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 – 8 June 2025
Some tango dance music can be really challenging due to the unpredictability of the syncopations, rhythm changes, etc.
If you want to be able to dance musically to these, it is necessary to learn the challenging phrases and rhythms.
In a syncopation workshop I attended with Murat and Sigrid, there was a fun exercise for this that I would like to try today.
The challenge is to walk on every accented beat of music and freeze on every silent beat.
For the exercise, I’ve chosen Biagi’s version of Belgica, which is often played at milongas, and is pretty difficult to dance to musically, unless you’ve learnt a way to dance to the challenging sections.
The beats to be stepped on and the beats to freeze on in the syncopated phrase in Belgica, which follow a three note preparatory phrase, can be structured and memorised as:
Stu 8 June 2025
Máy tính lương
This Tango Tips is a hoot! Who knew frozen statues could be such a hot dance move? Biaggis Belgica indeed gives one the rhythm of a confused rooster! But freezing on the silent beats? Now *thats* a challenge I can get behind – less work, more dramatic poses. Thanks for the Syncopation 101, Stu! Ill definitely try the Belgica freeze-out next time at the milonga. Who knew tango involved so much dramatic stillness? Perfect for when I forget the steps! Rock-step-side-close anyone?
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Great that you took the time to read my notes.
Murat and Sigrid’s syncopation workshop got the attendees (including me) listening more intently to the music as we dance to it, and being more open to making better or different musical choices when we dance to the rhythms and accents (and pauses) we hear. Biagi’s “Belgica” was presumably chosen because it has prominent rhythmic features that are clearly different than those in all other tango tracks we dance to.
I hope you and your partners are making good musical choices when you dance social tango at milongas, without too many urges to strike dramatic (stage tango) poses or to impress anyone other than whoever you are dancing with.
Stu
Stu
Here is a link to an excelent example of musical dancing to Belgica:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeYiOPPRgUU
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Another great example – by Silvina Tse & Julio Alvarez:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeYiOPPRgUU