Photos by Laura V. Mingo at El Milonga Floridita
(Click for a larger view.)
Ventura,
16 NovThank You! Thank you to each and everyone of you who made my time special in the area. I came with acquaintances and left with friends. Everyone is so small-town generous and welcoming…it made my life just that much more wonderful.
So, thank you again!
-Nicholas
PS I know I haven’t posted anything in a long while. I’m back in the Bay Area for a minute so I’ll finally have some time!
Your Tango Is All Wrong
28 SepWith so many teachers out there in Tangolandia preaching the “truth,” many a disciple is left confused. Frequently said by these prophets, the phrase, “There is no one right way to dance tango,” provides little relief. This phrase idea misleads many. Quizzically, often these same instructors will tell you the “correct” way to do an ocho.
There are elements fundamentally tango and others, like clogging, that are not. In this sense, there is a correct way to tango. The confusion comes about when tango instructors have different styles and interpretations of these fundamentals. One instructor may teach those falling ochos a-la milongero style and another may teach an ocho like competitors dance it with lots of disassociation (a twisting action where the hips and the toros point different directions). Since both instructors say, “This is the way to do an ocho!” students are left to wonder…who’s correct?
They both are! They’re just different versions of the same move. And thus the famous “no one right way” phrase become more appropriate. To explain further with language as a metaphor, the milongero style, competition style, salon, and whatever style, all become different dialects. They’re the same…but different. If you’re trained in solely academic Castilian Spanish, understanding people on the streets of Buenos Aires or Mexico City can be near impossible. If you speak American English, understanding Irish English can task your abilities of comprehension. But is anybody wrong? Nope. (Except for spelling color, colour. That’s wrong for sure.)
What’s the answer here? The more dialects you understand, the better you speak the language, the more people you can communicate with. The more styles you learn and understand, the more people you can dance with, the better a dancer you become. Don’t argue with your instructor, s/he’s right (hopefully). But do remember, there’s more than one path to tango salvation.
-Nicholas
The Not So Basic Eight
6 SepHello Readers,
Imagine its your first day of high school math. But you’re not starting with arithmetic, algebra, geometry, or basic calculus oh no no no, you’re starting with linear algebra. This terrifying proposition happens all the time in tango. Beginners often start in large group classes with the basic eight (aka salida), the linear algebra of math. There’s just too much to it. While any step can be made complicated through layered technique, the number of skills required to execute the salida makes the step far from basic.
Other dances have a basic step that’s truly basic. Waltz for example begins with the box: forward side together, back side together. The basic eight would be something like…right foot back, side and outside partner, forward outside partner with right foot, forward outside partner with left foot, while placing feet together the lead does a non mirroring move to place the follower in front and you close your feet and change weight, forward with left, side step with right, and draw your left to you right with the option to change weight. Yeah…Good luck.
A beginner can learn to dance and lead a waltz box within 1 hour. Not so much with the salida. Of course you could make the argument that if you layer on enough technique, any step becomes impossible for the beginner. But it’s not the technique that’s the issue, it’s the elements of the step. When teaching a waltz box you only need to talk about 2 elements: walking steps and side steps.
The required elements of the salida are walking steps, side steps, outside partner walking steps, the cross, disassociation, and settling to create weight change. Does that sound easy to you? (Note: I don’t want an argument about the elements. The point is that there are too many.)
Here are few concepts that I would touch on first: 1 ) Walking 2 ) Side Steps 3 ) Frame 4 ) Embrace 5 ) Outside Partner vs Inside Partner 6 ) Weight Changes 7 ) Disassociation 8 ) Non-mirrored Steps (ochos) 9 ) Line of Dance 10 ) Beat/Rhythm. That’s a good number of classes.
Imagine the skills required to execute the salida as rungs on a ladder. Teaching the salida with no preparation is like asking a student to get to the 7th rung without the previous six. Instructors should strive to teach each rung.
Here are some ballroom dance instructors demonstrating their version of the “basic” eight.
Until Next Time,
Nicholas
Tags: Argentine Tango, Basic Eight, Basics, Dance, Dancing, Learning, Pasos, Salida, Tango, Teaching, Waltz
It’s Official! Heading to Good Airs!
5 SepHello Readers,
Good Airs, a.k.a. Buenos Aires, is the capital of Argentina and the Mecca of Tango. I have just booked tickets for November 29th! To commemorate this event I’m posting, “Mi Buenos Aires Querido.” Planet Tango informs me that this song was part of the film Cuesta Abajo (1934). Carlos Gardel, the Elvis of Tango, recorded it in New York accompanied by the orchestra directed by Terig Tucci. Enjoy the video; enjoy the music.
Lyrics and translation provided by Planet Tango.
| Mi Buenos Aires querido, cuando yo te vuelva a ver, no habra mas penas ni olvido. El farolito de la calle en que naci fue el centinela de mis promesas de amor, bajo su inquieta lucecita yo la vi a mi pebeta luminosa como un sol. Hoy que la suerte quiere que te vuelva a ver, ciudad porteña de mi unico querer, y oigo la queja de un bandoneón, dentro del pecho pide rienda el corazón.Mi Buenos Aires tierra florida donde mi vida terminaré. Bajo tu amparo no hay desengaños, vuelan los años se olvida el dolor. En caravana los recuerdos pasan como una estela dulce de emoción, quiero que sepas que al evocarte se van las penas del corazon.Las ventanitas de mis calles de arrabal, donde sonrie una muchachita en flor; quiero de nuevo yo volver a contemplar aquellos ojos que acarician al mirar. En la cortada mas maleva una canción, dice su ruego de coraje y de pasion; una promesa y un suspirar borro una lagrima de pena aquel cantar.Mi Buenos Aires querido… cuando yo te vuelva a ver… no habra mas penas ni olvido… |
My beloved Buenos Aires, the day I see you again, there will be no more sorrow or forgetfulness The lamp of the street where I was born was witness to my promises of love, It was under its dim light that I saw her I saw my pebeta as bright as a sun. Today luck wants me to see you again, you my beloved city porteña, and I hear the lament of a bandoneón, asking for his heart to be set free.My Buenos Aires, land of flowers where I will spend my last days. Under your protection there are no delusions, years fly by, pain is forgotten. In caravan memories go by like a trail sweet of emotion, I want you to know that when I call you sorrow leaves my heart.The tiny windows of my streets of arrabal, where a young girl gives a smile; I want to stare once again at those eyes that fondle with a look. In the toughest back alley, a song says its prayer of courage and of passion; a promise and a sigh wiped away a tear of sadness, that singing.My beloved Buenos Aires, the day I see you again, there will be no more sorrow or forgetfulness |
I’ll be back next year.
Until Next Time,
Nicholas Tapia
Tags: Argentine Tango, Buenos Aires, Carlos Gardel, Good Airs, Lyrics, Mi Buenos Aires Querido, Planet Tango, Travel, Video
My Bad! + Tango Mundial
1 SepHello Readers,
Ya’ll probably received some emails about posts saying “test test test.” My bad! Obviously at 2 ish in the morning I’m not so good with computers. Thank goodness it wasn’t anything that’s going to go viral.
Here’s the video subject of a soon to be post…enjoy!
& Goodnight!
Nicholas
Tags: Argentine Tango, Beauty, Good Dancing, Hard Work, Musicality, Passion, Tango Mundial, Video
Finding Tango Everywhere…
30 AugHello Readers,
I’m not particularly fond of Lindy Hop. Or, at least I wasn’t until I saw this video. It shows that performance, musicality, and high quality dancing isn’t restricted to tango. (How elitist was that?)
Some small things I’d like to point out before you watch:
-This is a showcase routine, which means that it is choreographed. It has an excellent use of props. Watch the hat.
-The beginning section is lindyfied tango. Cool!
-This routine is dripping with musicality. Watch it again and again to catch it all. Enjoy every bit of it.
Hope you liked it,
Nicholas
Tags: Lindy Hop, Musicality, Video
