The following is a copy of the notes provided to participants at a “Tango Tips” musicality interlude at the Toca Tango Practilonga in Auckland. TANGO TIPS – 12 January 2025
Many Tango Teachers are very effective in teaching various skills most of us need to become proficient social tango dancers. These skills cover embraces, postures, balance, basic stepping, sequences from the most basic to increasingly challenging.
However, I have found very few who have been effective at teaching us more than the most basic musicality.
The exceptions include Murat Erdemsel and Joaquin Amenabar.
If you want to improve your musicality and get the opportunity to learn from either or both of them; go for it!
Three key things I have taken on board from them are:
(1) The rhythms of the melodies and instrumental accompaniments are only a part of (but a very important part of) the musicality of the tango.
(2) Equally important to dance musically is an ability to recognise and react to the phrasing, dynamics, contrasts and subtleties of the music (which for any music will be played differently by different orquestas).
(3) The various ways of stepping that some teachers identify as being appropriate for D’Arienzo, Pugliese, Di Sarli, etc; should be learnt and incorporated in our repertoire, but then should be applied according to the music being played, regardless of the Orquesta playing it.
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Today, I would like to demonstrate then ask you all to dance (using only the basic steps in your repertoire), to the three sections of one of my favourite songs:
Bailarin Compadrito
– composed by Miguel Bucino in 1929
– recording is by Francisco Canaro with vocals by Charlo
(It has also been recorded by many others including Alfredo De Angelis with vocals by Oscar Larroca)
A SECTION
0 – 35 secs : Step on the beat, resolve at end of each phrase
B SECTION
35 – 68 secs :
35 – 44 secs : Change to legato steps 8
44 – 47 secs : Staccato 4
47 – 52 secs : Legato 4
52 – 60 secs : Legato 8
60 – 64 secs : Staccato 4
64 – 68 secs : Legato to resolve 4
C SECTION
68 – 94 secs : Change to different steps structured as Question (Staccato) & Answer (Legato)sets
REPEATS
94 – 188 secs
Stu 10 January 2025
