102 Difficulty of milonga
Date: Mon, 23 Jul 2001 23:50:15 +0800
From: michael ditkoff <tangomaniac@JUNO.COM>
Subject: Difficulty of milonga
Rajan asked why followers have difficulty with milonga. As a leader, I can say it's not restricted to followers.
Part of the difficulty of dancing milonga is that dancers have to realize the difference between notes and beats. If you try to step on every note, you'll be exhausted half way through and close to death at the end. If you stay on the beat, you'll notice you don't have to rush. I don't know the musical marking for milonga, but it sounds like it's in eigth notes whereas tango and vals are in quarter notes. For every note in tango, there are two in milonga because there are two eighths in a quarter. And since milonga is played faster than certain tangos (e.g. DiSarli), it seems even faster.
Because of the quick beat in milonga there isn't time for a lot of figures. Ochos are quick and not a full 180 degree rotation of the hips. The difficulty for followers is knowing which foot to be on. If the man doesn't communicate well.. you know the rest. This is why leaders use a slight lit (small rocking in the shoulders) in their walk. It's to tell the woman which foot to step.
I hope this has been helpful.
Michael
Still in Washington, wanting to retire to New York
P.S. To the moderators, I promise not to write about the wonderful New York City Subway System again on Tango-L.
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Date: Mon, 23 Jul 2001 14:07:29 -0700
From: Mark Sussex <doktordogg@YAHOO.COM>
Subject: Re: Difficulty of milonga
--- michael ditkoff <tangomaniac@JUNO.COM> wrote:
> I don't know the musical marking
> for milonga, but it sounds like it's in eigth notes
> whereas tango and vals are in quarter notes. For
> every note in tango, there are two in milonga
> because there are two eighths in a quarter. And
> since milonga is played faster than certain tangos
> (e.g. DiSarli), it seems even faster.
You have the right idea. Eighth notes are twice as
fast as quarter notes, and indeed milonga steps are
twice as fast as tango ones.
Technically, tango is in 4/4 time and when you walk
without pauses you are stepping on the half notes.
Milonga is in 2/4 time and you step on the quarter
notes. Musicians count tango in 4 with dancers
stepping on the counts of "1" and "3". Dancers tend
to count it in a slow 2. That's how many feet we
have! There's always a difference between the way
musicians and dancers count music, which is perfectly
okay.
Even though milongas tend to be in a fast 2/4 time,
there are actually some very slow milongas. The meter
is the same, but it's in a tempo range that makes it
sound like tango. I don't know the names of them, but
there are common ones that I'm sure others on the list
could mention.
A lot of people dance those milongas as if they were
tangos. However, if you recognize that rhythmic feel
of milonga it can suggest a very interesting dance
different from the style of a tango. (It's also the
only way I can even begin to attempt milonga because I
SUCK at it!)
Have you ever heard the Habanera from the opera
Carmen? That rhythmic vamp is precisely the same as
milonga, except that milonga tends to double the
tempo. If you ever hear a tango over which you could
sing the melody of the Habanera from Carmen, you are
actually hearing a slow milonga, not a tango! Give a
shot at all of those milonga syncopations you've been
having trouble with (if you're like me).
Mark
Date: Tue, 24 Jul 2001 10:06:03 +1000
From: John Lowry <john@LOWRYHART.COM.AU>
Subject: Re: Difficulty of milonga
-----Original Message-----
From: Mark Sussex [mailto:doktordogg@YAHOO.COM]
Sent: Tuesday, 24 July 2001 7:07 AM
To: TANGO-L@MITVMA.MIT.EDU
Subject: Re: Difficulty of milonga
--- michael ditkoff <tangomaniac@JUNO.COM> wrote:
> I don't know the musical marking
> for milonga, but it sounds like it's in eigth notes
> whereas tango and vals are in quarter notes. For
If you watch El Indio dance milonga you will see that he often dances 1,2,3.
It adds to the rhythmic quality. I noticed that Carmencita Calderon and her
partner at CITA 2000 did the same.
JL
