Totally new to the tango, interested in the non-military kind

[nauru]

I am totally new to the tango. I've never been interested in it, until I saw the tango scenes in True Lies. Actually it was the song, more than the dance, which got me thinking about tango (I know there's an arrangement of the same song in Scent of a Woman, but I like the True Lies version better). For your convenience:
Most of the tango music I've ever heard I don't really like. The above song is the first one I've liked. The stuff with a drum or rhythm instrument that keeps pounding out quarter notes like a military march is definitely not my thing. It also seems to result in many people dancing in a jerky and disjointed manner. This military sound and resulting jerky dancing style are what turned me off about the tango for so long.

However I've recently learned that the tango can be danced to elegant music as well, such as the song above, and others. And now my feeling about the dance has changed. If tango can sound like this...


...then I am interested. My question though: is there a name for this kind of tango? Is it a standard form of the dance, or is it a tiny niche that I'll have grave difficulty finding instruction for anywhere?

Basically I don't mind if it's faintly rhythmic, but there shouldn't be someone just repeatedly pounding quarter notes on a snare drum or a piano for the whole song. Unfortunately the style that seems to be used in all the tango competition videos I've seen has the military-style tango and jerky dancing.

Before seeking out information/groups to practice this style, it would help if I knew the name for it so that I know what to ask for.

Comments are welcome. Thanks.

 

[opendoor]

Welcome nauru!

new members aren´t allowed to post vids and internet addresses for 2 month or so. So could you please try to type the address without http:// or www or even only some key words?

So may I fill in with the first one? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ydRwCf9Qyw The music is from The Tango Project . Unfortunately a rather military posture was printed on the cover. We call that international ballroom style tango. The corresponding music style makes heavy use of andalusian tango riffs. Argentinian tango music (must not necessarily be produced or written in Argentina) is much softer. But as with everything there also are rhythmic argentinian tango pieces.

t..Is it a standard form of the dance, or is it a tiny niche that I'll have grave difficulty finding instruction for anywhere?

This niche is a movement called argentinian tango or tango argentino. Surely there will be members around who can recommend teachers near by. You can start watching vids and DVDs, but some details cannot be learned on your own, f/i the hold, we call it embrace and it´s a very important and subtle part of that dance. All the fancy show stuff from the vid isn´t heard to learn.

 

[sixela]

Argentine Tango goes from this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5GSbppDp3k

to this (even more lyrical music, and simple and elegant dancing):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hjw8_boWpXU

Like that, and you'll like AT.

 

[opendoor]

And this was my proposal

World Tango (fusion of tango and folklore) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzA71kzLAG0

Neo Tango (fusion of tango and HipHop from the 90s) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEak5c37-48

Tango Nuevo (fusion of tango, jazz n avantgarde in the 60s) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oB-RS000NLs

Traditional salon style tango (tango big band sound from the 40s)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpHouXWd_n8

Traditional rhythmic tangos (tango from the 30s, so called golden age) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2CdXDunBfY

Tango de Fantasia (orchestral tango versions) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5g4qs49s5s

Tango for sound-tracks http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GkFrZR8wLo

 

[opendoor]

good suggestions sixela!

 

[samina]

to this (even more lyrical music, and simple and elegant dancing):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hjw8_boWpXU

that was exquisite...the man has such lovely footwork.

 

[nauru]

The second vid is youtube[dot]com/watch?v=oB-RS000NLs

 

[opendoor]

Re: Totally new to the tango

The third of my list

 

[Lilly_of_the_valley]

"Before seeking out information/groups to practice this style, it would help if I knew the name for it so that I know what to ask for."

It would be useful to find out where are you planning to take it -- learn it with your partner to enjoy in your living room, or perhaps, you have possibilities of competing, performing in mind, or maybe you wish to attend parties (milongas, where tango is predominantly danced? or ballroom parties?) and dance it socially? because the name for it actually would depend on that.

 

[nauru]

Well at the moment I don't have a partner. Will be looking to learn somewhere in central or southern Amsterdam. A quick search on google maps reveals loads of tango places around the city... not sure how to choose though.

The short term goal would be dancing socially, in the style of opendoor's vid #3 and/or #4. The lift at the end of #4 is probably the best I've seen outside of ballet. The other dance I'm interested in is the waltz -- to do it really well. Eventually I'd like to feel comfortable attending any ball around continental Europe and be able to dance with just about anyone I meet. I guess the main thing to know for this would be the waltz rather than tango but I want to do both anyhow. Never heard of a milonga but if there's tango it sounds like fun and I'd be down for that.

I like the idea of competing, but honestly the music in all the tango competition videos I've seen has really turned me off! I would not enjoy dancing to the heavily rhythmic tango music. If anything I guess I would compete in the viennese waltz since I don't mind the music selection for that. But then the waltz seems to have woefully little variety in the competition repertoire; watching them go around and around, all of them trying so hard to have the "perfect" form--I don't know how the judges choose since they all seem to be doing the same turn over and over. Personally I think ballroom dance looks best when the grace of the pair looks effortless; but at competition everyone seems to be trying desperately hard --even straining-- to be "better" than each other rather than just dancing naturally and letting the chips fall where they may.

So I'm interested in dancing socially. Or anti-socially for that matter in non-traditional dancing spots. Like a square, or a street. In Geneva I've seen people dancing in the park -- with dancing shoes on, man in suspenders woman in a dress, own music playing, no audience really, no other dancers, just enjoying a beautiful day together. This to me is wonderful, much more appealing than a competition hall or gymnasium.

 

[NZ_Guy]

Well at the moment I don't have a partner. Will be looking to learn somewhere in central or southern Amsterdam. A quick search on google maps reveals loads of tango places around the city... not sure how to choose though.

The short term goal would be dancing socially, in the style of opendoor's vid #3 and/or #4. The lift at the end of #4 is probably the best I've seen outside of ballet. The other dance I'm interested in is the waltz -- to do it really well. Eventually I'd like to feel comfortable attending any ball around continental Europe and be able to dance with just about anyone I meet. I guess the main thing to know for this would be the waltz rather than tango but I want to do both anyhow. Never heard of a milonga but if there's tango it sounds like fun and I'd be down for that.

I like the idea of competing, but honestly the music in all the tango competition videos I've seen has really turned me off! I would not enjoy dancing to the heavily rhythmic tango music. If anything I guess I would compete in the viennese waltz since I don't mind the music selection for that. But then the waltz seems to have woefully little variety in the competition repertoire; watching them go around and around, all of them trying so hard to have the "perfect" form--I don't know how the judges choose since they all seem to be doing the same turn over and over. Personally I think ballroom dance looks best when the grace of the pair looks effortless; but at competition everyone seems to be trying desperately hard --even straining-- to be "better" than each other rather than just dancing naturally and letting the chips fall where they may.

So I'm interested in dancing socially. Or anti-socially for that matter in non-traditional dancing spots. Like a square, or a street. In Geneva I've seen people dancing in the park -- with dancing shoes on, man in suspenders woman in a dress, own music playing, no audience really, no other dancers, just enjoying a beautiful day together. This to me is wonderful, much more appealing than a competition hall or gymnasium.

Just be clear on searching for Argentine Tango, if that's what you want. Tango (unqualified) can refer to Ballroom Tango (which is an evolutionary branch that separated from its Argentine roots soon after its origins - and thus is very different to Argentine Tango), depending on the prevailing culture in your location. Maybe look for 'Milonguero style' to start with, then 'Salon style'. Avoid any teacher that doesn't know these terms. By this point you'll be well enough informed to choose a good teacher for nuevo or neo tango or strictly for performance or competition. Make sure the first thing you are taught is no more complicated than walking.

 

[opendoor]

..guess the main thing to know for this would be the waltz rather than tango but I want to do both anyhow....

nauru, when you start tango you´ll get the waltz on top of it. Tangodancers celebrate an argentinian waltz variety called vals cruzado or vals porteño. And counting for me: without vals the tango actually would weigh too heavily on my soul.

Watch, this is argentine waltz http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-Nyi7p3NiY

 

[sixela]

The short term goal would be dancing socially, in the style of opendoor's vid #3 and/or #4. The lift at the end of #4 is probably the best I've seen outside of ballet.

Lifts are demonstration animals and not very social ones ;-).

The other dance I'm interested in is the waltz -- to do it really well.

As opendoor mentioned, you'll get tango vals thrown in for free (on slightly more cheerful music derived from tango but on a Viennese walz rhythm). Usually danced mainly on the '1' beat of the 1-2-3 rhythm with lots of room for accelerating or syncopating against that '1' strong beat.

I'd like to feel comfortable attending any ball around continental Europe and be able to dance with just about anyone I meet.

The Argentine 'balls' are called milongas (confusingly, a milonga is also a faster paced and more cheerful dance related to Argentine tango, but at a milonga tango, tango vals and milongas are played, usually in a 4/6, 1/6, 1/6 ratio). Posh milongas are somtimes called salóns. But to come back to your point, all these dances are completemy improvisational and social. I can go to Oslo or Berlin and just start dancing.

I like the idea of competing, but honestly the music in all the tango competition videos I've seen has really turned me off!

Probably ballroom tango competitions. Nothing in common with Argentine tango (which is not very oriented towards formal competitions at all).

So I'm interested in dancing socially. Or anti-socially for that matter in non-traditional dancing spots. Like a square, or a street.

You've come to the right dance.

 

[sixela]

FWIW, I'd start by lurking at http://www.torito.nl/agenda/ and going to a couple of milongas. Do watch out, the summer months many milongas tend to have recesses (summer months are full of workshops given by visiting foreign teachers).

 

[nauru]

Lifts are demonstration animals and not very social ones ;-).

Well once I'm proficient enough I'd like to perform as well. I like the idea of sticking with the same partner and progressing together rather than dancing with randoms for five minutes at a time. I mean the latter can be lots of fun as well. But many of the most elegant moves seem not to lend themselves to improvisation with strangers... lifts for example.