Tango the
music and lyrics are the musical symbol of
Argentina. The Milonga dance was a predecessor, slowly
evolving into modern tango.
By the 1930s,
tango had changed from a dance focused music to one of lyric
and
poetry, with
singers like Carlos Gardel, Roberto Goyeneche, Hugo del Carril, Tita
Merello, and Edmundo Rivero.
The golden age of tango (1930 to
mid-1950s) mirrored that of Jazz and Swing in the United States,
featuring large orchestral groups too, like the bands of Osvaldo
Pugliese, Anibal Troilo, Francisco Canaro, and Juan D'Arienzo. After
1955 tango turned more intellectual and listener-oriented, led
by Astor
Piazzolla.
Today tango has worldwide popularity, and the rise of
neo-tango is a global phenomenon with groups like Tanghetto, Bajofondo
and Gotan Project.
Video Mano Blanca
This video shows me and Katie while
practicing tango on the Mano Blanca tango by Angel
d'Agostino. Danced slow and
maybe a bit simple, but I love it because it is danced in line
with the music. That and the entire ambiance makes it
a really nice tango in my experience.
Sunday, November 4th was the Dance Parade of the Holland Dance
Festival. It
was really something else, dancing outside thru the streets of The
Hague.
Something that is not so common in The Netherlands.
On the right you can see a videofragment with me dancing with Anne and
the other couples of Tango Centro. Also check out the photos,
thanks to Mariska, Fred and Luis.
Por una Cabeza is a Tango from the golden age mentioned above. Por una
Cabeza, meaning "by a head (of a horse)" is a popular tango song and
was
composed in 1935 by Carlos Gardel (Composer) and Alfredo Le Pera
(Lyricist).
The lyrics of the song talk about a compulsive horse-track gambler who
compares his addiction for the horses with his attraction to women. The
song is
widely used in movies and is performed by numerous tango
orchestras.
Selected lyrics
'en Castellano' and in English
Por una cabeza
todas las locuras
su boca que besa
borra la tristeza,
calma la amargura.
Losing by a head
there was all that madness;
her mouth in a kiss
wipes out the sadness,
it soothes the bitterness
Por una cabeza
si ella me olvida
que importa perderme,
mil veces la vida
para que vivir...
Cabeza is not only the title of the famous "Por una Cabeza" Tango it is
also a traditional technique for selecting
dance partners from a distance at
the milongas in Buenos Aires by using eye contact and head
movements.
Tango
is a way of
communication... ...that
is way beyond
talking.
At the milongas in Buenos Aires, often not a word is spoken in asking
someone for a dance. A man will look around the room and try to make
eye contact
with a woman. Also, a woman can initiate the eye contact as well. If
she does not
want to dance with him, she will avert her gaze. If, however, she wants
to dance with him,
she will make eye contact; he will then slightly nod his head
in the direction of the
dance floor.
If she has decided to dance with him she will nod yes. Only at this
point would a man go to a woman's table and escort her to the floor.
This set of conventions serves a myriad of purposes. First: it prevents
women from feeling obligated to dance with just any man who
comes to her table and
asks her to dance. Second: men are kept from looking foolish by going
to a table
and being refused a dance. Third, if for any reason something comes up,
or anyone
changes his or her mind, no one else need ever know.
Milonga Sentimental
The word milonga can refer to the place where Tango is danced, but it's
also the name of the milonga music. Milonga is a
predecessor of
Tango and is usually simple up tempo music. It also sounds
very happy and that's what makes me listening to
it all the time. One milonga I like very much is the Milonga Sentimental
of one of my favorite artists: Francisco
Canaro.
Selected lyrics
'en Castellano' and in English
Milonga pa’ recordarte.
Milonga sentimental.
Otros se quejan llorando
yo canto pa’ no llorar.
Tu amor se secó de golpe
nunca dijiste por qué.
Yo me consuelo pensando
que fue traición de mujer.
A sentimental milonga,
Just to remember you by.
Others complain by crying;
I sing so that I don't cry.
Your love dried up for some reason,
You never told me the tale.
I comfort myself by thinking
It was a woman's betrayal.
A great experience, dancing outside on Het Spuiplein
It
was just another Monday, until I had this great experience of
dancing the Tango outside on Het Spuiplein in The Hague.
Dancing outside and intimate with a nice partner, realizing you're
outside on the
street
with people watching and trams passing is an indescribable and nice
feeling.
For a moment I felt like if I was in Argentina or at least on a
holiday. Let's hope there are more summer nights to come. Thanks Meera!
I'll never forget this wonderful milonga.
Favorite videos
Here I will show some of my favorite video clips out of the Tango
World. They are in no particular order.
It
was just another Monday, until I had this great experience of
dancing the Tango outside on Het Spuiplein in The Hague.
Dancing outside and intimate with a nice partner, realizing you're
outside on the
street
with people watching and trams passing is an indescribable and nice
feeling.
