Miscellaneous comments

¿Qué tiene que ver el cerdo con la velocidad?

Music and Musicality

This festival (2nd England Tango Festival) was focused on music and musicality.
La Rolando Rivas were invited to perform and we heard  a little bit more about their instruments and the style of playing for tango.

The dance teachers will treat musicality from many perspectives. From the questions of whether or when to dance to the beat, rhythm and melody of course to issues of dancing to the 'feeling¹ of the music.
The structure of tango music will be considered as will the famous pause. But we are really waiting to hear and learn from each of these famous teachers at the festival.

Discussion

I don't know whether anyone reading this will agree with me, but when we started Argentine Tango, as distinct from the other social partner dances we had been doing, we found the 'music question 'to be the most difficult. As Europeans, this music was very new to us, so we didn't know it as well as the music we have heard on the radio since childhood.
There were the rules; dance to the rhythm they said (for some reason, 'beat' was rarely mentioned). Or they might say, 'Oh, a man in my last class before coming here was off the 'music'. When confronted, he said he was dancing on the melody; but he wan't on that either, and so on.
I won't go on. But we would like to hear from you if you would like to contribute to this page. I could set this up as a Blogg or similar, but just for the moment, please do email stephen [then the symbol for 'at' ] bylaugh.com
I look forward to your contributions - a name and a city would make the page interesting to us all.

Films and extras

We will be showing some films of tango dancing and introducing a varied festival programme. Do bring your film clips and other things of interest.

... and what's it got to do with the price of eggs in China?

La Rolando Rivas is a project conceived and led by Rolando himself, the most famous cab driver of Buenos Aires, main character of an iconic TV series during the early '70s.

But... what kind of Tango band is La Rolando Rivas? As Rolando may have

Early on, Tango had been cheerful and young; a shameless little rascal who lived in the bordellos and had no fucking idea about how easy crying could be. Of course like in any decent epic he did have a relentless sadness, although back then he still wasn't showing his pain on first row.

La Rolando Rivas intends to recover that jocose spirit. He tries to drive home a black and yellow tango, sizzling on the grill. And let sordos sounds be heard, let old compositions be nurtured by new spirits, let new muses be touched by old tricks, let the stick-shift drive the wheel –just by the stereo– and let the tangos, valses, milongas come out with fries and be sung and danced...

As Rolo himself wrote:
The Orquesta Tipica de Rolando Rivas is recognized  worldwide. La Rolando Rivas, without exaggeration, is one of the best bands of the last 12 years. A showdown between the Old Guard and the Avant-garde... A sort of rear-guard. A forward escape. Or perhaps, a charge backwards, downwards, inwards. which In its violent, extreme contrasts reigns the most subtle and peaceful monotony. Even more, in the cleanless of its dirt, its accelerated slowdowns, in the luminous darkness of its phraseology I find all that I never had but which somehow, irremediably, I had lost.

'I always tell Monica, my wife, that with the music of these fellows we can dance, make love, divorce...'

As Claudio Garcia once said: "they sound like an old bandoneon wrapped in velvet, forgotten in the cab's back seat.»In just one word, La Rolando Rivas is one of the best ideas I ever had in my life."  Rolando «Rolo» Rivas (MCBA 33705)  

About La Rolando Rivas it may have been said: "Mechanical reproduction of music during the 20th Century has led to a reduction in the number of real musicians needed to keep the art alive. At this pace, we'll end up with just one, and then none... But since history flows back and forth, in future centuries this trend will be inverted and the increase of the number of real performers will be formidable. We feel La Rolando Rivas is part of such wonderful cohort" (Doctor Aira).

The 'gauchos' speak in verse, and the workmen stutter» (Richard Piglia).
A stroke of luck will never rule out randomness» (Esteban Melearme)
Let's gamble then this tango to the darts» (Guillermo Apoliye
) ... they are a bizarre counterpoint» (Rosalinda Quiroga)
We are from the same suburb» (Tita Merezco)

"Qué Tangazo!"

Let me introduce to you the Orquesta de Tango "Qué Tangazo!"

We are a german-Argentine ensemble playing traditional Argentine Tango and our own compositions.
We play with 2 bandoneons, 3 violins, piano and double bass we are the biggest formation in authentic setup in Germany.
We prefer to play for Milongas and Shows.We also give concerts and we give workshops for both musicians and for dancers: and we can put on a live "Musica Practica".
If you would like to learn more about us and listen to some example then click  

If you should be interested, then don't hesitate to ask me - my phone number is 0049 (0) 30 - 262 7410
I have always been a great admirer of the English countryside and would be ever so glad to play in Bylaugh Hall...
Looking forward to your reply
Kind Regards
Judith Brandenburg

The Music

In search of the elemental difference between Argentine Tango and other music.

Please do email us if you have anything you would like to add to this 'debate', although it may not be a debate but a voyage of discovery. I heard it said on the radio in England  that we do not have a word to describe this special quality (or rawness) that is Argentine Tango in the English Language - although there is a word in Argentine Spanish.

Timoteo "Dino" Saluzzi

Saluzzi says: "The tango is far more complex than jazz. In the real artistic tango, which is kind of loose and permits free interpretation, it is not enough to know the technical part, the chords, the scales, etcetera, because it needs a totally different expression, less aggressive, far more artistic. The tango is something much more pure and complicated".

Etiquette and Floor Craft at a Milonga

Teaching at Bylaugh - England Tango
At Bylaugh we teach the student to work from the music, not from steps. We have thereby found that floorcraft is gentle and safe.
We teach beginners to dance the Pause rather than from the Basic Eight or any other rigid pattern.

The following eight points are the things we teach locally at Bylaugh. They are not all rules for the floor, but codes for dancing. We don't know how people teach their students in other venues, but are aware (as per the article at the foot of this page) that Argentinians are often disturbed by the lack of respect on our floors, and the lack of respect when we go to dance on their floors.

Dancers come to Bylaugh for our special tango weekends such the Casanova Ball (in November) and to our Tango Festivals from all over Europe and in fact from all the corners of the earth. So we have felt it appropriate to maintain a good reputation on our dance floors. We have developed this from the codes and customs of the Argentine Milonga floor, adapted slightly to our more local sensibilities.

1. Circulation.
We rotate anticlockwise round the floor. We have room for two circulating 'tracks' on the Bylaugh floors and advise dancers to keep to the same track once started on the floor. Less experienced dancers are advised to use the outer track, and to 'protect'  their lady at times by shielding her towards the outer wall. We advocate dancing on the Pause, not only whilst interpreting the music, but also to retain the spacing between couples and to keep the 'pace/speed' of the dancers in tune with the music as whole.

2. The Back Step
We ask dancers not to step backwards along the line of dance, but to turn the backstep or step 'sideways' or back long the line of dance, particularly when the floor is fairly full.

3. Kicking
Movements that can cause people to be kicked, notably voleos, some ganchos and planeos are kept low and small to be contained within the dancers own space or towards a blank wall.

4. Eye Contact
Men give the lady the opportunity to avoid a dance by ensuring from some distance that she really does want the dance through eye contact and awaiting the ladies positive response to that eye contact. We do not follow the traditional Argentine 'Cachirulo' , (with men and women separated), our floors are not laid out that way.
Because the English tradition is for the men to go right up to the lady to ask for a dance (in other dances), we do find that this happens. However, it is peferable after the couple have exchanged eye contact, and it is nicer if the lady confirms to the man before he reaches her by indicating that she is about to stand up (if sitting) or by turning away and positively avoiding eye contact if she doesn't wish to dance. On the other hand, the lady can play a positive role in initiating this eye contact. The reality has become many variations on this theme. [El cabeceo - the sort of nod of acceptance is fairly universal].
The strange thing is that most people are doing this without even realising that they are doing it - it is so much a part of our culture it seems.

5. Moving Off
We advocate great care in joining the dance floor after the music has started and before the floor has started to move.
We also suggest that the couple tune in to each other and the music prior to moving especially when first arriving on the floor.

6. Dry and Fresh
We suggest that we ensure that we are clean, dry and pleasant smelling before asking anyone to dance. Most people at Bylaugh will have their bedroom not far away, and can change and freshen up quite easily during the evening, and I am glad to say, everyone does.

6. The Embrace
We suggest three variations of the embrace, the 'milonguero' close and square to each other embrace, the V shaped embrace and the open embrace which is closed to an approximate circle between the couple. There is elasticity within these embraces and the ability to change from one to another within a dance, or the opportunity to break the embrace, but not to open out as in Latin dances (except once the milonga is finished or 'dying down'.

7. Respect
We try to avoid walking near the dancers along the edge of the dance floor. When the Tanda is finished, or when one leaves the floor at the end of a dance, we like to see the men accompany the ladies off the floor. If they have come from a particular table or seat, it is more polite to take them back to that table or seat. Of course, being England, we often accompany them to the bar for a drink or a glass of water.

Note: I would appreciate any comments you might have on the above dialogue. We enjoy dancing without the risk of bumping, and especially the risk of being kicked. We have adressed issues that you might not agree with on the one hand, otherwise I am sure we have omitted many things. I would welcome your comments sent to stephen (then the symbol for 'at') bylaugh.com

I have received a note from  Zapato de Tango

Queridos amigos:

http://www.zapatodetango.com/files/espaniol/maindir/setiemb/news-set.htm

En este ejemplar encontrará Algunos consejos acerca de cómo comportarse en la Milonga.

Just the subject we have discussed and great reading in Spanish, interesting in the English translation. Do look, especially if you are thinking of going to Argentina to dance in the near future.
It also has an article imagining our late hero Carlos Gavito.

 Shoes

A recent study revealed that Comme Il Faut amounts to 70% of a typical lady's dancing shoes collection.

Why are the Commies so popular?

Here is a checklist for a lady to go through before she considers selecting a pair of Commie.

Do you think, wearing a Comme Il Faut will:-

make you dance better;
make you look prettier;
make your posture better;
make your embrace better;
make your legs look nicer;
match your dance outfit better;
make more men invite you to dance;
make you have a better connection with your partner;
make you legs feel more comfortable while dancing;
make you feel more confidence while dancing and not dancing;

If you score 7 "yes" out of  the10, then buy a pair.

This is not an advertisement.
We would love to hear your views on shoes too.

Angela (then the symbol for 'at') bylaugh.com

Tango Urquiza

Teachers in the Urquiza Style from Ney Melo [USA and Argentina]

and from Linus Aabye Jensen of Denmark

Urquiza or Naveira

After the drama and excitement of the last night of the England Tango Festival at Bylaugh and the extraordinary moment when the band struck up the music once again and Carlos Rivarola with Maria went simultaneously onto the floor with Fabian Salas and Carolina. From that moment everyone began wondering....

So I thought I would dig this article up again from a few years ago.

"New Styles of dance generate confrontations and polemics between milongueros" (Article from "Clarin", Sunday, August 8, 1999)

For ten years, the proliferation of teachers and schools have been modifying the way to dance tango. Although the change is evident, it has heterogeneous forms. As a result of that, there is a new paradigm: today, anyone can dance.

The static postcard of the milongas today, with its colorful mixture of "hip youngsters" and "old time historical habitu?s" united in the "ritual" of the dance, is not more than that: a flat image that rarely reveals something more than a repertoire of archetypes. Behind that frozen scene, nevertheless, an unsuspected and burning world exists where the old can be new, the novelty can be obsolete, a simple thing can be difficult, and the excessive is insufficient. And in that, on the other hand, all these values are in permanent change.

Ten years ago, and in a symptomatic coincidence with the world-wide triumph of the musical review Tango Argentino, the social dance of tango began to rise from the ashes in which it had been almost buried for decades.

It is known that throughout these last ten years, the panorama was modified completely. Today, hundreds of instructors shape thousands of dancers who attend tens of milongas. In order to have an idea, it is enough to take a look at anyone of the specialized publications (Tangauta, B.A. Tango), or to consider that at a single school (Estrella-LaViruta) there is an enrollment of 600 students.

But beyond the numbers factor, the phenomenon of the contemporary milongas marks a historical change in another sense: a new change of direction in the continuous transformation of the styles of dance throughout the century.

What is being favored today on the dance floor? If it is what can be observed with more frequency, one would say that three tendencies are disputing for supremacy: the Urquiza style, the Almagro style and the Naveira style, as the fans know them, - implying a neighborhood, a club and a teacher.

They are not difficult to distinguish. Make yourself comfortable on a stool by the bar and you will see them move over the waxed surface: a couple that advances with long steps, touching the floor as if they are wearing gloves on their feet is followed by another couple closely embraced and whose short steps adjust synchronously to the beat (Almagro), and behind, a third couple that unfolds all the imaginable variety of figures which the previous couples can do without (Naveira). Adding to that, there will be another couple schooled in the style of Antonio Todaro and belonging to an elite with technical formation, that alternates between the social dancing at the milongas and the professional stage performances.

The fans are simultaneously protagonists and judges of the prevailing tendencies. In some halls, one or another one dominates. But on several "pistas" the practitioners of different styles mix with each other, they watch each other out, they appraise each other, they admire themselves or they condemn the others. The commentaries can be listened to between the tables, but they can be tracked all the way down to the Internet (currently a Tangolist site burns with opinions like: " So and sos dancing, looks like a cowboy with hemorrhoids ").
Miguel Angel Zotto and Milena Plebs led the first changes at the beginning of the 90s. When they reconstructed in their spectacle Tango x 2 elements of style of the popular dance, they revealed to inadvertent eyes of the public, the wealth of the world of the milonga. Then, the halls, and the classes of Antonio Todaro, bricklayer and milonguero, with whom Zotto and Plebs had made their meticulous work of stylistic archaeology, began to fill with new customers.

A little later, Susana Miller began her classes at the traditional Club Almagro. Miller (of academic extraction) associated with Cacho Dante (a veteran aficionado) begun from her classes the propagation of which usually is known as the Almagro style - very similar to the typical style of the downtown night clubs of the 40s. Its less demanding requirements gave access even to those who were less fitted naturally, technically or sensitively. And it quickly put on the dance floor an enormous amount of new fans, generating a true leveling off of the dance.

Right now, the influence that registers greater growth is, perhaps, the one of dancer and teacher Gustavo Naveira. The faithful followers of his method of combination of steps and figures consider it "the acme of creative improvisation ". The detractors, who detest the way in which the Naveira dancers move around the floor looking for space for their movements, define them as "the patrol cars of the dance floor."

Naveira himself affirms: "a single person cannot be determining in the evolution of the dance. Thats been happening from the beginning of the tango, and without stop, always because of a conjunction of factors. Now, what is arising is a system of improvisation of an even greater variety of combinations. And these changes are also transferred to the marking techniques to lead the woman".

However, for disc jockey Horacio Godoy the future is in Villa Urquiza. Teachers Vilma Heredia and Gabriel Angi? also agree that many young people are focusing their attention to the floor of the old Sunderland Club of Villa Urquiza, where they still can watch the habitu?s of half century ago. "Urquiza is what its coming," prophesies Godoy. "There is a group of kids that realized that the maximum wealth is there. I am not talking about figures, its about the musicality and the quality of the movement. Its about a wealth of knowledge so subtle and complex that for the ordinary eye is imperceptible. "

The trends, in any case, hardly draw up general lines: common characteristics, airs of familiarity. As it has always happened with tango, there are so many ways to dance as there are dancers (it is what highly distinguishes it from almost all other forms of popular social dance). And in the same way, there will be so many opinions on the question as the number of people on the dance floor.

By Irene Amuchastegui and Laura Falcoff
Clarin Newspaper
Sunday, August 8, 1999

Notes on these styles

Social Tango Style of downtown Buenos Aires, known variously as Club Style, Style Almagro or Milonguero Style or often in North America simply as Close Embrace Tango. This is the rhythmic, intense, subtle and intimate style of the densely crowded  milongas of Buenos Aires, the quintessential Tango style.

Nuevo Tango
 In 1999, Claude Dumont suggested combining the names of its famous contributors/exponents -- Fabian, Gustavo and Chicho -- to call it Faguchi
tango.

Carlos Gardel y el tango cancion
Otro personaje muy conocido en el mundo del tango es Carlos Gardel. Carlos Gardel es famoso por haber creado un estilo de tango conocido como el tango canci?n. En su vida, Gardel produjo m?s de quinientos tangos. Uno de los m?s famosos es "Por una cabeza" y se puede o?r en la pel?cula "True lies".

So the style is the music and when the music changes, the style changes.
Do email us on angela@bylaugh.com with your views please.

La noche porteña 
Al porteño   "por la calle Santa Fe"
El tango es mucho más popular entre los porteños que la gente de las provincias.