530  Finish tango

Date: Thu, 25 Apr 2002 11:32:14 +0200
From: Eero Olli <eero.olli@ISP.UIB.NO>
Subject: Re: Finish tango

I am not an authority on Finish tango, but I am born there and I visit the
country and my family regulary. So my opinions are not based on a TV-show
or a exotic finn who showed up far a way from home. Since none of the
finnish dansers of argentinan tango have replied I will do my best.

I believe that Finish tango (dansing, not the music) has it origins in
somekind of simplified folksy version of the german danseschool tango. It
is a simplified danse, that keeps slow-slow-fast-fast rythm, through the
whole song. The danse consist of prelearned figures, from which the leader
picks one. There is not room for much improvisation. It is dansed with
close distance (chest-contact) between the dansers.

In the same time it is considered the most difficult of the regular danses
in Finland :-). My experiences with the finnish tango are from the
dancefloor, more than from the schools, so perhaps there exists a more
complicated version of the danse in the danseschools.

Tango is what could be called a national dance in Finland and they have a
yearly tangofestival at Seinäjoki. Last summer they had 130 000 visitors in
a town with 30 000 inhabitants.
https://www.tangomarkkinat.fi/english/etusivu.htm

There are very few tango orchestras. Usually the orchestras that play tango
are regular dancebands (synth, drums, base and guitar), and tango would be
just part of their repertuar (short tandas of polka, slow fox, valse, or
tango) the same band might also be playing swing and soft rock depending on
the evening.

The tangomusic does not have the same complexity as the argentinan music
and is rather boring. At Seinäjoki Tangofestival there is a contest for
the best male and female singers, who then become the tangoking and
tangoqueen and will tour extensively. Part of the revard for the winners
is to make a record with a Symphony orchestra (which then somehow is
supposed to improve the quality :-)
I find the state of finnish tangomusic a bit sad, because there are some
great musicians after Second World War, which were clearly connected to
argentinan tango music. Olavi Virta (our local Carlos Gardel) have made
many recordings that have not received enough credit.
https://virtual.finland.fi/finfo/english/tango2.html Unfortunately the the
later changes in finnish tangomusic have not been improvements. There are
still some great singers, but the arrangements are boring and the tempo is
often fixed and makes me wonder if they left the drum-maschine on. (there
is a difference between a clear beat and a fixed tempo!)

The singers can make their careers as tangosingers. The local dansing
place would arrange a tango evening, with mostly tangodansing, when one of
the singers is in town.

I have never been to a tangorestaurant or cafe in Finland (are there any?).
What you can find are danserestaurants and cafes. If you ever come to
Finland you definetely should visit one. There are a few finnish
spesialities that are worth while experiencing.
First, they have afternoon dansing at some of the dansing places, starting
around 3 in the afternoon. People would come straight from work, before
going home for dinner (or be lured to have their dinner at the dansing
place) This is a working class phenomena, no fancy dresses and drinks.
People come for the dansing!
Second, they might have a womens evening on regular mondays; That is only
women are supposed to ask men for a dance. Men are supposed to sit and
wait, and hope that someone comes and asks them for a dance... Women like
it so they show up, and because women show up the men will show up,
too. Waiting is a healthy experience for the most men, and I suggest that
you all arrange a womens evening at your own club if the women are not used
to ask men.

There have been some diplomatic quarrels between Argentina and
Finland. Finns regard tango as their national dance (and acknowledge its
roots in Argentina). The melancholy of tango fits the finnish
melancholy. Last year Argentinan Goverment applied United Nations for
considering Argentinian tango a World Heritage (as the Pyramides and other
major cultural sites allready are), and some goverment official stated that
'tango' is a concept that only should be used for Argentinan tango, not for
finnish tango. The next day one of the finnish papers filled their front
page with the following title:
Argentina
declares
tangowar!

Unfortunately I do not know how this tangowar ended. Perhaps the Argentinan
goverment had enought domestic problems to keep the busy.

happy dansing,
eero
mailto:eero@bergentango.no https://bergentango.no