April 30, 2011
Tango as a Philosophy
Tango means different things to different people. For men, it is the skill of leading; for women, the art of following. For beginners, it is about learning steps; for seasoned dancers, it is an expression of music and emotion. To lovers, tango is a relationship; to attention seekers, a show. For heterosexuals, it embodies gender expression; for homosexuals, it offers a space for gender-neutral play. Social dancers view tango as a personal escape, while professionals treat it as a craft to captivate an audience. Casual enthusiasts see it as recreation; devoted milongueros live it as a lifestyle. To foreigners, tango may be a curiosity or cultural fascination, but for Argentinians, it is a deeply ingrained emblem of national identity and heritage. Ultimately, each of us dances tango through our own lens, shaped by who we are and how we connect to it.
Tango philosophy explores the questions that define us as dancers and individuals. Below is an incomplete list of such questions, each open to multiple answers. Some may be more technically correct or incorrect, while others simply reflect personal preferences—neither right nor wrong. Collectively, these diverse perspectives and choices shape how we dance, interact, and identify within the tango community. By examining and exchanging viewpoints on these matters, we can deepen our understanding, learn from one another, refine our dance, and, hopefully, achieve mastery through a holistic appreciation of all aspects of tango.
1. What is tango
2. Why people dance tango
3. Different styles of tango
4. Embrace-orientation vs. step-orientation
5. Action-orientation vs. feeling-orientation
6. Close embrace vs. open embrace
7. Social tango vs. performance tango
8. Artistic sublimation vs. vulgarism
9. Cultural bias and impacts
10. The relationship of the two sexes
11. The gender roles in tango
12. Masculinity vs. femininity
13. Gender interdependence vs. gender independence
14. Gender expression vs. gender neutrality
15. Feminism and its impact on tango
16. Individualism and its impact on tango
17. Individual performance vs. teamwork
18. Tango as a fellowship vs. tango as a show
19. Populism vs. elitism
20. Romanticism vs. gymnastics
21. Intimacy vs. spectacularism
22. Essence vs. appearance
23. Developing skills vs. imitating steps
24. The unity of form and content
25. The danceability of tango music
26. Classic tango music vs. alternative music
27. Dancing the music vs. dancing the steps
28. Dancing to rhythm vs. dancing to melody
29. Three theories on leading
30. Partner-centered leading vs. self-centered leading
31. Active follow vs. passive follow
32. Foundation vs. advanced steps
33. Simplicity vs. complexity
34. Elegance vs. fanciness
35. Naturalness vs. affectation
36. Harmony vs. competition
37. Comfort vs. beauty
38. Steps vs. chreography
39. Progressive dancing vs. spot dancing
40. Surrender vs. self‑assertion
41. Reliance vs. lightness
42. Creativity vs. standardization
43. Cabeseo vs. verbal invitation
44. Liberty vs. milonga codes
45. Reform vs. tradition
46. The freedom in tango
47. Tango and the outlook on life
48. Tango and suffering
49. A dance that challenges modern ideologies
50. A dance that teaches the world to love
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Do you regard all of these pairs of concepts as strict dichotomies? I think some of them are actually hard to separate out, such as "movement orientation/music-feeling orientation" or "personal enjoyment versus show-off" (we want to look good while we're dancing so as to get more dances and hence more enjoyment!) or "elegance vs. comfort" (if your aesthetic involves a very natural, smooth look, which is also comfortable to dance) or "rhythm versus melody" (I am still sceptical as to whether we can really dance to the melody, as opposed to the rhythms within the melody). It sounds as though there is potential for some interesting discussion.
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We hope beauty and comfort go hand in hand, but that is not always the case. Movement oriented dancers like to do fancy stuffs that catch eyes and use whatever embraces that help to expand movement possibilities, often at the cost of their own and their partner’s comfort. On the other hand, those who dance for personal enjoyment may be embrace specific, use simple steps, focus only on personal feelings and don’t care much about how they look.
ReplyDeleteDance to the music does not only mean stepping on the beat, it also means dancing with cadencia. When in motion, the body produces a momentum in each step, which can be maneuvered by accelerating and then halting the body motion to create a lilt or cadence in the horizontal direction, like a wave of motion across each step in correspondence with the rhythmic flow of the music. The rhythm is faster, regular, and less emotional. The melody is slower, more sentimental and often irregular. Dancers with good musicality can use different cadencia and other means, such as slow motion and pause, to express different emotions.
ReplyDeleteTo: Terpsichoral. I certainly appreciate your comment. But, in reply to your statement that reads “we want to look good while we're dancing so as to get more dances and hence more enjoyment!”. It seems that you’re dancing to impress others instead of concentrating on your partner and how she feels and how you connect with her. If she is pleased with your dance, I can guarantee she will tell other ladies and they will want to dance with you. If she is not pleased with your dance because you are focused on putting on a show for others, then she will tell her friends and they won’t want to dance with you.
ReplyDeleteI’ve seen this happen so many times at Milongas.