Tango Argentine
Argentine tango is a social dance and a musical genre that originated in Argentina
and Uruguay. In the US, it is commonly confused with ballroom tango, though this
is a later derivation.
Argentine tango consists of a variety of styles that developed in different regions
and eras, and in response to the crowding of the venue and even the fashions in
clothing. Even though the present forms developed in Argentina and Uruguay, they
were also exposed to influences reimported from Europe and North America. There
are records of 18th and early 19th century tango styles in Cuba and Spain,[1] while
there is a flamenco tangos dance that may share a common ancestor in a minuet-style
European dance.[2] Consequently there is a good deal of confusion and overlap between
the styles as they are now danced - and fusions continue to evolve.
Argentine tango is danced in an embrace that can vary from very open, in which leader
and follower connect at arms length, to very closed, in which the connection is
chest-to-chest, or anywhere in between. Close embrace is often associated with the
more traditional styles, while open embrace leaves room for many of the embellishments
and figures that are associated with tango nuevo.
Tango is essentially walking with a partner and the music. Musicality (i.e. dancing
appropriately to the emotion and speed of a tango) is an extremely important element
of dancing tango. A good dancer is one who makes you see the music. Also, dancers
generally keep their feet close to the floor as they walk, the ankles and knees
brushing as one leg passes the other.
Argentine tango relies heavily on improvisation; although certain patterns of movement
have been codified by instructors over the years as a device to instruct dancers,
there is no "basic step." One of the few constants across all Argentine tango styles,
is that the follower will usually be led to alternate feet. Another is that the
follower rarely has her weight on both feet at the same time. Argentine tango is
a new orientation of couple dancing.
Competitive vs. social dance
Ballroom tango steps were standardized by dance studios. The steps have been relatively
fixed in style for decades.
However, Argentine tango has been an evolving dance and musical form, with continual
changes occurring every day on the social dance floor in Argentina and in major
tango centers elsewhere in the world.
Argentine tango is still based heavily on improvisation. While there are patterns
or sequences of steps that are used by instructors to teach the dance, even in a
sequence every movement is led not only in direction but also speed and quality
(a step can be smooth, pulsing, sharp, ... etc.). Although Argentine tango evolves
mostly on the dance floor, the government of Argentina does host an annual competition
of Argentine tango in Buenos Aires, attracting competitors from around the world.
Embrace (abrazo)
A striking difference between Argentine tango and ballroom tango is in the shape
and feel of the embrace. Ballroom technique dictates that partners arch their upper
bodies away from each other, while maintaining contact at the hip, in an offset
frame.
In Argentine tango, it is nearly the opposite: the dancers' chests are closer to
each other than are their hips, and often there is contact at about the level of
the chest (the contact point differing, depending on the height of the leader and
the closeness of the embrace). In close embrace, the leader and the follower's chests
are in complete contact and they are dancing with their heads touching or very near
each other. In open embrace, there can be as much space as desired between the partners,
but there should always be complete contact along the embracing arms to give optimum
communication. Since Argentine tango is almost entirely improvisational, there needs
to be clear communication between partners. Even when dancing in a very open embrace,
Argentine tango dancers do not hold their upper bodies arched away from each other;
each partner is over their own axis. Whether open or closed, a tango embrace is
not rigid, but relaxed, like a hug.
Walking (caminando)
Another difference is that the leader may freely step with his left foot when the
follower steps with her left foot too. In English, this is sometimes referred to
as a "crossed" or "uneven" walk (or as "walking in the crossed system") in contrast
to the normal walk which is called "parallel" or "even." In ballroom tango "crossed
system" is considered incorrect (unless the leader and follower are facing the same
direction). Furthermore, the flexibility of the embrace allows the leader to change
his weight (from one foot to another) yet keeping the follower's weight unchanged.
This is another major difference with ballroom tango, where a weight change by one
partner leads to an automatic weight change by the other.
The nomenclature originated with the Naveira/Salas "Investigation Group." Early
on, they used 'even/uneven' to describe the arrangement of legs in the walk (or
turn). By the mid-'90s they began using 'parallel/crossed' and later 'normal/crossed'.
Music
Argentine tango music is much more varied than ballroom tango music. A large amount
of tango music has been composed by a variety of different orchestras over the last
century. Not only is there a large volume of music, there is a breadth of stylistic
differences between these orchestras as well, which makes it easier for Argentine
tango dancers to spend the whole night dancing only Argentine tango. The four representative
schools of the Argentine tango music are: Di Sarli, D’Arienzo, Troilo and Pugliese.
They are dance orchestras, playing music for dancing. When the spirit of the music
is characterized by counterpoint marking, clarity in the articulation is needed.
It has a clear, repetitive pulse or beat, a strong tango-rhythm which is based on
the 2x4,[3] 2 strong beats on 4 (dos por cuatro). Astor Piazzolla stretched the
classical harmony and counterpoint and moved the tango from the dance floor to the
concert stage. His compositions tell us something of our contemporary life and dancing
it relates much to modern dance.[4]
