The Characteristics of Classic Tango

Dancing tango is not just stepping to the beat of the music being played - that perhaps is how disco is danced, but not tango. Dancing tango is dancing the sentiment and feelings of the music. Sentimentalism is a notable feature of classic tango. Created by early immigrants to Argentina, tango embodies the homesickness and nostalgia of its creators and reflects their thirst for love and longing for a better life (see Tango: The Historical and Cultural Impacts). Modern rock bands with electronically amplified instruments might be able to create a more majestic sound, but they cannot replicate the lingering sentiment of classic tango. That is not only because modern electronic instruments are not designed to convey the emotions of tango, but also because the contemporary rockers lack the experience of the early immigrants. Classic tango is a product of a specific era in Argentina. The environment of its mass production has ceased to exist in modern times, but the human emotions expressed in classic tango are universal and timeless, which people of the contemporary age, especially those struggling at the bottom, can still understand and resonate (see Why People Dance Tango). Dancing tango, one should not just dance the steps and ignore the feelings of the music, because only by understanding and resonating with these feelings can one dance tango well.

The feelings expressed in classic tango reflect the experiences of the men and women of its time, represented by two distinct yet intertwined moods. Classic tango is intrinsically heterosexual in nature. Its rhythm is masculine - resolute, strong, steady, and predictable - while its melody is feminine - soft, emotional, moody, and beautiful. Each note or phrase conveys the strength, courage, and determination of men, or the tenderness, affection, and obedience of women. These two opposing moods intertwine, reflecting the two sexes in the dance. When dancing tango, you have to imagine you are playing music with your body. The man and the woman are different instruments: one is like the bandoneon, the other like the violin; one embodies the passion of the drums, the other the beauty of melody; one is philosophy, the other poetry. Each, with its unique sound, expresses a different emotion. Both are indispensable and irreplaceable, and they must work in harmony, complementing each other to create a beautiful tango (see The Gender Expression in Tango).

Those who dismiss gender roles do not know what they are doing (see The Gender Roles in Tango). The so-called “new tango” or “alternative music” they promote often lacks the contrast of classic tango. It is either overly soft, lacking a clear rhythm, or overly monotonous, short on rhythmic variety. In contrast, classic tango music was developed and composed to suit the dance’s demands. Unlike mush soft-music and monotonous march, classic tango music has a distinct rhythm rich in syncopation, making it highly danceable. By altering the accented beat and adding rhythmic variation, syncopation opens up diverse possibilities for footwork, allowing dancers to express complex emotions (see Tango Music and Its Danceability). While syncopation can be challenging for beginners to grasp, leading some to prefer simpler alternative music, over time, with education and experience, their tastes often evolve and change. Tango dancers need to study tango music and familiarize themselves with its melody, rhythm, tempo, syncopation, pauses, and extensions to truly understand tango and dance well.

Most classic tango songs include a vocal part, which usually does not run through the entire piece, but only appears in certain parts of the song, as if it is cooperating with other instruments. The lyrics are commonly written in lunfardo, the old street slang of Buenos Aires’s lower classes, expressing nostalgia, homesickness, and the pain of lost love. These are songs of the immigrants. Only older milongueros and a few porteños can fully understand these lyrics today. Those unfamiliar with the lyrics may find it challenging to follow their syncopated and elongated syllables. However, these beautiful lyrics express delicate emotions and are beloved by milongueros, many of whom can sing and dance to them with great facility, which is one of the reasons why the milongueros perceive their dance quite differently from the foreigners. Not understanding the lyrics is a disadvantage of the foreigners, but that is not an insurmountable obstacle. A dancer’s education can help bridge this gap because, by truly listening, one can feel the song’s sentiment and emotions through the melody, rhythm, tempo, tone, and mood of the music. Of course, learning the language enhances this understanding. By the way, some foreigners know neither the culture nor the language of tango, but they thought they understand tango better than the milongueros, which to me is arrogant and absurd (see Tango and Gender Equality).