Oops - I suppose I should clarify that in my earlier post, I intended those of a Romance language to also extend out to those countries colonised by those countries and speaking such languages therefore... well, certainly in the case of Latin America.
Me: "which informs lyrics, music and dance"
But lyrics to music is a big leap.
If the lyrics come first, then the music has to follow the cadence of the language, and the tone of the words (generally). Weren't some of the classic Tangos (particularly some of the earlier ones) written as Euro-Latin style, sentimental poems, with music added later?
Of course, once the music's established enough as a recognisable form, then it can precisely evoke without needing lyrics... I mean in addition to what it can more generally evoke in someone unfamiliar with that music and what it specifically signifies [big can of worms...].
I suppose the question is 'in each culture, going way back, which came first; the language or the music?'
Me: "that's what the 'soul' of the dance is"
Music yes but the lyrics I am not so sure.
Fair enough: I'm of the 'learn the lyrics and dance accordingly' school (where there are lyrics - and there's always an evocative title!), but I've had way too many debates with musicians (who weren't also lyricists) about this kind of thing to be able to see it as anything but a preference.
It's the Roger Waters v. Dave Gilmore thing: I know which side I'm firmly on....
Me: "hips wiggle"
Some people would say that this is where you feel the music best and is the soul of dance.
Mmmmm... not me personally but I wouldn't disagree with anyone who said that - I guess the soul also has to contain a proper functionality (form following function as it does), which some dances would lose with hip wiggling.
But yeah - have to think about that one... I certainly did feel pretty good when Cuban-motioning my through Salsa... way more than is proper for a big, Northern bloke...
though it's notable that I stopped that and continued TA (with still hips), and am feeling far more 'soulful' in doing so....
Agreed and I would have thought the Latin classification from a world view would be based upon the root of the language that makes Italians, Latin people. They are also Meditteranean but I am not sure that has any relevance. but that just shows the absurdity of using language or geography for classifying dance.
Dunno, language pretty much shapes 'reality' (rather than merely describing it), so has an awful lot of significance; geography less so, I totally agree (as you say, with that very nice example, it can be pretty absurd).
I guess in a different kind of discussion - one that was pretty rigidly classifying dances by their mechanics - it wouldn't have occurred to me to think of TA as Latin, as some have said.
I think that some of this discussion is looking a little deeper, so it's relevant here, specifically - if the dance is very much the walk, then what should be the walk's attitude, and why (in terms of my approach, since I started the thread)? It really should signify something, so I find it worth thinking deeply about....
