544 Dancing to the Music
Date: Tue, 7 May 2002 16:13:40 -0500
From: Stephen Brown <Stephen.P.Brown@DAL.FRB.ORG>
Subject: Dancing to the Music
Some people have developed rules for dancing to the music. These rules
include such things as no ganchos or mordidas with vals; no planeos with
old tangos; longer, gliding steps for Pugliese; shorter, stacatto steps for
D'Arienzo, etc.
I do not find such rules very conducive to creative dancing or even to
maintaining a connection with my partner. They are no more than formulas
that instructors offer for dancers who have a difficulty dancing to the
music. With the right woman partner, I can easily do a mordida or a moving
gancho that stays well within the rhythm of vals music. I think it is much
better to encourage people to explore the music.
With best regards,
Steve
Stephen Brown
Tango Argentino de Tejas
https://www.tejastango.com/
Date: Fri, 10 May 2002 08:01:37 -0600
From: Bruno Romero <romerob@TELUSPLANET.NET>
Subject: Dancing to the music
How does one "explore the music" other than just following formulas for
dancing to tango music?. What does "explore the music" mean?
Some aspects I think might be important in learning to explore the music
thought I might be wrong:
1. Learn the music to become conversant and proficient ( being able to read
music?) and being able to
discuss it with musicians.
2. Learn body expression as to being able to move graciously with the music.
3. Nurture the love and appreciation for the tango music be reading about
the music roots, its creators, etc.
4. Learn to communicate your feelings of the music to your partner.
5. ..........(others?)
Recently I posed a related question to a visiting tango instructor from
Buenos Aires. I asked if there was a way to dance to Pugliese's tangos,
i.e.
pauses, hi, lows, etc. He said that except for the tango La Yumba it is
difficult to dance well to this music because of the many changes that take
place in the music. This instructor then went into demonstrating a tango
piece by Pugliese which
looked as if the instructor moved identically to the beat and feeling of the
music. I came to the conclusion among other things that I would have to be
terribly familiar with the music in order to dance likewise.
If it is better to explore the music then which music, style, or era offers
most possibilities? After the 1920's there was a big shift in the
development of the tango music. Before the 1920's the tango music had an
upbeat and perky sound. After the 1920's the tango music acquired a more
fatalistic sound as it appears to accommodate tango lyrics and tango
singers.
In other words, the experimentation period declined considerably.
Any thoughts?
Bruno
Date: Mon, 13 May 2002 11:59:13 -0700
From: Huck Kennedy <huck@ENSMTP1.EAS.ASU.EDU>
Subject: Re: Dancing to the Music
Stephen Brown writes:
> Some people have developed rules for dancing to the music. These rules
> include such things as no ganchos or mordidas with vals; no planeos with
> old tangos; longer, gliding steps for Pugliese; shorter, stacatto steps for
> D'Arienzo, etc.
>
> I do not find such rules very conducive to creative dancing or even to
> maintaining a connection with my partner.
I think you have to be careful not to throw the baby
out with the bath water here, Steve. Yes, there are bad
rules, but some rules are good.
Just because some self-styled gourmet rebels say you
can drink any wine with anything doesn't mean that you're
still not an idiot ruining everyone else's meal if you serve
a sauvignon blanc with a big steak or a cabernet sauvignon
with a sea bass. Some rules are based upon a lot of
experience and are quite useful.
Things are much nicer if one dances most D'Arienzo and
Pugliese in vastly different ways, and the stereoptypical
ways you describe are at least useful as guidelines to
beginners who would otherwise be cluelessly dancing to every
orchestra in the exact same way. It also seems to me that
if you follow the mood of the music, you will just naturally
wind up being more stacatto in the D'Arienzo and gliding in
the Pugiese anyway.
As far as waltz goes, you've hit a pet peeve of mine
there: I believe waltzes should always be moving, and to stop
the flow of the line of dance on an uncrowded floor in order
to play cutesy lingering footsie games is rude and the mark of
the totally clueless. However, as you point out, it is quite
possible to slip in a gancho or a mordida and still keep moving.
Julio and Corina teach a lovely mordida that lasts only one
measure and then spirals on down the line of dance perfectly in
time to the music.
So, for example, the general rule of keeping the waltz
moving is a good one; but as you say, getting too specific and
saying "no ganchos or mordidas" is far too restrictive.
Huck
