Notes on Musicality

Tango challenges our multi-tasking abilities. Among all the tasks in tango dancing, listening to the music must take precedence. We dance to the music, not to steps. Avoid focusing solely on movements and neglecting the music. Instead, strive to express the music with your steps and let the music guide your dance.

Be calm and unhurried. If you miss a beat, wait for the next one. Take your time to complete each step—don’t rush to catch up with the beat. Embrace holding, pausing, and moving in slow motion when the music calls for it.

Tango music is in quadruple time, with four beats in each measure: 1, 2, 3, 4. The first and third beats are downbeats, while the second and fourth are upbeats. Typically, dancers step on the downbeat, but many variations exist. For example, you can step on both downbeats and upbeats, pause to skip a few beats, or take two steps on one beat.

Common rhythmic patterns include slow-quick-quick, stepping on 1 -, 3, 4; quick-quick-slow, stepping on 1, 2, 3 -; and the less common quick-slow-quick, stepping on 1, 2 -, 4. Tango music is often counted as 1-and, 2-and, 3-and, 4-and rather than 1, 2, 3, 4, giving you the option to step on the subdivision "and," allowing for two steps within one beat’s duration.

Smaller steps require less time, while larger or more intricate ones take more time. Adjust your steps to play with the music's pacing and phrasing.

Musicians syncopate or spice up music by shifting the accent (1, 2, 3, 4), extending a note (1 - - -), starting a note on an unaccented beat and continuing it through the next accented beat (1, 2 -, 4), splitting a note into subdivisions (1-and, 2-and, 3-and, 4-and), accenting the subdivision (1-and, 2-and, 3-and, 4-and), adding an accent (1, 2, 3, 4), or omitting a beat and replacing it with a rest, etc. Syncopation modifies the rhythm and makes the music interesting but more challenging to dance to (see Tango Music and Its Danceability).

Tango steps can be grouped into featured steps, such as the forward step in front ocho or the rock step in ocho cortado, and ancillary actions, such as pivots, hip rotations, weight changes, collections, unwinding, and embellishments. Beginners often focus on featured steps, neglecting ancillary actions. They may be able to step on the beat, but their pivot, hip rotation, cross, weight change and embellishments are often made too slow or too hasty. However, experienced dancers handle the music with finesse, ensuring every detail of their sequences aligns with the rhythm, melody, tempo, and mood, elevating the dance to an art form.

Dancing to music involves not only timing steps but timing the motions of the body as well. The foot must land on the beat, but the motion of the body continues until the other foot lands on the next beat. This motion of the body between two steps is called cadencia, which can be enhanced by increasing the motion of the body. It feels akin to riding a swing. Cadencia increases the sensual pleasure of the dance. The ability to do cadencia is one of the things that mark a good dancer.

Tango music reflects duality: its rhythm is masculine—robust, forceful, and steady; its melody is feminine—fluid, expressive, and moody, akin to the two sexes in the dance. Visualize playing the music with your body. The man and the woman are different instruments. Each with its unique sound, expresses a different mood. Both are indispensable and irreplaceable, and they must complement each other and collaborate harmoniously in order to create a beautiful tango (see The Characteristics of Classic Tango).

Stepping to the beat is fundamental but not the pinnacle of musicality. Beats provide structure and regulate music's speed, but they lack emotion. True expression lies in the melody—its linear, fluid quality adds beauty and sentiment. Dancing to melody feels akin to ice skating: smooth and continuous (see Dancing to Melody - Poema). Choose to follow rhythm or melody, or seamlessly switch between them, depending on your interpretation.

Music comprises phrases and movements, each expressing varying emotions—nostalgia, sorrow, romance, or joy. Dancing to music implies dancing to the changing mood of the music. A qualified dancer steps on the beat; an exceptional dancer dances to the mood of the music.

Too many students pay too much attention to steps rather than musicality, but what is invisible is more important than what is visible. Steps are tools to express music; it is your musicality that defines the quality of your dance. Musicality is an art only few have mastered. Unless you master it you can’t achieve excellence.