ArbeeNYC
Forum Master
Not entirely true since even advanced dancers take lessons. Everyone can use some improvement. And even teachers take classes from time to time.
For Leads: Do you watch how a follower dances before inviting her?
- Thread starter WhiskeyPapa
- Start date
While I agree with most of your statement truly advanced dancers, including teachers (though not all teachers are advanced dancers), rarely take group lessons at festivals. Some teachers and advanced dancers take workshops to audition the maestros.
There are particular workshop weekends where they train or they take private lessons with the maestros or they go to Argentina for intensive training.
ardix
Active Member
ArbeeNYC
Forum Master
I've seen teachers at a couple of Alex Kreb's workshops.
Tango Newbie
Well-Known Member
I call myself an "advanced beginner" to give the folks here a prospective of 'where' I'm at in the tango orbit. It really doesn't matter what people consider me, but I understand that learning tango can be a long process. That said, I continue to take lessons (private lessons and group classes 1-2x/week) and will be for the foreseeable future, but have stopped taking 'beginner' classes at my home studio and now focus on the 'int-adv' classes and privates (with more privates now scheduled).
Conversely, I have learned enough in my short 8-plus months to now dance with many 'experienced' followers at the milongas and practalonga I attend weekly. In fact, aside from dancing with my very experienced GF at tonight's practalonga, I had several followers wanting to dance with me, with one actually getting up from across the room, walking over and introducing herself to me, then asking me to dance with her (which we did while my GF was chatting with another follower on the far end of the room).
What I'm starting to feel is a little 'guilt' because I'm a friendly guy and have made a lot of friends, including followers in my group classes, who I see sitting sometimes and know they'd like to dance with me. It's a case of too many followers and not enough time.
So, I think I'm on track to get that "tango degree" in 3 years. I know there are 'heavy-hitters' who disagree, but maybe by then other folks won't consider me a "beginner" or newbie!
Thanks for the suggestions on those 'easy listening' tango songs! It's nice to know I'm not alone in looking for a more 'modern' genre of tango music. My GF suggested I start learning to dance milonga so we can dance to that since I like tango nuevo over the older traditional ones.
Here's a little story for you (and others); I work in biotech, but back in 1992 I worked for General Dynamics Space Systems that manufactured Atlas launch vehicles, and a bunch of us engineers had to visit NY to conduct an audit on a company manufacturing components for us. Later that evening we decided to walk around NYC to grab a bite to eat and went down a street where there were big catering trucks parked along the sidewalk in front of a building with brown paper covering the large picture windows. When we asked the caterers outside what was going on inside, they said there were film crews inside filming "Scent of a Woman", which I'm presuming was the scene at the Ferrari dealership.
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In general dancers with good musicality are able to dance both to older and newer music although they might have a preference for one or the other. The principles of interpreting a rhythm or melody are the same.
Tango Newbie
Well-Known Member
Thanks for the input. Although I'm not fluent in Spanish, I'm focusing on interpreting the rhythm (melody) so I'm in-sync with the music and I'm doing pretty good with that.
One of the things that can be difficult for me at the moment is interpreting 'when' the song ends so I can stop at the right time.
opendoor
Forum Master
Hi Tango Newbie in San Diego, interpreting rhythm or melody are two quite different animals. People who pay attention to the melody and the arrangement dance more dynamically. That means they stand still, swing, walk, or turn depending on how they are inspired by the music. People who follow the rhythm usually run like clockwork and cannot be reached by the music.
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And some people also dance to the emotion of the music, (along with the rhythm and melody).
This explanation might help (sometimes). Other sources are available.
opendoor
Forum Master
Good point. With predicting the end you start to deal with the subject of music. Here is a rule of thumb to get you started: Set the internal timer to 2:00 min. Now the yellow alarm level begins, i.e. you pay attention to rhythmic changes in the arrangement. Often it is the halving of the notes (doubling the number of steps), cadences (accelerations) or syncopations (off-beats). These changes mark the scenic climax of a piece. Dancers then show their skills. Molinetes and giros are often danced to accompany the cadences. After that, the red alarm begins, i.e. the piece can end abruptly or with an announcement. The announcement is often typical of an orchestra, it is a recurring phrase, an accent, a solo, or simply a subtle right hand ping on the piano. It's the orchestra's business card. In order to learn them, however, you have to ask for their names. But there are exceptions, which makes the game interesting. At every other milonga, try asking for the name and orchestra of a classical piece that you like. Save it on your smartphone and try to memorize it.
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TTanguero
Forum Master
One common pattern in tango songs is to end with a variation on the intro, and listening for this was my saviour in my early 'mathematical' days, when I was trying to calculate what point in the phrase I had to begin a figure on in order to dance the last step to the final note.
All this gets massively easier as you get to realise that, mostly, the same 200-300 songs are played at most milongas, and you start to recognise them. The biggest favour you can do yourself is to listen to tango all the time! Whether listening actively, or just in the background, you'll come to recognise more and more songs.
It gets easier still when you move past dancing figures/steps, so can end a dance in any way at any point, but that takes more time.
Predicting the end - mostly familiarity unless you've studied music at some point. Popular performance songs have a lot of predictability. La Yumba (Pugliese), Yira Yira (Carlos Gardel), Bahia Blanca (di Sarli) and many more. There are lists somewhere on this forum and a video section.
I find the easiest way to familiarize myself with new (to me) music is to put on my headphones and go for a walk. Moving while listening helps me to associate the two and use the music better in dancing. I don't find passively listening to pieces as helpful.
I find the easiest way to familiarize myself with new (to me) music is to put on my headphones and go for a walk. Moving while listening helps me to associate the two and use the music better in dancing. I don't find passively listening to pieces as helpful.
Active listening for analysis purposes is always useful, particularly if you're planning a dance to it, although that doesn't preclude improvisation. I'd put that down more to appreciating (understanding seems too strong) composers and orchestras - even old (orchestral) and modern (group) interpretations. Passively listening - depends on your time and the daily grind, but it's helpful to have that drip-drip, the background, or maybe even develop that earworm.
TTanguero
Forum Master
Super-helpful. Since I started dancing, I'd say easily 95% of my music listening is tango, and it was 100% for the first couple of years. Of that, only a small proportion was active listening (while trying to figure out a pattern, or while practicing) – the rest was just having All Tango Music All The Time!