Rhythm, the duration and accents in music characterized by regular and interrupted beats, is the most essential element in music, which can exist without melody, as in the drumbeats of primitive music. Rhythm is what causes us to dance because we naturally step on the pulses of the music (see Tango Music and Its Danceability).
But music is more than rhythm. It also has melody, the sweet, continuous and flowing tone that adds feelings, beauty and fludity to music. Melody is what makes our movement emotional, smooth and graceful, as we try to express the feeling, fluency and beauty of the melody.
Some tango songs, such as Di Sarli's and D'Arienzo's, are more rhythmic and easy to dance to. Others, such as Pugliese's and Troilo's, are more melodic and difficult to follow. Rhythmic music is best for the milonguero style of tango danced in close embrace because it facilitates the pulsatory and synchronous movements of the two connected bodies, generating a sensation that is both intimate and pleasurable, which makes the style popular among feeling-oriented dancers.
Melodic music is best suited to the Villa Urquiza style of tango danced in a loose embrace in favor of flashy performance, because it facilitates improvisational rather than rhythmic movements. The style, often being described as stylish, fancy and showy, appeals to movement-oriented dancers (see The Styles of Tango).
The milonguero style is the dominant style in Argentina, Uruguay, Span and Italy due to the cultural ties between these countries (see Tango: Historical and Cultural Impacts). In recent years it is also gaining popularity in other parts of the world. The following video is a good representation of this style.
This video has been used by this blogger before, so you may have watched it already. But for the purpose of explaining how the milonguero style is danced, I want to call your attention again to the fragments highlighted below.
17:24 - 17:50 (26 seconds)
This fragment is a classic example of how the milonguero style is danced. It is danced in simple and rhythmic steps. Please note the rhythmic pattern used by the couple. It sounds like: 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and, 5 6 7 and 8 9 10 and, or: slow and slow and slow and slow and, quick quick quick and quick quick quick and. The steps are simple, but the speed, direction and length of the steps are varied. Most steps are small, occasionally a big step weaves in, and forward step, side step, back step, rock step and turn are blended to make the choreography interesting.
As you can see, although simple, the dance is mesmeric. The woman obviously is intoxicated with it. She snugs in his arms and dances in complete agreement with him, totally comfortable with everything he leads her to do no matter how simple it is, and does not act in excess of her role to cause complication, noises and disharmony. Her steps are simple and inconspicuous. No adornment is made to impress. Her attention is on the music and feelings. One can tell from her facial expression the power of such simple and rhythmic motions.
1:10 - 1:38 (28 seconds) and 13:40 - 14:04 (24 seconds)
Here are two more examples, also danced in rhythmic, simple and synchronized steps, focusing on the cohesion and harmony of the team, not the performance of the individual.
If these are the representations of the milonguero style, then our tango, although danced in close embrace, is not the milonguero style. The tango that most Americans dance is too fancy, less rhythmic, less coherent, and not synchronized. Even the music played in our milongas is often too melodic, reflecting only our perception of tango.
I don't think myself, or even a milonguero, can dance the milonguero style with most women in this country, because that degree of coherence takes a woman who is well versed in synchronization (see Driving and Synchronization). In order to dance as one body with the man, the woman must overcome her independence, ego, habit of acting on her own, and desire to show off, surrender herself to the man and follow him unconditionally.
I mention this because many women in this country hold a different philosophy. They do not buy the idea of surrender, obedience and submission, and are not comfortable with intimacy with men. Their femininity, or "gentle and quiet soul" as the Bible put it, has been corrupted by ideologies that encourage women to be self-centered, rebellious, independent, individualistic, disagreeable and aggressive. They only know how to be themselves, but don't know how to be one with another person. They try too hard to impress but overlook the one thing that a woman must do well first in tango dancing: surrender. Consequently, they miss out the magic that tango can offer them.
5:45 - 6:13 (28 seconds) and 18:40 - 19:15 (35 seconds)
The milonguero style is a rhythmic dance, but it can also be danced to melody, as demonstrated in these two fragments.
Songs suitable for the milonguero style of dancing generally have lucid beats, accompanied by sentimental melody. The beats are strong, steady and easy to follow. But sometimes emotions take over and beats weaken or hide into melody. In such case the dancers need to adapt to the changing mood and dance melodically. Dancing to rhythm, the movement is vertical, sudden, short and interrupted. Dancing to melody, the movement becomes horizontal, emotional, graceful, and continuous. Slow motion and pause are often used to suspend a step in order to match the lingering note or to wait for the next phrase to start. It is a moment of emotional display and exchange.
My personal take is that many women in this country do not follow melody well. When beats are fading and melody takes over, they feel lost. There are certain impatience and anxiety in their movements when the music tells them to slow down or wait, because they still struggle to catch the beat. This is not surprising given that most people are only taught to step on beats and not trained to follow melody. But dancing to melody is an essential skill a tango dancer, especially a woman, must have, for melody expresses the emotion, fluidity and beauty of the music, representing the feminine mood of tango (see The Characteristics of Classic Tango).
In conclusion, the milonguero style is a rhythmic dance. It appeals to sensations pertnent to the pulsating motions of the body. It is danced in small, simple, rhythmic, compact and synchronized steps, and is fully enjoyed when the partners surrender to each other, immerse themselves in the music and feelings, and move together as one coherent body. It is best danced to music that is rhythmic.
Given the intimate nature of the style, it is also good at expressing the emotions of the melody. But dancing to melody in the milonguero style is different from that in the Villa Urquiza style. The latter uses fancy steps, intricate figures and stylish footwork. The former uses natural steps, pause and slow motion to maintain the simplicity and soulfulness of the dance and avoid distractions. As the milonguero style of tango becomes increasingly popular, we need to learn the correct way of dancing it in order to fully enjoy its magic power (see Dancing to Melody - Poema).