Motivations for studying Tango Nuevo

LoveTango said:
I dance with leaders who dance all different styles. I don't really know how to draw the line between "nuevo" and "traditional".
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The music, basically. It's all about the music.

If you're dancing to Stairway To Heaven by the String Quartet tribute to Led Zeppelin, you're unlikely to be dancing traditional. Or if you are, you're doing it wrong.

If you're dancing to Payanca by D'Arienzo, you're unlikely to be dancing nuevo. Or if you are, you're doing it wrong.

I'm going to start playing with nuevo a bit in classes, I think I now have a rough understanding of what's required, I think that nuevo teaches some valuable skills, and I think most of my people are at a stage where they won't hare off and start volcada-ing at the drop of a hat.
 
bordertangoman said:
Lucky you.
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By the way (now he´s in Africa, so I can reveal his secret: He learned Tango in Hamburg ;) In BsAs it was almost impossible for him to learn Tango, because he came out of a very traditional family and dancing tango was almost one step too close to the hell. And I find it very interesting that porteños who learn Tango abroad are as traditional as could be: which means, the catastrophy began with Pugliese. (By the way, converts, renegades, and turncoats always seem to be reactionary: sorry for this philosophical off-topic) . I know a lot of people from BsAs that only dance Neotango or Milonga but really hate traditional tango.
 
Dave Bailey said:
The music, basically. It's all about the music.

If you're dancing to Stairway To Heaven by the String Quartet tribute to Led Zeppelin, you're unlikely to be dancing traditional. Or if you are, you're doing it wrong.

If you're dancing to Payanca by D'Arienzo, you're unlikely to be dancing nuevo. Or if you are, you're doing it wrong.
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I don't think it's that cut and dry. I agree that it's about the music, but that includes how the music inspires you. I've danced milonguero style to some alternative music, and certainly could see myself doing that to Stairway to Heaven (with the right partner, of course).
 
dchester said:
I don't think it's that cut and dry. I agree that it's about the music, but that includes how the music inspires you. I've danced milonguero style to some alternative music, and certainly could see myself doing that to Stairway to Heaven (with the right partner, of course).
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or Milonga to "16 shells from a thirty-ought six"

or vals to Amelie
 
well , ultimately I go with what the follower wants ... but I agree with DB .. dancing CE to anything that's very nuevo is just "wrong".

(btw, I thought it was Korey in the video to start with :) )
 
Captain Jep said:
well , ultimately I go with what the follower wants ... but I agree with DB .. dancing CE to anything that's very nuevo is just "wrong".

(btw, I thought it was Korey in the video to start with :) )
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When you say "nuevo" when describing music, what does that mean? Is it more of a subjective thing (like how certain songs inspire you), or does it just mean any/all alternative (to include neotango) music?
 
Gotta say...this past weekend I was dancing with a particular (otherwise mediocre) guy. Very traditional. All close embrace. And the music was, of course, all Old Traditional. And the guy, despite the aforementioned mediocrity in other realms, led some of The.Best.Volcadas.Ever. Small, seamless, effortless, with the music, with the flow of the dance. Just...awesome. They were 3/4 over before I ever realized what he was leading and what I was dancing...they just...happened. They flowed.

I don't buy the idea that there is a "bright line test" for what style is being danced. It's too easy to blend things well (if there is enough skill/experience involved) to where "nuevo" elements can be incorporated into "traditional" dancing. Nor do I much buy into the idea of certain types of music dictating how to dance. How I feel, or how I'm inspired by the music, dictates how I want to dance. (How I actually dance is dictated by my partner at the time.) But the hard-and-fast distinctions...nah. Not for me.
 
Peaches said:
Gotta say...this past weekend I was dancing with a particular (otherwise mediocre) guy. Very traditional. All close embrace. And the music was, of course, all Old Traditional. And the guy, despite the aforementioned mediocrity in other realms, led some of The.Best.Volcadas.Ever. Small, seamless, effortless, with the music, with the flow of the dance. Just...awesome. They were 3/4 over before I ever realized what he was leading and what I was dancing...they just...happened. They flowed.

I don't buy the idea that there is a "bright line test" for what style is being danced. It's too easy to blend things well (if there is enough skill/experience involved) to where "nuevo" elements can be incorporated into "traditional" dancing. Nor do I much buy into the idea of certain types of music dictating how to dance. How I feel, or how I'm inspired by the music, dictates how I want to dance. (How I actually dance is dictated by my partner at the time.) But the hard-and-fast distinctions...nah. Not for me.
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I agree I love Knock 1,2,3 by Imelda May
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEzNATgAeHY
and it doesnt matter if you dance CE or nuevo

and my sig came from that dance....
 
Peaches, as always common sense!

Some music is clearly distinct. Hard rock and milonga, for instance.

But some music is closer. The version of "Stairway to Heaven" posted by opendoor almost sounds like Argentine tango. Same tempo as a lot of di Sarli, lyrical use of the violin. It lacks only the spice of the bandoneon.

Here's another example of Argentine pro dancers dancing to this version of Stairway.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6sE3VVpnxU

As with music, so with dance. Some figures we think of as nuevo have been toned down so they blend well with "traditional" tango. And a lot of "nuevo" was borrowed from traditional tango in the first place.
 
larrynla said:
Some music is clearly distinct. Hard rock and milonga, for instance.
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Well, sure, the music is distinct...but the dancing isn't/doesn't have to be.

And a lot of "nuevo" was borrowed from traditional tango in the first place.
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Well, as I see it (and as I learned it) nuevo is nothing more than an extension of the basic techniques found in the more traditional styles. Take the same basic concept, tweak it to apply it slightly differently, and voila! Nuevo!
 
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