Notes On Musicality

If a tango is mono-rhythmic, it is palling to dance to. But if it contains too many layers of unrecognizable rhythms, it becomes un-danceable also. A good, danceable tango has a clear rhythm with variations that are creative but not too difficult to follow. In fact, it often contains layers of rhythms and melodies, but there is usually a dominant rhythm and melody interwound with subordinate ones. The dancers can choose to follow the dominant rhythm or melody, or the subordinate ones, or jump from one to another, depending on their interpretations of the music and how they want to express their feelings in the moment. Some dancers are more rhythmic. Others are more melodic. They develop different dance styles according to their musicality.

Within each piece of music there are different movements and phrases. Some are shorter; some are longer. Some are slower; some are faster. They express different emotions: sad, happy, romantic, sentimental, passionate, melancholy, and nostalgic… Dancing to the music not only means stepping on the beat, but also means dancing to the emotions of the music. A good dancer steps on the beat. An excellent dancer dances to the emotions of the music.

Tango music is quadruple time. It has four beats in each measure. The first and third beats are the strong beats. The second and fourth beats are the weak beats. The dancer usually steps on the strong beats, but there are many other possibilities. For example, one can step on the weak beats, or a combination of strong and weak beats, or just on any one beat or all beats, or make two steps on one beat, or pause to skip few beats, etc.

A small step takes less time. A larger step takes more time. A quick step takes less time. A slow step takes more time. A 180-degree turn takes longer time than a 90-degree turn, but shorter time than a 360-degree turn. A good dancer has the ability to use these tools, to make very fast as well as very slow, very small as well as very large movements to play with the music.

A beat may last a fraction of a second. Although stepping anytime during that duration can be regarded as “stepping on the beat”, precision requires stepping on the beginning, not the end, of the beat. A good dancer, however, can use the duration of the beat to delay or catch up time, to adorn a footwork, to finish a movement, to sustain a posture, and to change the rhythm by shortening one step in order to elongate another, or vice versa.

Too many tango students pay too much attention on learning visible movements than invisible musicality, but what is invisible is more important than what is visible. Musicality is an art that only few master. Unless you master it you can’t reach excellence.

Mirta

At Milonga de los Consagrados there was a woman who caught my attention. She danced beautifully and with style. When she made ochos, she crossed her leg forward and stepped diagonally to one side of her partner. As soon as her foot landed on the floor she changed her weight to it, pivoting and turning her hips until her lower body was twisted almost 90 degree from her upper body. At that posture, although her upper body was connected to her partner’s torso, her lower body was facing his side, allowing her to step forward diagonally to that side and repeat the same sequence in the opposite direction. At the end of the ocho sequence, she crossed her free leg in front of her standing leg, keeping it stylishly bent, while turning back her hips before letting the bending leg land on the floor. She did so with elegance and beauty. No matter how complex the movement was, she executed it with ease and style. No matter how fast the music was, she remained calm and unhurried, allowing herself time to complete the step, yet still managed to finish the step on the beat. She was a master of tango and had an extraordinary musicality.

I liked the way she was dancing and had a desire to dance with her, so I stared at her intensely and did not let my eyes move away. Eventually I caught her attention. As her eyes met mine I nodded at her and she nodded back. So I walked towards her, keeping my eyes at her all the way until I was standing a few steps in front of her. She gave me a smile, stood up, walked towards me, and let me hold her in my arms. We started to dance.

She was an incredible dancer, light, but not too light, followed perfectly, as if she knew in advance where I wanted her to go, but she always waited for the lead and never initiated a move. She had such a beautiful line and danced with such elegance that I could not help but want to let her shine. Every time I led her do an ocho, I gave her extra time to show her style. We danced in perfect harmony and satisfaction. When we finished the tanda she said she wanted to give me her card. I walked her back to her seat. She took out a card from her purse and handed it to me. On it there printed “Mirta Mark, Profesora Nacional de Danzas”. “Let me know where you will be,” she said, “so we can dance again.”

We danced again a few days later at Club Gricel. She didn’t feel very well that day, but she came to dance with me anyway because I was leaving Buenos Aires next Monday. Unfortunately the floor was too crowded on the weekend and we couldn’t dance the way we would like to dance. I sent her an e-mail to say goodbye next morning. In her response she wrote, “These things do not happen every day…If you think the same way, let’s continue to write…and who knows, we may again have the opportunity, in Argentina or USA, to enjoy our dance and maybe an exquisite dinner…”

I miss that wonderful moment dancing with her, and am looking forward to that day!

Push (II)

To simplify things, I use the word PUSH as a general reference to indicate a lead that is slightly forceful. There may be proper reasons for the leader to use such leads, such as when he wants the follower to make a faster turn or make a larger step. There may also be improper reasons, such as when he intends to force the follower do things beyond her ability. Whatever the motivation, that lead may or may not be followed perfectly. When it is followed perfectly, we don’t have a problem. When it is not followed perfectly, from the follower’s perspective it feels like pushy or pully. When that happens, it is an indication that the relationship between the two partners needs some adjustments. In a previous post, I discussed some of the causes from both the leader and follower’s perspectives. I believe both sides have issues to be addressed. The discord can only be resolved by cooperative efforts, not by the leader alone.

In Buenos Aires I noticed that, in general, Argentine woman dancers are more adaptive to the lead than their North American counterparts. Other than skill levels, there may also be cultural reasons behind this, since Argentina is known as a macho society, whereas American culture is heavily influenced by individualism and feminism. Many American women are not used to the physical closeness and surrender required by the dance. They are more independent and less accommodating than Argentine women. In response to the same lead, an Argentine woman may turn faster or make a larger step, while her American counterpart may say, “Don’t push me!”

Some theories created by some American tango instructors reflect a cultural bias. Such as “It is always the leader’s fault.” If the follower is not stepping where the leader intends, then it is the leader's fault because his lead must not be clear. If it is clear, then it is too pushy because the lead should be suggestive and should be as subtle as if there is no physical contact, as some instructors believe. But if the follower fails to follow the lead, then it is still the leader's fault because that lead is beyond her ability to follow. The leader should lead according to her level and then wait for her to move at her pace, even though that pace is off beat or she is doing her own thing regardless of the lead. I just don't see the logic behind this kind of talk. I think it is one-sided and follower-centered.

“There is NEVER a reason to push a follower” is another one. I recently attented a workshop about how to use push as a leading technique. There are many reasons to use this technique. For example, the follower is not always familiar with the music and you need to lead her rather than letting her dance off beat. When the music has different intervals, you need to hold the movement, or accelerate it, or decelerate it. Sometimes you push the follower to make a larger step to accommodate a prolonged note, or push her move faster to adapt the accelerating music, or slow her down if she is too hurry. Most women I have partnered with appreciate such lead because it helps them to dance to the music.

It is true that too often push is used improperly. The follower may interpret the music differently from the leader by accident. She may need more time to finish a step. The leader should allow her time and freedom to be an active part of the dance and accommodate her as much as possible (as the music allows). Just as the undersdanding of the follower's perspective could help the leader to adjust his lead, the understanding of the leader's perspective could help the follower to be more coordinative. I prefer a balanced view and not just blame one partner for everything, or just ask one partner to listen to the other. I believe tango is a dialogue between the two partners, who should listen to each other, adjust themsellves to each other, and allow each other to make mistakes sometims. However, I also believe tango is a led dance in which the leader's role is to lead and the follower's role is to follow, not the other way around.

This post is a response to the following comment http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cu-tango-discuss/message/103

Close Embrace And Open Embrace (IV)

Dancing close embrace is so comfortable that I have heard time and again from my partners that they felt like a baby lulled to sleep and did not want to wake up when the tanda ended. The beautiful music and rhythmic motion have a hypnotic effect to the dancers, especially followers, causing them fall deeply into a state of meditation or dreaming. Some dancers describe it as intoxication or euphoria. Others call it duende, as the dancers appear to be possessed by a spirit that gives rein to the dance.

Unlike in open embrace where fancy movements are made to impress, in close embrace simple steps are used to pleasure the partner. When impression is the goal, movement is the center of attention and the partner becomes secondary. When pleasure is the goal, the partner becomes the center of attention and movement is secondary. The two styles emphasize totally different things. What open embrace is after in an effort to impress is precisely what close embrace wants to avoid. The chief principle of close embrace is to pleasure the partner. The dancers are not in a position to challenge each other with difficult footwork. They are in a position to give comfort to each other. The goal is to achieve euphoria or duende. Every movement is aimed at that end; any thing contradictory to that end is avoided.

That does not mean that close embrace neglects the artistic quality of the dance. Tango at its very root is a close-embraced dance. Some of the most beautiful tangos ever danced are danced in close embrace. The beauty of close embrace lies in the compactness, simplicity, intimacy and elegance of the movement. Unlike in open embrace where each dancer keeps his/her own axis and balance, in close embrace the two dancers lean on each other for support, their bodies are slightly bent from a vertical position, creating a shape and line that is different from that in open embrace. Dancing in that posture requires techniques and skills that are uniquely close-embrace, which are difficult, but equally elegant and beautiful when done well.

Legendary photographer Joe McNally commented on a photograph he entitled Paloma Herrera’s Feet: “Beauty and pain go hand-in-hand—especially in the world of dance. Paloma wasn’t happy about it, but I asked her to take off her shoes at the end of a workout. Her feet were a mess.” I am aware of the pain a ballerina has to endure in order to reach perfection, but I use this story to make another point. There is a philosophical difference between dance for show and dance for pleasure. When asked whether comfort or elegance is more important in tango and should a dancer sacrifice either one in favor of the other, my teacher milonguero Ruben Ayber answered, “What is comfortable should also be elegant. What is elegant should also be comfortable.” True tango masters do not compromise beauty for comfort, nor do they compromise comfort for beauty, because to them beauty and comfort go hand-in-hand.

Close Embrace And Open Embrace (III)

The feeling of dancing close embrace is very different from that of dancing open embrace. When two partners are in a close embrace, the male leader feels his female follower’s soft, springy, flexible and responsive body. She holds him as if she belongs to him and is afraid of loosing him. She responds to his movement as if she understands him and is a part of him. As he leads her dancing, her body twists to his left and right, her breasts rub his chest, her thigh touches his thigh, her muscles relax and tense, and her whole body adapts ingeniously and femininely to his changing posture... All these generate a very pleasant sensation and feeling. He feels a real blood and flesh woman. He enjoys her presence and company. The beauty of her body and her femininity excite him. He enjoys that moment being together with her because only she as a woman can stir the feelings within him that make him a man again, just as only he as a man can stir within her the feelings that she enjoys as a woman. His masculinity, strength, support and protection let her feel safe, loved, and beautiful. In his embrace she returns to her womanhood and childhood again. Only in that moment she can truly feel and enjoy being a woman, as in real life she has to be less. Tango is known as a refuge, and it has to be danced between a man and a woman to have that effect. When tango is danced by men or women alone, something mysterious and magic is missing. And that to me is anti tango. I know some may argue with me about this. But, hey, that’s me. I like women and enjoy a dance that contains the beauty of both masculinity and femininity.

But that is not all. If close embrace is physical and sensuous, then it is also romantic and poetic. No one has described this aspect better than Eugene Grigoryev in his masterpiece What is Tango? (http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note%20id=39585867347) I want to quote the essay in its entirety here because I cannot say it better than Eugene, and the description of close embrace would not be complete without a depiction of this inward, heavenly, dreamy and soulful feeling. The following is the entire quote of Eugene’s masterpiece.

“Tango is more than just a dance or a sequence of steps. It is an expression of our emotions, an inner reflection of who we are and what we experience, a way to channel what we feel through movement. Tango is a language of expressing what we feel through motion, stirred in us by music, in unison with our partner. It comes into your lives in many different ways, as simple interest, a hobby, or a fascination… and ever so slowly it becomes an addiction.

A simple look, a gesture, a smile, an eye contact, his askance to lead, her acceptance to be led, all done without any need of verbal communication. As the music compels them, she comes close to him, they embrace… they feel each other breathe, they feel the passionate song unfold, it flows through their bodies, invigorating them, stirring emotions, which they both share… they can be strangers in real life, but as long as they are in this tango moment, they can be anyone they want… You don't have to know the person or even want to know them. Time ceases to exist during this moment, both dancers are moving to the music, listening for it to tell them what to do… they slow down, pause, accelerate, suspend, all in the moment… almost as being possessed by the music. Outside of this moment is the real world, with its everyday problems, solutions, responsibilities, deadlines… but not here, not now… Now it is only tango, a refuge, a moment of surreal experience of desire, longing… words are not meant to describe it.

The social aspect of milonga is fascinating. It holds anticipation, surprise, heavenly music, moments of contact and separation. The challenge and satisfaction of rhythmically moving in unison with another person is what lures us to Tango. The experience is both physical and surreal. In three minutes of a song, you can experience a rollercoaster of emotions, but you will not experience them alone. For those three minutes there will be a person embracing you, sharing what they are feeling with you… all without a single word being spoken… pure, raw emotions expressed through motion.”

Beautiful, Eugene! Thank you!

Close Embrace And Open Embrace (II)

Close embrace and open embrace are like two different dances. The two styles have little in common in their structures, techniques, feelings, and philosophy (what tango is about, why people dance tango, the role of the partners, and principles of partnership), so different that people who can dance one style are not be able to dance the other style without learning. I know this from my personal experience. When I first tried to dance close embrace after three years of dancing open embrace, I had no clue how to do it because everything, including posture, connection, axis, balance, space, movement possibilities, and the way to lead and follow, changed.

In fact, open embrace has more in common with ballroom dances than tango. Just as in a standard ballroom dance, in open embrace the two partners are apart by an arm length without torso connection. Each partner is on his/her own axis independent to the other, so the two partners do not rely upon each other for balance. Theoretically, the leader is supposed to lead with his torso. But since there is no torso connection between the partners, the leader tends to use arms to lead. This is especially true when one or both partners are inexperienced dancers. The feeling of dancing open embrace is just like dancing another standard ballroom dance. No comfort of embracing another person. No sensation of the partner’s body movement. No dreamy feelings stirred up by the dance. No intimacy between the partners. The fun of dancing open embrace mainly comes from a broader range of movement possibilities due to the increased space between the partners. Basically each partner enjoys his/her own movements. They do not enjoy the physical existence of the other person.

I like to dance open embrace just as I like to dance ballroom dances. It is spectacular, intricate, dazzling, and showy. But that is not the reason why I love tango. The reason I love tango is found in close embrace: its togetherness, simplicity, inwardness, subtlety and depth, its sentimentalism, intimacy, sensuousness, physicality and coziness. In close embrace, the two partners lean into each other, chest against chest, cheek touches cheek; her head rests on his shoulder, his arm holds her back, and hers around his neck. In such closeness the two partners literarily feel each other’s breaths, hear each other’s heartbeats, smell each other’s perfume, and sense each other’s impulses. They are no longer two, but one, depending on each other for balance. There is a shared axis and little space between them. Consequently, the way they move their bodies is different from that in open embrace. The leader leads with his torso against the follower and therefore does not need to use hands. The follower receives the lead with her chest. She closes her eyes, surrenders herself to him, and follows. It is a very comfortable position to be and dance in.

Close Embrace And Open Embrace (I)

I like many things about Argentine tango: its music, passion, beauty, its sportive, social and recreational functions, and its culture (milonguero legends, milonga code, cabeceo, and even machismo, etc.). All of these, however, would not mean so much if tango were not danced between a man and a woman. As Susana Miller said to me, “If you like tango, then you like women.” Let’s face it, at bottom it is women that attract men to tango, and vice versa. Although to some degree that is true with all partner dances, tango is different. It is much more intimate, physical, and sensual.

One BBC commentator remarked, “Tango contains a secret about the yearning between men and women.” That is right on. The yearning, however, is not necessarily a sexual one. I believe tango fulfills a human need for intimacy between opposite sexes in a nonsexual way. Our society is so sex oriented that this innocent yearning between men and women has been deprived. Any intimacy between opposite sexes is deemed sexual and, therefore, is repressed either voluntarily or involuntarily. Men and women cannot be intimate unless they want to have sex. In other words, our culture does not approve innocent intimacy between the two sexes.

But Argentine tango represents a different view, or a culture, that recognizes and sanctions nonsexual intimacy. In this context tango is not just a dance. It is a way by which that innocent human desire can be met with stylized sophistication and elegance under a set of rules designed to maintain the dignity and decency of the participants. (That is why milonga code is such an important part of tango.) The influence of tango to the world, I believe, will be far more cultural than artistic. Tango is now becoming a worldwide phenomenon for a reason. It meets a fundamental human need: fulfilling that secret yearning between men and women.

But that aspect of tango is still new to Americans, as evidenced by the way we embrace tango. We dance tango as but another ballroom dance. We are not intimately engaged to each other in the dance. Many of us still shy away from close embrace and prefer to use open embrace instead, which, although rarely seen in Buenos Aires, is the dominant style in American tango scene. Cabeceo and milonga code are not taught and practiced at most milongas in the U.S. The general culture and atmosphere in our tango community is still more individualistic, competitive and even hostile than intimate, cooperative and friendly. Those who have been in Buenos Aires know what I compare with.