separate thread..

So the thesis is
"Dancers can not play music, musicians can still move to music, even
badly.".

Still, while playing music, musicians do not really know how to dance, even
though they make various movements.

But we as dancers and specifically Tango Dancers, make music when we dance.
You can call it like that. We do create right there, on the dance floor. And
that is the improvisational specific of Tango everyone knows. We have our
beat, rhythm pattern, notes, even melisma. We have polyrhythm. We have
figures. We have legato and staccato. Our instruments are our bodies we make
vibrations with, movements, accelerations, forces, balance, rebounds, many
things. We can play strictly, and we can play outside. We can even bend a
string!

Speaking about who is first, let it not surprise you, dear musicians, we can
dance tango without any of your music at all! That is what advanced tango
dancers can do. We play music with our own bodies. And I can assure you it
is of very high quality.

Our unification in couples makes in the whole ensemble. We are listen to
each other, to themselves, and to something which is born beyond our
spinal-brain will.

Of course, we like to dance to music, and we should. But we creatively
interpret it. We, together with musicians form cooperation.

Igor Polk
PS.
I have the idea which I expressed previously that musicians "dance" while
playing. They dance with their fingers, arms, bodies, breath, even in the
mind like we do. But it is the topic of a separate thread. Not being a
musician I can not elaborate much about it.

Date: Wed, 28 Feb 2007 03:53:11 -0500
From: AJ Azure <azure.music@verizon.net>
Subject: Re: [Tango-L] Dancers make music when they dance
To: <tango-l@mit.edu>

Igor that is poetry..nice but, still poetry. I am talking hard technique of
both only. You'll notice you only mention rhythm,. Notes are also pitch.
I am sure having been a martial artist most of my life that you can dance
with out music but, that is not dance anymore. I guess it could be termed
musical movement but, the definition of music is rhythm, melody, harmony and
much more. so while you can have musical elements no one will sit down and
listen to dance and that's ok we should come closer not move farther away.

-A

> From: Igor Polk <ipolk@virtuar.com>
> Date: Tue, 27 Feb 2007 22:46:02 -0800
> To: <tango-l@mit.edu>
> Subject: [Tango-L] Dancers make music when they dance
>
> Jee, I like that! Let me make a separate thread..
>
> So the thesis is
> "Dancers can not play music, musicians can still move to music, even
> badly.".
>
> Still, while playing music, musicians do not really know how to dance, even
> though they make various movements.
>
> But we as dancers and specifically Tango Dancers, make music when we dance.
> You can call it like that. We do create right there, on the dance floor. And
> that is the improvisational specific of Tango everyone knows. We have our
> beat, rhythm pattern, notes, even melisma. We have polyrhythm. We have
> figures. We have legato and staccato. Our instruments are our bodies we make
> vibrations with, movements, accelerations, forces, balance, rebounds, many
> things. We can play strictly, and we can play outside. We can even bend a
> string!
>
> Speaking about who is first, let it not surprise you, dear musicians, we can
> dance tango without any of your music at all! That is what advanced tango
> dancers can do. We play music with our own bodies. And I can assure you it
> is of very high quality.
>
> Our unification in couples makes in the whole ensemble. We are listen to
> each other, to themselves, and to something which is born beyond our
> spinal-brain will.
>
> Of course, we like to dance to music, and we should. But we creatively
> interpret it. We, together with musicians form cooperation.
>
> Igor Polk
> PS.
> I have the idea which I expressed previously that musicians "dance" while
> playing. They dance with their fingers, arms, bodies, breath, even in the
> mind like we do. But it is the topic of a separate thread. Not being a
> musician I can not elaborate much about it.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>

Date: Wed, 28 Feb 2007 02:06:15 -0800
From: "Igor Polk" <ipolk@virtuar.com>
Subject: Re: [Tango-L] Dancers make music when they dance
To: <tango-l@mit.edu>

AJ:
"while you can have musical elements no one will sit down and
listen to dance"

Really?

Well, at least my partner will. Do I need other spectactors?


Igor

Date: Wed, 28 Feb 2007 05:51:26 -0500
From: AJ Azure <azure.music@verizon.net>
Subject: Re: [Tango-L] Dancers make music when they dance
To: <tango-l@mit.edu>

Hey this is my career. I prefer more than an audience of one but, hey I am
not so egomaniacal as to only care about my own satisfaction. I prefer to
perform music to entertain as much if not for more than my own satisfaction
and then there's the fact that when I perform music I can make people happy,
heal them, provide an enlightening experience, make them cry, smile, laugh,
remember a lost love, falling in love, etc., etc.

_A

> From: Igor Polk <ipolk@virtuar.com>
> Date: Wed, 28 Feb 2007 02:06:15 -0800
> To: <tango-l@mit.edu>
> Subject: Re: [Tango-L] Dancers make music when they dance
>
> AJ:
> "while you can have musical elements no one will sit down and
> listen to dance"
>
> Really?
>
> Well, at least my partner will. Do I need other spectactors?
>
>
> Igor
>

Date: Wed, 28 Feb 2007 11:27:43 -0800
From: "Igor Polk" <ipolk@virtuar.com>
Subject: Re: [Tango-L] Dancers make music when they dance
To: <tango-l@mit.edu>

AJ:
"..I prefer more than an audience of one but, hey I am
not so egomaniacal as to only care about my own satisfaction. I prefer to
perform music to entertain as much if not for more than my own satisfaction
and then there's the fact that when I perform music I can make people happy,
heal them, provide an enlightening experience, make them cry, smile, laugh,
remember a lost love, falling in love, etc., etc."

Igor:
Yes, but can you make them dance !
When I perform my "music" in my dance, my partner - dances.

Date: Wed, 28 Feb 2007 13:32:16 -0800
From: "Igor Polk" <ipolk@virtuar.com>
Subject: Re: [Tango-L] Dancers make music when they dance
To: <tango-l@mit.edu>


Anfractuoso,
( I have change the thread to more appropriate one )

No, no, no offence at all, I loved your post !
You said that it is impossible to dance without music.
Yes, I totally agree.
I say, when we dance without External music, which we are able to do in
Argentine Tango, we play our own music with our dance.
And music plays within us, in our minds. It is not just rhythm expressed and
so forth, it is not a figure of speech, and it is not poetry !

A conductor is a musician, right? I bet you'd say "yes".
Music plays within him, and he even able to conduct the whole orchestra with
movements of his body !
We are not conductors, and we do not play symphonies. But tango music plays
in the mind when we dance without external music. The whole little tango
orchestra. I can hear melody, harmony, not to speak about the rhythm. Some
even sing.

I can see the grin on your face: only musicians can do it ! Well, then we
are, that is exactly what I am trying to convey, but knowing that "real"
musicians ( only those who can not dance themselves ) would not believe me
( some say musicians have "special waves in their minds" ) I restrained
myself in the previous posts to the rhythmical part only.

Now it is out, and I can proudly proclaim: We play music when we dance.
Inside us. It is impossible to dance without music. Dance is the music.

Igor.



=========================
Anfractuoso:
Riiight... [scratching head in amused disbelief] So you chose to
delete/ignore my whole post except quoting only the first sentence
that you can interpret out of context to mean the same as what you
meant, thus reinforcing your poetic thesis. I am sorry but I don't
think even you are certain anymore what ideas you are replying to and
why, and how the reply makes logical sense and connection with the
posts you are replying to.. I think I might stop here (no personal
offence meant; I enjoy poetry very much and write it too)..

Best regards Igor


On 2/28/07, Igor Polk <ipolk@virtuar.com> wrote:

>
> anfractuoso x2 said:
>
> > I claim that you can't actually dance without music.
>
>
> Exactly, Anfractuoso !
> Without external music, but within - it is the whole orchestra is playing,
> and my partner hears that !
>
> That is why I am saying - we play music when we dance. It is not a figure

of

> speech.
>
> Igor. ( answering

https://pythia.uoregon.edu/%7Ellynch/Tango-L/2006/msg04005.html )

Date: Wed, 28 Feb 2007 15:21:03 -0500
From: AJ Azure <azure.music@verizon.net>
Subject: Re: [Tango-L] Dancers make music when they dance
To: <tango-l@mit.edu>

Well I don't make them vomit! ;)
And yes I do as well as at very least tap their feet.

> From: Igor Polk <ipolk@virtuar.com>
> Date: Wed, 28 Feb 2007 11:27:43 -0800
> To: <tango-l@mit.edu>
> Subject: Re: [Tango-L] Dancers make music when they dance
>
> AJ:
> "..I prefer more than an audience of one but, hey I am
> not so egomaniacal as to only care about my own satisfaction. I prefer to
> perform music to entertain as much if not for more than my own satisfaction
> and then there's the fact that when I perform music I can make people happy,
> heal them, provide an enlightening experience, make them cry, smile, laugh,
> remember a lost love, falling in love, etc., etc."
>
> Igor:
> Yes, but can you make them dance !
> When I perform my "music" in my dance, my partner - dances.
>
>
>
>
>