What Is Tango?

Tango is a vibrant and playful dance between two people. It has the potential for rich expression, improvisation, and connection and is danced in both modern and traditional styles. It is often described as a passionate dance, because of the close connection partners can have, the character of the music, and also relating to some of the dance's history. At the heart of Argentine tango in NYC is the desire to listen to, understand and converse with the person you're dancing with, through this unique language of dance. So tango can be many things for different people. Almost any type of music that can be walked to can be tangoed to, which means just about anyone can do it!

Tango is sharing a moment of intimacy and understanding with another person. In tango, there is a leader and follower. Through the embrace, the leader offers invitations to the follower for where and how to step. The follower decides in what way they will accept the leader's invitations. Both leader and follower try to maintain harmony and connection through the embrace, and with the music, and so the dance is born. Like the symbols of yin and yang, the roles of leader and follower each have a little of the other within them. Tango is a collaborative process, which encourages the development of sensitivity, clarity, trust, and respect. With tango it is like there is no past or future, there is only your partner and the music in constant flow. Come in and Tango with us today!

Argentine Tango: An Overview

Argentine tango in NYC is a world in itself. It combines music, dance, singing, and poetry. Tango’s origins go back to the 19th century, somewhere around the 1870’s. It was developed in working class areas outside of Buenos Aires. Between 1860 and 1925, 70% of the immigration population were men who came to Argentina for a better life.Tango was originally played by one musician on a guitar or accordion. Later trios formed adding guitar, flute, violin,or clarinet. these instruments were chosen because they were easy to transport since musicians would travel to different locations throughout the evening.

At first, tango was prohibited in public places due to its voluptuous nature and working class origins. A long time passed before it was accepted in proper people’s homes of high society. According to Tomas Alberto Garcia, at the beginning of the 20th century, during the era known as "La Belle Epoque," Paris was the center of the world, and Argentine aristocracy looked to Paris as a model for itself. Once tango was accepted in France, the high and middle classes in Argentina accepted it; in fact, they took great pride in this uniquely Argentine art form. From France, tango spread through Europe and the rest of the world. More orchestras were formed, and the tango developed, eventually to reach its splendor in the 1940's.

This decade, known as the "Golden Age" of tango, was the most impressive, and families from all levels of Argentine society started to dance, packing the dance halls and making it possible for even the largest orchestras to survive and prosper. Tango finally reached its maturity and was widely accepted so we can still enjoy it today.

What’s the story within tango? - instrumental and vocal parts - phrasing in Tango

When you first come to Tango class - you might be surprised. You came to learn all this sexy moves - no? You want to impress your partner? - What ‘no’? Admit it!
Almost everybody does!!!! You imagine all this feelings - like when you first fall in love - enchant you, put a magic spell on you and…. lights, cameras, we are dancing…..

Instead - you discover quite a few things about… yourself.
About your partner too - but usually what you are discovering about yourself is much more surprising.

First you discover that you have no control over your own body. You know you want to go straight forward, but your legs have quite different ideas what ‘straight forward’ means. You know you want to embrace the person in front of you and… just dance… Instead, all of the sudden it seems like they don’t have 2 feet, but at least 5, and one of them is ALWAYS on your way, or worse - UNDER your foot. Yyyyyeeeah, wasn’t that supposed to be romantic dance? You love high heels, instead your teacher tells you to take them off and… you are secretly grateful, because walking backwards in 5” High Heel Stiletto Shoes maybe was not such a great idea after all. You get angry!!!!!! Wait - this is MY body and it will do what I WANT!
That’s right.
I totally believe you eventually will make IT do what YOU want, but first you need to regroup and regain your powers. Over! It!

Meanwhile lets focus on one other sense you poses: hearing the music.
When we first hear Tango music we hear wall of sound, like hearing a foreign language, white noise, everything in one piece. We don’t know what instruments are there, which ones create foreground, which are in the background, which ones talk to each other, or on top of each other and when. The more we listen to it we are able to hear more an more.

What we learn first is to hear the strong beat. With time we should be able to distinguish rhythm from melody, then hear layers within and small little details.

First - lets hear the phrasing. Phrases are like closed sentences when we talk. The voices rises up and then falls down at the end. There are questions. And answers. There are exclamations! There are sentences you shout fast and angrily. And words that you want to stretch forever, make them last forever. There are questions without answers. And little arguments. And… even changes of subject. Or - little musical bridges that bring you back to what you were talking about, out of that little digression.

Most classically each phrase would have 8 beats - that’s the assumption. However - it’s not uncommon to hear  the phrase that is 6 or 4 beats long. Don’t worry if you hear that. It's GREAT if you can hear it - you will see that you will get those ‘missing’ beats back at some later point. The amount of energy in the world is always same - nothing is ever lost. If you loose something but it was meant to be yours -  you will get it back sooner or later.

In a most ideal situation four phrases (four ‘eights’) make a section - like a paragraph or strophe in poem or song. There are always 3 sections: A, B and C. There is always a repetition of section A. So if you listen to the Tango piece - section A will be repeated two or three times.

To make it simple:
Part 1: A B
We have INTRODUCTION part - that part most often is instrumental only and has no singer. (There are always exceptions - listen for them!)

Section A: You hear first time instrumental section A introducing characters and melody.
Section B: You hear instrumental section B - with change of feel or tone.

Part 2: A’ C
Section A’: If there is a singer - here is when we hear him. Repeating section A in his own voice, re-telling it in his own manner as a variation of the first A section. If it’s still just the orchestra - it will almost never repeat A exactly as A. Maybe the melody in A’ will be staccato, with a counter melody in legato.

Section C: different from A or B and often with a resolution step…

Part 3: Variation
Section A’’: The Variation with rapid rhythms still using a motif from section A. Might be just instruments, might be just singer, or both.

Now - not to fall into some rigidity here. The musical progression COULD BE as we just said:  AB A'C A". I said COULD… Could gives as this opening, the freedom, the choice….
So - listen - you could also find: AB BA' CA", or AB CA' A" ...   There is no set form.

As social dancers we don't necessarily think about this progression of phrases too much, because we are improvising, we do not know in the section A what we are going to do in the section C. But - if we are able to hear them and interpret them, make them visible through our dancing or… simply make our partner feel, hear what we feel and hear… 

If you are leader - you will leave your partner speechless as she will think you are a magician able to see the future, able to see how the story end. If you are follower - your leader will think that through some secret powers you are able to read his mind, see his thought, even before he sees them. Anyway - those are just words trying to name something un-expressible. But if you feel it (or felt it already) - definitely email me. I want to know all about it. Or - post a comment - so we all can learn.

What is CADENCIA?????

Not being a Spanish speaker and hearing the word CADENCIA over and over again I tried to do my homework and simply google the answer. What is cadencia? You can feel it. You can see it, but when you try to find the verbal explanation it becomes extremely vague.

My intuitive understanding is that it is dancers interpretation of the phrasing of music, their response to it. Almost sort of translation. If music was a foreign language and the dancers the interpreters they can take the music and translate it into dance. Now - here in New York most people are bilingual and we all know that sometimes the word to word translation makes no sense. Or it makes sense but its ugly. The exact translation does not carry the real meaning. Looses it somehow or makes it flat. We all know that certain words and phrases mean more or mean something else than it seems at the first glance. They also mean something else when said in certain tone of voice or certain facial expression or in certain situation. So when we translate from English to our language (whatever that language might be) - we never really translate literally. However - we do try to find the way to keep rhythm and phrasing similar to original not to loose the intention of the author, the intention of the music. When the musical phrase comes to the close - the movement comes to the close.

Here is  the video of the class teaching 'cadencia' explained as a sort of rocking movement.

In http://www.thefreedictionary.com/cadence cadencia is explained as - the close of a musical section

So it can be said that cadence refers to how one closes musical sequences. The movements should always illustrate, or be a variation of, the musical cadence / intonation.

“An analogy may be made with punctuation, with some weaker cadences acting as commas that indicate a pause or momentary rest, while a stronger cadence acts as a period that signals the end of the phrase or sentence.” (The Musical Life by W. A. Mathieu ) And in addition to his general definition quoted above, Mathieu  describes a perfect cadence as a “falling into simplicity”.

At Joy in motion website we read: 'Cadencia, for me, relates very strongly to pauses and momentary lilts – part of the punctuation – of the dance, since it is in these moments when obvious movement is at a minimum and, therefore, internal energy can be felt the strongest. It feels very much like the “falling into simplicity” of musical cadence, a slow deep breath that provides both rest and a building of energy to return to action. Isn’t this how we begin the dance, letting the music and the connection fill our body like lungs fill with air, waiting for the impulse to move? And isn’t this also how we finish the dance, settling into a final position that provides release and a parting essence? The start, the finish, the pauses in between… this ebb and flow of the dance, with its peaks and valleys, is also present in my body when I execute a pause and feel that quality of cadencia coursing through my body, that “surfing on the waves of the music and the connection.” (See more at: Joy in motion)

4 Dance Teachers Needed - maybe it's YOU?

Are you a ballroom teacher, salsa teacher, ballet or jazz instructor?

Expand your teaching options by adding Argentine Tango to your resume.

Tango Teachers Training program  (TTT) is offered exclusively in New York. It is a 64 hrs / 16 week training (4 hrs a week).

You can attend the TTT just to work on yourself. Widen your horizons. Improve.

But if you really good, have teaching charisma, want to spread Tango around and share your Tango passion with the newcomers by introducing them to Tango community - we are looking to fill 4 teaching positions.

All dance teacher with any kind of dancing experience are welcome. As long as you can aware of your body and have it under control, we give you the base of knowledge necessary to teach.

New session starts: February 3rd 7:30pm at Adelante Studios, 25 West 31st Street, Fl 2, New York, NY 10001.

Main sessions are scheduled every Tuesday 7:30 -- 10:30pm.

Teacher assisting hour is flexible.

Please note following requirements: completed dance training or minimum of 2 years Tango dancing experience or knowledge of following basics:  8 count basic with ocho forward, Ocho cortado, Walking outsidepartner left and right, Rebound, Double time, back and forward crosses, back and forward ochos and the difference between the two, giros to the left and right from front or back ochos, paradas and barridas, including sandwich and mordida steps. 

Cost of the training is $1600 ($800 due at the moment of enrollment. Remaining balance payable in 2 monthly installments of $400). Although we started this program to fill in teaching positions at Ultimate Tango, please note that completion of the curse does not guarantee employment.

For more information please check: http://www.ultimatetango.com/teachers-training.html

If you ready to sign up - ENROLL HERE 

2 BY 4? WHAT THE HECK THAT MEANS?!?

We hear very often that Tango music is set in 2/4 time. OK, but what does that MEAN? 

Music is written in measures. Each measure has a pre-defined number of beats. Remember when you walk during the Tango class and your teacher annoys you to death shouting: ''beat!, beat!, beat!, beat!...' - yes, those.

Composers decide the number of beats per measure early on and convey this information with a time signature. The magic 2 by 4 (2/4) is a time signature for Tango music.

Time signatures consist of two numbers written like a fraction.
- The top number of the time signature tells you how many beats to count. This could be any number. Most often the number of beats will fall between 2 and 12.
- The bottom number tells you what kind of note to count. That is, whether to count the beats as quarter notes, eighth notes, or sixteenth notes. So the only numbers you will see as the bottom number (the denominator) will correspond to note values:

• 1 = whole note (you’ll never see this) 
• 2 = half note 
• 4 = quarter note 
• 8 = eighth note 
• 16 = sixteenth note 

You could continue on with 32, 64, but you will hopefully never encounter them! After a while it gets a bit unwieldy. The most common bottom numbers are 4, 8 and 16.

There is another trick to it. 
There also exist a way to indicate the silence in music. That silence indicated by note rests also has value. Exactly like notes do.

Tango is in most cases 2/4 which means there are two beats (2). Each beat is a quarter note (4).
The fact that each beat has a value of quarter note DOES NOT mean you are limited only to quarter notes. Beats may contain half notes, quarter notes, eighth notes, rests, whatever the composer wants, but all note and rest values must combine to equal no more or less than the top number (or numerator) of the time signature.

Here is a cheat sheet:
1 Whole note = 2 Half notes = 4 Quarter notes = 8 eighth notes = 16 sixteenth notes

or
1 Whole note = 2 Half notes
1 Half note = 2 Quarter notes
1 Quarter note = 2 eighth notes
1 eighth note = 2 sixteenth notes

There is also a way to extend the existence of note by half by using a dot....

Now - why is this important for dancers?
In a way - it's not. You can go to Argentina without speaking Spanish and survive. I did. But there is a huge difference between simply surviving and actual participation. 

In music - most people intuitively hear. Knowing the structure though helps you verbally express what you hear and understand what the music tells you. It helps you advance in interpreting the music with understanding. Also - now - you can discuss it.

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YOUR FIRST MILONGA EVER - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

So you know your walking and ochos and how to cross and all this other complicated things you learned during the class and you eager to apply them in real world? We can only applaud as it's never too early to get out of your comfort zone to the bigger world out there.

Before you go - learn the basic of the code!

First and most important: It's OK to go to the Milonga to just watch! You learn a lot this way. You will see the dance in its 'natural environment', see how everything works, get to watch people dancing and hear a lot of great music.

Most of the time there is a class and short practica just before the Milonga starts. Make sure you make use of that part, even if your plan is just to observe for the rest of the evening.
The class is usually 60 - 90 minutes and what it gives you - you get to know who other beginners are. You might feel more comfortable to try first with them. Especially in right after the class practice time.

Things to know:
During Milonga music is played in tandas. One Tanda consist of 4-5 songs. In most cases you dance the whole tanda with one partner unless something goes wrong - for example you have no connection at all. If that happen it is polite to continue dancing until end of the song and then simply say 'thank you' and just walk back to your seat. The New York rule 'Don't ask - don't tell' applies. You do not need to explain your decision. Simple 'thank you' is perfectly fine. It's definitely worth remembering that 'thank you' now DOES NOT MEAN 'thank you forever'. Work on your dance skills and ask again in few weeks. The other good solution if you are not sure if you wish to dance with a person - is to wait until the last song of the tanda and ask then. This way, if you like it and wish to dance more, you can simply ask for the next tanda.

Each tanda is separated from the next one by cortina (curtain), which is usually non-danceable music, or non-tango music. It's your choice, but dancing to cortina music it's not highly prized.... So even if you hear your favorite salsa number try NOT to dance! Instead - use this time to walk your follower back to her/his seat, exchange pleasantries, and get ready for the next tanda.

As Tango consist of marvelous trio of Tango, Milonga and Vals - each type of music is played creating separate tandas.
Most often tandas are played in this order: T, T, M, T, T, V.
Meaning: Tanda of Tangos, Tanda of Tangos, Tanda of Milongas, Tanda of Tangos, Tanda of Tangos, Tanda of Valses.

This bring us to the next very important subject. Crucially important for beginning dancers! DO NOT ask for a dance UNTIL THE MUSIC STARTS TO PLAY! This way if it's a song you don't like or type of Tango you don't know how to dance - you can simply relax and watch other dancers instead of sweating on the floor trying to pretend that you know what you don't know.

Use cabaceo to ask for dance. It's simply polite to give a person a chance to refuse. Remember - Tango is a proposal, not a demonstration of power. Respect it.

One of the good reasons to watch before 'jumping into dancing' yourself is to recognize the dynamic between dancers. It's like joining new club. Before making any statements yourself you want to learn what's going on. Who is who, who dances how, who dances with whom and for how long. You wanna take few tandas and recognize the patterns.

If you see 2 poeple dancing tanda after tanda after tanda with each other - good chances are that they are together and are planning on dancing the whole night. In which case your attention shall go elsewhere. It's an important thing to know for ladies - if you are seeing dancing more than 2 tandas in the row with the same leader - chances of being asked to dance by other leader diminish greatly.

Other rules follow simple common sense: If the lady you wish to dance with is sitting with her partner - it is polite to ask him for permission to take a lady for a dance, even though you have her permission through cabazeo. After the tanda make sure you walk her back to her seat. After such a wonderful dance you just gifted her with she might be all confused and disoriented.

One more important thing: if there is orchestra playing life music - we DO NOT DANCE the first song. We focus on ADMIRING  and APPRECIATING the orchestra. DO NOT be the first person to jump on the floor. In fact wait until the orchestra leader himself starts encouraging people to start dancing. Simple respect.

Have fun!