A personal tango diary.
This site is primarily a place for me to document my adventures with Argentine Tango and to collect and organize websites, videos, blogs and teachers that have been useful to me.
In discussing tango dancing, one often discusses the idea of where the lead comes from.
A typical answer is that is comes from the chest. Perhaps it comes from the floor.
I have yet to have heard this question:
Where does the follow come from?
I offer the following as a work in process.
The longer I dance Argentine tango, the more I think of it as self-exploration disguised as a dance.
There is much more to it than that, of course. There is fun, learning, and work. There are chances to travel, meet amazing people, make friends, meet lovers, and engage in a truly global culture and lifestyle.
Yet, at its core, for me, is self-exploration.
Tango is my laboratory, a microcosm of the world I inhabit. It is a place to experiment with different aspects of myself, take chances, make messes, hopefully clean up messes.
During my time dancing, I have collected a few non-English words that I would like to share and discuss. These are my takes on the words. Each word, individually and collectively, expresses my fundamental philosophy of dancing Argentine tango.
I will start with the one that first drew my attention some years ago: duende.
Duende is a Spanish word that means elf or sprite. These creatures tend to be mischievous. However, playwrite Federico Garcia Lorca expanded on this idea in his essay “Theory and Play of the Duende”. I will leave the reader to search for the full work. In my opinion, it is well worth the read for anyone interested in art and culture and one’s inner drive for life.
Lorca more or less dismissed the concept of desiring inspiration from on high (which he termed angelic inspiration) and reliance on external worldly muses. Instead, he said that “the duende has to be roused from the furthest habitations of the blood”. For Lorca, duende represented the true spirit of Spain which inhabited flamenco dance and music, the art of Goya.
I feel that as a concept, duende is that ultimate internal personal life force. It is often covered by habit, time, conditioning, doubt, angst. I suggest that reaching, expressing – inhabiting? - duende requires going through all of that “stuff” to get to the core of it all. Perhaps it is what I was writing about in my own book of “Bone Tree” poems.
This will bring us to mugre, another Spanish word that which literally means dirt. Getting to duende is indeed a dirty business. Jungian shadow work. Mugre fits in this philosophy much like the progression of a martial artist moving from white belt to black belt. The white belt is that of the beginner or initiate. The belt is clean, unsullied. Over time, use causes the belt to darken with the dirt and grime of experience.
Tango is an improvised dance. Improvisation opens the door for miscues or “mistakes”. In tango , we often say, “tango has no mistakes, only new steps”.
These missed steps, to me, fit very nicely with the idea of wabi-sabi. Wabi-sabi is the Japanese concept of appreciating all things for their flaws and impermanence. It is deeper than a sterile stoic approach and it is not nihilistic in the least. In wabi-sabi, the imperfections are beautiful. Impermanence teaches us that we must pay attention to the moment to seek those brief, beautiful moments and experiences.
Let us now turn to kintsugi, the Japanese art of pottery repair. This is a method of repair that seeks not only to make a broken thing whole, but also to emphasize the lines of brokenness as something of beauty. Its literal meaning is “golden seams”. The gold infused into the glue holding the pieces together highlight the connections of the pieces.
Back to the dance.
Argentine tango is, in many ways, a dance like any other dance. Two people, arranged as couples, go onto the floor and dance amidst other couples.
Yet, when two people come together who have developed and deeply expressed their internal force for life (duende), are more interested in authentic movement than in perfect technique (mugre), seeking beauty in the small mistakes during the few minutes they will dance together (wabi-sabi), and support each other to not only repair those mistakes but to use their awareness of those missteps to create something new and beautiful, you can see their connections as palpable and resonant (kintsugi).
Dance is perhaps the most human of art forms. For me, the art form of Argentine tango is akin to sculpture. The Argentine tango dancer is a sculptor of themselves. They are the block which they will carve. The dance can help to chip away that which is unnecessary to find that which is core to the human experience.
Certainly, there is much technique to be learned to dance tango well. Its interpersonal geometry, close embrace, and frequent small spaces in which it is danced require training for the dancers to be safe, comfortable and musical.
But the most important – and most difficult – work, is that of reducing the noise of extra technique, achieve the subtlety of reducing the energy needed to communicate lead and follow ideas with your partner, and ultimately finding the core fire of your personal life force that you wish to share with and seek within your dance partner.
5JUL23
Notes and definitions:
“Theory and Play of the Duende : and, Imagination, Inspiration, Evasion”, Federico Garcia Lorca, 1928
Duende: (Spanish) sprite, or a heightened state of emotion, expression and authenticity, often connected with flamenco.
Mugre: (Spanish) dirt
Wabi-sabi: (Japanese) An aesthetic or world view characterized by finding beauty in imperfection, impermanence, or simplicity.
Kintsugi: (Japanese) “golden seams”, the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery by mending the areas of breakage with lacquer dusted or mixed with powdered gold, silver, or platinum
One of my favorite topics to explore in tango is contrast. To me, contrast is the spice of the dance and the heart of improvisation. A definition of contrast is “to show differences”. Therefore, we need to have something to differ, something to change.
A couple of examples could be as follows:
Speed: slow/fast
Tone: tense/relaxed
Embrace: close/open
An exhaustive list is beyond this post, but you see that you could take this in many directions.
There are two points I want to offer in relation to contrast.
***
The first is that when you contrast qualities like this within the vocabulary and techniques you already know, their combinations begin to grow substantially.
If you start with the foundation idea that you have a left leg and a right leg; they go forward, back, side, stop and pivot, you have 10 options at any moment.
If you change speed from slow or fast, those options double. If you modulate your tone between tense and relaxed, you doubled that again.
With just two qualities contrasted, you have 40 options in any moment! There are certainly other qualities that can be contrasted and some of them could have as many as five or more levels.
***
Okay so the second point.
Oftentimes, the idea of contrast seems to revolve around the idea of moving from one extreme to the other. Always being at an extreme can be tiring. But more important from the idea of artistic expression, I think this method eventually dulls the impact that the extremes can have.
If you are always fast, you will be exhausted. Think being fast in milonga for the entire song. Most of us didn’t come to tango for aerobics. If you are always slow, it might feel boring.
***
This second idea of neutral brings me to the concept of contrasting our qualities from our neutral state. This concept requires that we first find the neutrals in our bodies relative to the various qualities we wish to contrast.
If we think about moving to the beat (i.e. following the basic compas), tango neutral tends to be to move on the first and third beats of a measure. If that is our neutral, the we can move on every beat (i.e. fast), or even the moments in between the beats (faster!). We can move only on a singular beat within a measure (slow). We could even find moments to pause (so slow we are no longer in external motion).
But in between, it feels good to come back to neutral: the basic 1 and 3 that is the basic tango compas.
***
But this neutral continues to intrigue me.
When two people meet on the dance floor for the first time, we often talk about how they need to calibrate to each other.
While this is obvious the adjustment two bodies need to make in order to be comfortable, the discussion is often about “levels” or “styles”.
I offer that the most fruitful calibration is when each partner is aware of their neutrals and they offer their neutral to their partner. Then, the calibration is how to bring these neutrals together such that both bodies are as close to their individual neutrals as possible.
Calibrating this way allows each body to be comfortable and provides the opportunities to play with and emphasize all of the contrasts that the partners want to explore.
I am going to introduce this essay by saying that this is my view of tango music. DJs, professional musicians, tango dancers and fans of tango music are more than welcome to their own thoughts on the subject. I am going to also make some assumptions about your knowledge of Argentine tango and not spend a lot of time defining tango terms.
Often tango dancers think about the types of music played at a milonga based upon tanda structure. That structure is typically tango, tango, valz, tango, tango, milonga.
This structure suggests there are three types of music: tango, valz and milonga. I suggest that there are at least eight different types of music that we dance to. I will further suggest that there are at least two different dances we do during the milonga.
What are the eight types of music that I am suggesting?
I offer that there are four types of tango music, three types of music and one type of valz.
I break the substyles down as follows:
tango has four substyles: rhythmic, lyrical, romantic, dramatic
milonga has three substyles: lisa, traspie, candombe
valz, well, is valz.
Here is my take on these different musical types.
Rhythmic tango is driven by a steady and dependable compas. It feels the most “danceable” because it feels like it has a steady, dependable “beat”. It often has a staccato feel.
Lyrical tango is light and airy. Its compas is also light. This music feels like a walk in a Parisian garden on a beautiful spring day. This music is often filled with harmony and violins.
Romantic tango is likely the type of music a non-dancer would think of as what is danced all night. This is the music which most approaches the idea of “being in love for 12 minutes”. I think of this music as often having the wonderful vocals that steal our hearts.
Dramatic tango is the kind music that seems to either keeps dancers off the floor or makes dancers just want to climb inside each other. This music is intense. It often has strong staccato and harmonic elements. The tension between the two is often what creates the drama.
Valz is valz. I say that because I don’t feel that there is much variety in it. Certainly, different orchestras add their flavors to their valz, but I don’t feel that they create that much difference for the dancer. Valz is flowy and circular to me no matter the orchestra. The downbeat of the ¾ time is such a strong driver regardless of the orchestra.
Milonga lisa is a fairly flowing type of milonga. It is the kind of milonga the feels like “fast tango” and it is easy to fall into a marching pattern in this kind of music.
Milonga traspie is technically a type of step, but I suggest that the step type is invited because of the syncopations of the rhythm. Whereas milonga lisa happens almost entirely on the 1 and 2 beats, milonga traspie has a basic rhythmic cell that follows the pattern of “and-2 and-1”.
Candombe is really its own music altogether. It can be sprinkled into a milonga tanda or the milonga tanda can be three candombes. Condombe in a milonga is unique because of its very complex rhythms and use of actual percussion. No other tango music routinely uses percussion instruments.
You are more than welcome to disagree with these categories, reorganize them, add or subtract to them. However, the main point is that when we go to “dance tango”, there is a tremendous amount of variety in the types of music we will hear during the milonga. I am, of course, leaving out the variety of elements within each song that can provide inspiration to a dancer (different instruments, vocals, etc.).
If tango is feeling you can dance, then I suggest that eight different types of music offer the dancer eight distinct opportunities for emotional expression. If a dancer approaches each of these categories in the same way, with the same texture, and the same feelings with the same steps and sequences, they are missing a tremendous opportunity for expression.
How do you conceive of the different types of music you hear at a milonga? How do they influence your dancing and your connection to your partner?
You have the right to invite strangers to dance visually. Any other method of invitation could be used against you in the court of public opinion. You have the right to consult the organizer before inviting anyone to dance. If you cannot find the organizer, the person taking money at the front door probably can. If you decide to invite someone, especially a stranger, to dance verbally or via a walk-up invitation, you can stop at any time, including right up to and including the moment a dancer appears uninterested or busy. Knowing and understanding these rights as an inviter, and understanding the rights of the invitee to accept or decline any invitation, from any person, at any time, for any reason, without explanation, regardless of method, are you willing to not use cabaceo?
Hello new follower. Welcome to tango. This post is designed to share some initial thoughts for the follower who has been taking lessons for perhaps a few months and now wants to go to their first milonga..
1) Keep your expectations low. Unless you arrive with friends or know people, it could be a slow night. Many milongas have more women than men. Experienced followers likely already know many of the good leaders.
2) If there is a pre-milonga class, take it. You will learn something and get a chance to meet some of the other newer dancers. You can share this early adventure with them. Be social with everyone.
3) Be aware of the visual invitation technique known as cabaceo. Not all communities use this but it is my observation that the more experienced dancers use cabaceo to get their dances. If you notice that most everyone uses cabaceo but there is one guy who doesn’t but just walks up to ladies and holds his hand out, it is possible that he is not that good.
4) Here are some specific first night thoughts:
a) don’t panic.
b) be a comfortable partner
c) if you feel a lead or a movement from your partner, go with. Move your body. If you expect him to move your body, it will likely be uncomfortable for both of you.
d) don’t worry about “getting it right”. just do your best. Good leaders will adjust to movements that didn’t end up where they thought they would be (notice I didn’t use the word “mistake”. neither should you.)
SPECIAL NOTES:
1) When in doubt, just do what you think has been led as if that is what was led. It is the leader’s responsibility to adjust. Trust yourself and move.
2) The tango world has its own etiquette and customs. The first one you should study is mirada. I wil llet you look that up as there are many resources for that. I will just emphasize that mirada and cabaceo are elegant practices that empower the follower to control with whom she dances.
3) Personal safety and self care are of tantamount importance. Tango is a very personal dance. We embrace each other and a lot of our bodies are in contact. It creates an intimacy that can send mixed signals. Also, since the leader is primarily in control of the geometry of the couple, the follower can be at a physical disadvantage. There are some men who will try to use this advantage for disrespectful purposes. I don’t need to define them for you. If they feel uncomfortable to you, that is all that matters.
Here’s how you take care of yourself.
Just say “Thank you.”
and then walk away.
That is the tango etiquette. If the leader runs you into tables or other couples. If he holds you in an uncomfortable way or otherwise makes you feel uneasy, that is all that matters.
Take care of yourself.
Just say, “Thank you” and walk away.
I have been in Buenos Aires a couple of times and have traveled a fair amount in the US. Tandas are dropped frequently.
You are not being a bitch. You are not the one being rude.
Take care of yourself.
If someone is particularly creepy or worse, tell a friend, tell the organizer. Tell someone.
Take care of yourself.
I gave the day 1 leader some personal hygiene advice, but ladies tend not to need that ;)
With these ideas, hopefully you will be able to have a comfortable first night that can set the stage for future adventures. Good luck!
You are a new leader. You’ve been taking lessons maybe for a few months or so and you want to venture out into the world of the milonga. Bienvenido!
Here are some ideas I hope will help you on that very first day to help you enjoy that night so that you will continue your adventure.
1) Keep your expectations very low. Unless you know people or go with friends, your chances of getting dances will be very low.
2) If there is a pre-milonga less, take it. You will learn something and get a chance to meet people who might give you a shot later on. There could likely be other new dancers there too. Be social with everyone.
3) Use cabaceo (ask your teacher about cabaceo and mirada or look it up!) to make your invitations. Even though it is your first day, begin by demonstrating to your potential partners that you know something about tango culture and that you respect them enough not to walk up as a newbie and stick your hand in their face.
4) Know your priorities as a leader:
a) Keep your partner safe.
b) be a comfortable partner
c) stick to the vocabulary that you feel absolutely confident with.
d) enjoy being with your partner in the music
e) pause frequently
f) breathe
5) At the end of the tanda, thank your partner. Hug her warmly. Smile. Offer your arm and walk her back to her seat.
NOTE: My dear first day leader, you will likely find the following statement unbelievable. Most new leaders do. But here goes:
***Simple and musical is better***
If you stick with the dance, your vocabulary will undoubtedly grow and your technique will improve.
But on day 1, just stick with what you know and be with your partner and the music.
Also:
Bathe.
Brush your teeth. Tango is good for your dental hygiene because you will probably floss more, too.
Go light on the cologne.
but remember:
***Simple and musical is better***
Respect your partner and those around your.
Partner safety and comfort are your most important responsibilities.
Hopefully your first day is okay and you stick with it. Good luck.
Recently, I have been giving more and more thought to the embrace in tango. I would like to share some of those thoughts on how three elements create and maintain the embrace.
Mark Word has often written of the Three Ms in tango: Music, eMbrace and Movement. I suggest that the embrace is built upon three Cs: Connection, Communication and Comfort.
Together, these Cs form the three legs of a stool that establish the structure of the embrace and help define tango.
Here is how I see them:
Connection: This element refers to the physical touch we share as well as the mental (intellectual and emotional) attention and intention we use to maintain awareness of our selves and our partner.
Communication: Argentine tango is a spontaneously improvised dance. We are engaged in a deep dialogue using only our bodies to co-create our dance in the moment.
Comfort: Although we are engaged in movements that can be physically challenging (e.g. engaging our cores, pushing the floor and dissociating), we can only do this over the course of hours in a night if we seek to establish comfort in our bodies and for our partners.
Taking these three elements together, I would offer the following description for a tango embrace:
A tango embrace is the physical touch and mental awareness that we share to co-create the dance and which is constantly being adjusted to allow our bodies to be as comfortable as possible while maintaining good personal form and technique.
The following video provides some great examples of how Sebastián Achaval and Roxana Suarez use these elements.
I suggest that you watch this video once simply to enjoy it. They are fun dancers. Then, watch it again looking only at their embrace (i.e. their arm and hand positions). Observe how flexible their embrace is allowing them to dynamically and quickly create or reduce space. Sometimes it is very loose. Other times, it is quite taut. Notice how frequently Roxana adjusts her left arm.
I will leave the rest of the observations to you, but I will point out one treat from 1:47-1:51.
As I think about how best to pursue tango and become a better dancer, I have recently considered that the best thing a tanguero/a can do is simply be authentic. Just be themselves.
In a simple phrase, I think of it as this:
No hiding.
Not from yourself or from your partner.
No hiding.
Neither leader nor follower.
No hiding.
The Tango Shaman
“old men will prey on you trying to convince you that their three steps and their bad lead are the essence of tango…his sweaty shirt will be sticking to you while he drills his fingers down your spine trying to make you do back ochos…” (tango cynic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQ2u-xLu- QI)
You’ve seen him. We’ve all seen him.
He finds the new dancer. He brings her to the center of the dance floor where everyone can see them.
Then, he mystifies her with his own personal concoction of tango voodoo guaranteed to enchant her evening.
*SMH*
Do we owe that brand new follower an apology or at least an explanation that when the Tango Shaman grabs her leg and wraps it around him while he bashes his way through something evoking a calecita it isn’t really so much tango? Should the milonga organizers give the guy a special arm band so that the new dancers know to avoid him?
I just don’t know.
Part two
In the first part, I suggested that in order to become a musical dancer, you need to think of your leader role as being a choreographer. I said that you need to focus on meshing movements and music. To do that well, you need to improve your own technique and to study tango music.
In this part, I will dive a little bit deeper into how I think about this. I will give credit to specific teachers as I can remember where I learned which elements. There are two main teachers from whom I have learned “musicality” with respect to tango dancing (see the end for details).
Tango works in 4/4 time. Vals is in ¾ time. Milonga is in 2/2 time.
4/4 time means that there are four beats in a measure. Our main timing for tango dancing is to land our steps on beats 1 and 3.
¾ time means that there are three beats in a measure. For vals, we typically land our steps on the first beat (or the “1”) of each measure.
2/2 time (otherwise known as "half time") means that there are two beats in a measure. For milonga, we tend to land our steps on each of them.
As in all things tango related, the variations are very large and there are no set rules. However, just keep these ideas in mind upon which to build your musical foundation. Once the emerging leader understands the framework, he understands where variation is possible.
Taking tango music first, tango ideas (or phrases) tend to play out across eight measures. Recall that each of these measures contains four beats and we are typically stepping on the 1 and the 3 of each of those measures.
You, the choreographer, can use even this basic idea to begin to plan your dancing.
First, find the 1 and the 3. Organize your movements to step on those beats. Even if you can’t or don’t want to count the beats out for four measures and then for four more, you will develop a feel for these phrases – when they begin, when they end. Keep your ears open. They feel quite natural once you start really paying attention.
Contrast is the key to the beauty, drama and tension of tango music. Accordingly, if one phrase has been sharp with accented notes (staccato), the next phrase is likely to contrast with the first one and be more flowing (legato).
The vocals can likewise create this contrast. The simple act of the voice coming into the music and you adjusting the tone of your body and the way in which you move can create a very significant effect.
To make your dance feel musical, in the accented section, “play” those accents on the floor with your feet. You aren't stomping on the ground, but allow your feet to truly *land* so that the steps can be felt by your partner and that your entire body *arrives* with your step.
Then, in the flowing section, step more lightly, more gracefully. These sections are better for the panther-like steps of the more elegant method of walking and stepping.
Listen for the end of the phrases. They usually make perfect times to pause. You can use this pause to finish your current idea and to think about the next phrase. Don’t be afraid to pause for a whole measure ( a count of 4). Enjoy holding each other.
_Conclusion_
Learn how your body moves. Learn how it moves when connected to a partner. Study the music. Add variations to your movements that are suggested to you by the music. Play. Have fun.
Endnotes:
The first teacher is Brett Lemley, a professional trumpet player and the Director of Tango Mercurio’s Community Orchestra. He also dances tango. His contributions to my learning have been most directly in translating a sheet music approach to hearing tango music. He also unlocked for me the idea of how different instruments behave in the unique idiom of tango music. I have taken several classes with him and I expand my knowledge each time.
The second teacher is Murat Erdemsel, one of the best tango dancers out there today. Murat is also a visual artist. He developed a workshop on the idea of “kiki” and “buba” in the context of tango music. For my purposes here, I will say that “kiki” is sharp, staccato music, while “buba” is flowing and legato. Tango music continually contrasts these ideas.
The Accidental Choreographer: Part 1
When asked the question “Why do you want to learn Argentine tango?”, I would guess that the day-one leader will not answer “because I want to be a choreographer.”
Well, guess what, muchacho? That is the job you just took.
While not a novel viewpoint, I will suggest that there are two roles that are unique to the leader: navigation and choreography.
The responsibility for navigating the couple on the dance floor is clear. That skill is developed by learning mechanics allowing you to make turns and to stop. The rest comes from experience.
Actually, I sometimes tell people that most of the apparent spontaneity and improvisation of tango is mostly avoiding everyone else on the floor as in time to the music as possible.
Of course, there is much more to it than that.
It is often said that followers prefer a leader who “dances musically” rather than one who is simply “dancing steps”.
What makes the difference?
Choreography.
The idea of choreography is often frowned upon within the social circles of Argentine tango. Choreography is often thought of as a memorized series of movements, or steps, that are simply being performed to music.
Many active Argentine tango dancers will recoil against this idea: “There are no set steps in tango!!!”
I will ask you to think about it a little more broadly. In a general way, a choreographer’s job is to plan out a series of movements to a specific piece of music.
This meshing of one or more bodies and music requires (at least) two resources:
1) a vocabulary of movements and
2) knowledge of the music.
With these two elements, the choreographer maps out movements that they feel make sense to the music. Once the routine is set, the dancers learn the movement sequence and then set out to practice it until it is as perfect as it can be.
In social tango, this process is nearly impossible. You often have no idea in advance which songs will be played in a given evening. Likewise, you don’t really know who will go to the milonga or with whom you will dance during a particular tanda.
How then does this situation play out for the leader as choreographer?
***
First, of course, the leader has to improve his own technique and expand his vocabulary as widely as he is comfortable. Once on the dance floor, he needs to understand the intersection of the vocabulary with which he can best execute on a crowded social dance floor and the vocabulary of his partner. After all, if tango is a non-verbal conversation, you first need to determine how you will converse.
***
Secondly, he has to attend to the music. While it is not possible to memorize every tango song, it is possible to get familiar with many songs. Thankfully, memorizing all of the tango orchestras is not required, either. Thankfully, it is easier to study the overall structure of tango music, as well as vals and milonga songs.
The main idea is that you have to listen to the music – really listen to it. The music will whisper ideas in your ear. Heed those voices.
If the music is slow and flowing, keep your steps smooth and flowing. If the music is fast and accented, Adjust your steps accordingly. Pick an instrument your hear and play it with your feet. The voice is an instrument.
When the music pauses, well, that is an invitation for you to do the same thing.
If you can simply build in those ideas and make those contrasts apparent in your dance, you take the first step towards becoming a musical dancer and begin to build your choreography muscles.
Time is a fuzzy thing in tango. A five hour milonga is gone in an instant. A great tanda can feel like a fall evening.
It is easy to feel rushed as a leader in tango. You are navigating, choreographing, embracing, paying attention to your body and your partner’s body, and the couples around you. Oh yeah, you are dancing, too. AND the next unforgiving beat is coming at you so soon and you.just.have.to.move.NOW!!!
These feelings can lead to anxiety and discomfort. Ultimately, they can disconnect you from your connection to both the music and your partner. And if you feel rushed and anxious, you will become stiff and awkward and you can bet that will translate right to your partner.
What is a leader to do?
A great place to start down the path of tango is to learn the components of a lead and follow within the context of each step and look for the possibility of magically stretching time.
*** Breaking apart the components of a step ***
There is an exercise that DC tango teacher Masha Abapolnikova taught (inspired by Aja Fenn) in which we break down the elements of a leading a step.
In the exercise, you take your partner in practice embrace. The leader places the couple in parallel system on either foot. Then, he initiates the impulse of a lead by pressing the floor with his standing leg. When he does this, he says “A”. The follower feels this impulse and extends her free leg backwards and says, “B”. The leader extends his free foot forward and says, “C”. Then they both transfer weight together onto the new standing leg and both say, “D”.
This exercise brings awareness to the sequence of events within just a very small movement – a single step. On one hand, it seems to add complexity. I think it actually clarifies the actions.
The leader provides the initial impulse which is felt and responded to by the follower. The leader then follows his follower in the movement and they ultimately arrive together.
By expanding the components of the step, you can separate the various impulses and responses.
*** Impulse then move ***
At the 2016 Terrapin Tango Festival at the University of Maryland, teachers Daniela Pucci and Luis Bianchi broke this down in the amusing and unforgettable phrasing of “Oompah-Loompah”.
As you likely recall, in tango music, we tend to step on the 1 and 3 of each measure (measures in tango typically consist of four beats or pulses). We can be on either foot: step left on 1 then step right on 3. In this context, the “pah” lands on the 1 and 3. The “oom” or “loom” represents the beat of 4 getting ready for stepping on the 1 and the 2 getting ready for the 3.
4 | 1 2 3 4 | 1…
Oom – pah’ Loom – pah’ Ooom – pah’…
This exercise ties these four components of a movement to the music.
“A” and “B” reside in the moments of “Oom” or “loom”, while “C” and “D” resolve themselves simultaneously in the “pah”.
In this manner, the leader recognizes where he needs to plan his leading impulses in order for the couple to be on point with the music and to land on the beats he intends.
Oom-pah Loom-pah
Impulse- move Impulse-move
*** Stretching steps/stretching time ***
At the same festival, teachers Juan Cantone and Sol Orozco developed their own idea of creating contrast between how the steps are taken and how the dancers travel with their bodies between the beats and steps.
They used the idea of stepping as a “point” or as a “line”.
Stepping like a point essentially means that you fully arrive on your axis when you take your step such that your axis lands with your foot on the beat.
Stepping as a line means that you take the time of pulse to travel from your current axis point to arrival onto your next axis point. This feels more like a traditional tango step: extend, travel, arrive.
When moving like a point, the whole step mechanics are accomplished within one beat. Moving like a line stretches that movement across two beats.
By varying the quality of your steps like this, arriving like a point with one step and then moving like a line into your next step, it feels like you are stretching time.
***
By dissecting the components of the lead - leader impulse, follower response, leader response, arrival together – you learn how to separate the elements of a movement (A, B, C, D).
When you tie that together with the components of each measure, you can get a feel for how your impulse and arrival tie to the music (oom-pah loom-pah or impulse-move impulse-move)
Combining these ideas, you can consciously play with the quality and nature of the steps you and your partner take.
Altogether, these ideas allow you to manage and plan your time as leader, rather than feeling like the victim of the next incoming note on which you must step.
Now, get out there in your Milonga Tardis and practice being a Tango Time Lord.
The Tao de Tango
1. The tango that can be described in words is not tango.
2. Leading and following produce each other.
3. When one dancer is called advanced and another beginner there is separation.
4. The embrace is empty. It is the source of the dance.
5. The embrace is empty yet can never be exhausted.
6. Leading and following are barely perceptible.
7. Dancers who do not dance for themselves can dance forever.
8. Like water that does not fight its course, the couple moves with ease.
9. Moving harshly is as good as sitting at the table all night.
10. Dancing with energetic relaxation like a child leads to magical tandas.
11. The embrace defines space. How shall it be filled?
12. Too many steps make sore feet.
13. Selfishness creates separation.
14. Traditional tango is always new. It cannot be otherwise.
15. One cannot describe the feelings of the original milongueros. We are reduced to discussing their steps and techniques.
16. In tranquil acceptance, tango flourishes.
17. Skillful teachers send their students on the dance floor. There, the students say, “Look what we discovered all by ourselves!”
18. When styles are emphasized, disharmony prevails.
19. When technique prevails, teachers control. When simplicity prevails, there is tango.
20. Instruction is limiting. Technique is wearying. Tranquility is simplicity. There is tango.
21. Within the connection of the embrace, there is tango.
22. Flowing and fluid, responding to endless change, the dancers return from themselves to themselves.
23. Those who do not pay attention to connection will lose their partner.
24. Shiny shoes do not ensure a stable axis.
25. Tango existed before there were dancers. It will be here after they pass.
26. Slow gives rise to fast. Pausing gives rise to movement.
27. A mistaken step is adjusted for immediately and the connected couple moves on as if nothing has happened.
28. When the couple flows, no one knows who is leading and who is following.
29. Those who grasp their partners cannot grasp tango.
30. The skillful leader does not seek domination. A skillful follower does not submit.
31. Grace is lost when force is used.
32. When one dancer is the servant of the other, connection is lost.
33. Partners must first be strong in themselves.
34. The dance can overwhelm the dancers. If they seek nothing, it cannot rule them.
35. When milongueros use the music like food, they are always nourished.
36. A dancer who emphasizes sequences will be trapped by steps.
37. There is no dancing to do in tango.
38. The leaders with agendas are indignant when they get no response. When agendas are lost, partners flow.
39. The dance arises from the floor, grounded and confident.
40. Forceful movements indicate weak connection.
41. When people hear that tango is a feeling that is danced, they laugh. When people dance their feelings, they laugh.
42. The first step produces the second step. From this, all dancing begins.
43. Intention is invisible, but its strength powers the connection.
44. Does the dancer seek fame or tango?
45. Great skill seems simple.
46. When connection is lost between couples, there is chaos. When connection between couples is maintained, there is ronda.
47. With no steps, no sequences, no techniques, the tangueros dance tango without ever leaving their seats.
48. When pursuing instruction, steps are gained. When dancing tango, steps are lost.
49. The maestros have no agenda except discovery.
50. Some dancers stop dancing because they have run out of steps. Tangueros move while there is music.
51. The embrace nurtures the dancers. Connection instructs them. The music powers them without ever touching them.
52. Seeking clarity within themselves, milongueros dance like children.
53. Dance levels are a distraction. All those who foster connection are milongueros.
54. Observe other dance communities. Observe other dancers. Observe yourself.
55. Aggressiveness is not tango.
56. Close your mouth. Open your ears. Open your heart. This is connection.
57. Unattached to actions or agendas, the dancers transform themselves.
58. Poor instruction leads to uninformed dancers and confusion in the community.
59. Connection is the source of power. Its firm foundation cannot be exhausted.
60. Trying to control the dance community helps no one.
61. There is power in receptive intuition. This power should infuse both roles.
62. There is wonder in two people creating each moment spontaneously.
63. Even the most complex dance, the most intricate figures are danced one step at a time.
64. The greatest milongueros do not grasp onto any note or phrase. They allow themselves to be moved along the river of music without strain.
65. The traditional milongueros invented a dance that is walking to music while embracing a partner. Magical tandas are created from this foundation.
66. The leader is not in control of the follower. The follower is in the care of the leader. The follower returns this care by listening deeply. The leader listens, too.
67. The partnership is built on the three jewels of compassion, intention and connection.
68. The master milongueros do not let mistakes disturb them. Neither are they disturbed by other couples on the floor. They stay grounded in themselves and remain connected with their partner, the floor, and the music.
69. Milongueros use their arms to generate connection, not contention. They treat their partners as dear guests invited into their home, the embrace.
70. Words are easily spoken and their principles easily explained. Yet only action provides experience.
71. Recognize which techniques you know well and those which you are still learning. The social dance floor is for comfort and enjoyment.
72. The use of force in movement is countered with force.
73. Stage techniques are for performances. The master social dancer excels within the space of the embrace and within the context of the partner connection.
74. Those who do not care for their partner or other couples on the dance floor are likely to cause distraction or harm.
75. Each dancer hungers for connection. Caring partners feed the connection.
76. Master milongueros are supple and move with ease. They are not rigid or clumsy.
77. Master milongueros complement their partner's weaknesses. Together they create strength, neither taking credit, yet each enjoying the result.
78. Master milongueros are like water, soft or hard as needed, but only as much as necessary.
79. After a mistake, master milongueros move on without blame or resentment, using the misstep to foster new ideas.
80. They learn complexity to enjoy simplicity. They have many techniques but only three tools: compassion, intention and connection.
81. The more a milonguero gives to their partner, they more they receive in return. This is tango.
Inspired by the Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained. Derek Lin, translation. (SkyLight Paths, 2006). www.Taoism.net
Dancing is a Communal Act
So dancing is not just dancing. It is also having a relationship with other dancers. And don't be jealous, especially secretly. That's the worst kind. If someone dances something great, it's just more clarity in the world for all of us. Don't make dancers "other", different from you: "They are good and I am bad." Don't create dichotomy. It makes it hard to become good if you create that duality. The opposite, of course, is also true: if you say, "I am great and they aren't," then you become too proud, unable to grow as a dancer or hear criticism of your work. Just "They are good and I am good." That statement gives a lot of space. "They have been at it longer, and I can walk their path for a while and learn from them."
It's much better to be a tribal dancer, dancing with all the people and reflecting many voices through us, than to be a cloistered being trying to find one peanut of truth in our own individual mind. Become big and dance with the whole world in your arms.
(Adapted from "Writing Down the Bones" by Natalie Goldberg. Replace "dancing/dancer" with "writing/writer" and you more or less get her original text.)
Not always what you expect
Part of the adventure of tango is discovery. You and your partner discover possibilities all the time. The magic comes when you are both aware that you have discovered the same thing at the same time.
For example, the follower realizes she has room for an adornment or some extra footwork. At that same moment, the leader is aware of what she is doing and he keeps the time and space open for her to play. Often, these discoveries can be a very pleasant surprise for both dancers.
The same thing can happen in workshops and lessons. The teachers could be asking you to try a certain exercise, mechanic or sequence when all of a sudden, you discover that you can do something else with the idea that has been presented. Sometimes for me, it a lesson with a completely different teacher that pops in my head. This is the time when we make the idea your own.
I find that during an unrelated lesson, an older sequence will come to me that hadn't been working the way I wanted it to work. While the teacher is asking us to work on one idea, that old idea pops up and demands that I play with it. I am fortunate than many followers enjoy these moments of discovery too. It is especially fun when I can fit the old idea in the current exercise. It helps me reinforce the material and it adds variety to the lesson for the follower.
Followers can find these moments of discover, too. In lessons or workshops, an adornment or variation might come to mind - "ooh! I think I could fit that in between those movements!". Especially in a workshop when you have time, ask your partner to run the sequence again so that you can experiment. The exploration is fun for both sides.
Tango is a paired journey of discovery, adventure, mystery and play.
It is often said that there are three Ms in tango:
-Music
-eMbrace
-Movement
The music is the foundation of the dance. The embrace is the connection linking the dancers together. The movement is the partnership in motion within the ideas of the music.
In a musicality workshop this past weekend held by Tango Mercuio with Brett Lemley, Mercurio's Orchestra leader, and Jay Abling a tango teacher and performer from AZ, Brett emphasized the fundamental structure of the music: the marcato - the basic pulse of the music as expressed by the music and the particular orchestra.
He talked about how a dancer can accomplish about 80% of being a dancer by finding this basic pulse. Later in the workshop, he began to help the attendees understand the off-pulse accents in the music - the sincopa. Jay presented ideas on how to work with these two elements.
Brett suggested that 80% of being a musical dancer is finding the basic pulse of the music and another 5-10% was finding the off-pulse elements. I quipped to my friends afterwards that the remaining ~10% was to be found in a bottle of malbec.
Even though that was a joke, there is an element of seriousness to it. The wine can help unlock a dancer's creativity.
Here is a summary of the elements from the workshop and my thoughts on them. The three elements of musicality can be viewed as follows:
Marcato - the basic pulse
Sincopa - the off-pulse accents
Creativity - the dancers linking these elements together in the context of a partner dance on the social floor
For the beginning dancer, these elements form the foundation of the dance. They give dancers tools to work with at a practica. The practice in turn provides the confidence for them to make their way onto the milonga floor.
For the more experienced dancer, these elements are the launching point for a more complex experience.
For the leader, when he uses the impulse of the music to set the tone, the follower can understand the flavor he is likely to add to the tanda. Jay called this calibrating of the partnership "hypnotizing" the follower. Once "hypnotized" to the basic flavor, the leader can then experiment and play with the varying and contrasting elements that make tango dramatic and fun.
Like the leader, the follower should be on pulse. The leader can offer an idea, but the follower has to execute it. If she isn't also listening to the music, it is likely she will be off pace from the leader. If she is moving faster than the music, she is likely to run away from the leader. If she is moving too slowly, she is likely to feel rushed.
Whether the leader is tuned into the pulse gives a follower a great deal of information. First, she will know whether or not the leader is actually tuned into the music (or maybe whether or not she is going to want to dance with him again) . If the leader is dependably on beat, this opens up many possibilities for the follower for her own contributions. If the follower knows when she is being asked to place her foot, she has all of that time in between foot placements for her own ideas and embellishments. It also allows her to know when she can complete an idea in time with her leader (e.g. closing a parada or moving into pasada).
The connection between the two dancers is obvious because it is physical. We can see and touch it. The connection between the partners and the music is not obvious and sometimes it isn't even really there.
When I first started learning tango, I couldn't even hear the music, never mind find the pulse. Later, I found the music so complex (no percussion, competing solos, singers who didn't follow the music, changing phrasing, etc.) that I didn't know how to move to it.
By linking together the basic pulse of the music and the off-pulse accents of the music played the orchestra, I can communicate ideas through the embrace for movement with my partner that we can explore and play with together.
When the leader and follower are both tuned to the music - its speed and flavor - there are few boundaries and many possibilities to enjoy each other in the moment.
(Note: Mark Word frequently talks about the three Ms. See his blog linked in the blog section of this website.)
“Do you hear what I hear?”
“The follower surfs the leader and the leader surfs the music.” - Rick Kim, tango teacher and DJ
For the first three tango lessons I ever took, I was so lost in the mechanics that I couldn’t even hear the music. I clearly wasn’t surfing; I couldn’t even stand up on the board.
Having a decent music background, this was frustrating for me. Even when I was just walking and my teacher was snapping his fingers to the beat, I just couldn’t find it.
I mentioned this to my kids – who were perhaps a bit amused that their father was learning a dance. My son Trevor said, “Dad, maybe the music isn’t about beats, but about patterns.” How smart is that kid!
***
It was finally during a music seminar held by Brett Lemley, Director of the Tango Mercurio Community Orchestra, that the music started to make sense to me.
He described the composition of the basic orchestra: bandoneon, violin, bass violin and piano. Then, he went on to discuss how none of these instruments had 100% responsibility for keeping time. That not only blew my mind at the time, it also freed it. My son’s comment about “patterns” suddenly made all the sense in the world.
Brett described how the patterns are often played across 16 measures (although they are not at all locked into that structure – is there anything within tango that is locked in?!?!). Additionally, after one pattern plays out, the next pattern is likely to be quite different. For example, a very staccato phrase might be followed by a very flowy section with many runs. Such changes in phrasing might suggest walking during one section and turns during another.
As Brett played a few songs and talked about how the patterns in the songs shift and move, I was able to discern a few elements:
-The leader has options regarding the waves he chooses to surf on. Will he pick one instrument? Will he pick the whole orchestra? Will he dance the general feeling of the music?
-The follower has similar options on how she handles her steps and embellishments. In a dramatic end to a phrase, she might collect herself slowly. During a parada in a more staccato phrase, she might add some touches of her foot timed to the pulses on the floor or her partner's leg.
-It occurred to me why tango music is so dramatic. Since none of the instruments is assigned to time keeping, each of them can be part of the rotation of time keeping, harmony and solo. Sometimes, each of them is playing soloes. The situation in which each instrument is playing its own music creates a tension that is palpable and clearly dramatic.
***
Not long afterwards, at the Baltimore Tango Festival with Tango Element, I attended another musicality seminar with Olga Besio. Her distinct teaching was an emphasis on “la pausa”. The pause is another very distinct element of tango music. Olga emphasized – perhaps even insisted – that the pause was not to be danced, but rather to be savored.
The pause creates that moment of transition during which to collect oneself from the previous phrasing to move into the next one. It gives the leader a chance to pick a new element on which to surf. Perhaps it gives the follower a moment to catch her breath. It gives both of them a chance to more deeply connect with each other.
I mentioned that a typical tango phrase might consist of 16 measures (each measure having four beats, where we tend to dance, or step, on beats one and three). Olga pointed out that each phrase tended to end on the first beat of the last measure of the phrase. This type of ending provides the dancers with three beats in which to enjoy la pausa before moving again.
The pause creates another element of drama and mystery to the dance. What phrase comes next? What element will the leader pick to dance to? Will he move right away? Will he wait? Is she decorating the pause with adornos? Is that more fun than moving?
Surfing requires a melding of surfer, board and wave. Tango dancing requires a melding of follower, leader and music.
***
Challenge for the leader: Have you consciously chosen the element of the music you are dancing to?
Challenge for the follower: Can you tell which element the leader has chosen?
It’s Festival Time! Maybe the festival is in town or perhaps you have travelled to another country. Either way, you have prepared your best dancing clothes, signed up for workshops and milongas and you are totally psyched for the weekend.
After a day of workshops, you have cleaned up and made your way to the milonga. Even though your feet are still sore from the afternoon, you can’t wait to dance.
You found a seat at a nice table. You scan the room looking for a partner. One mirada and cabaceo later, you are on the floor melding with your partner and preparing to dance.
Instead, you enter the arena of combat tango.
Combat tango is what you experience when the people around you decide that floor craft and etiquette can be tossed out the window because they will dance their dance the way they want regardless of how many people are on the floor or how much room they have.
Leaders don’t respect the line of dance, lanes or rondo or however the floor is moving. Followers kick their heels as high as they wish. Couples helicopter their way through turns and spins as if they are the only people on the planet.
If you encounter this circumstance and you wish to survive, you have few options.
One option is to sit out. Wait, that isn’t an option.
So that means you must train and execute your very best style of ninja tango dancing.
Try to dance where others aren’t. Look for the spaces wherever possible. Estimate the trajectory of the heliocouples and move out of the target area before they arrive. And if you are the leader, put yourself in between the worst offender and your partner. You might have to take a hit to make a point.
A last ditch effort would be to wear armor. At least when the inevitable collisions happen, you won’t be bruised.
P.S. Dancing in Underarmor, if you prefer it to steel outer armor, is very comfortable.
"and then, you're not."
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