The theme for this term is Dancing to Different Orchestras - so big focus on musicality Week 7: August 26 In Week 7 we...Introduced / reviewed the Vals - a.k.a 'Tango Vals' Musicality Vals is 3/4 timing - meaning only 3 beats to the bar. We stepped to single time Vals - stepping only on the 1, and then double time - stepping on the 1 and 2 but not 3. It is also possible to do double time on the 3-1 and not step on 2 (but this takes more practice). The double time in Vals feels faster than double time in Tango. It also feels more lilting and less regular / even than Tango. The space after last double time step in Vals and next single time step feels longer than in Tango. Songs for practicing Go here for Sophia's Vals Spotify List If you're not on Spotify go here for Youtube links of suitable songs to practice to: Moves The following moves were covered:
Week 6: August 19 The focus was on the very playful and cheeky dance of milonga. Here referring to the dance genre (not the place where tango is danced).Timing Milonga from a timing perspective is 2/4 time. Meaning that there are 2 beats per measure. By contrast Tango music is typically 4/4 time, meaning that there are 4 beats per measure. For single time Milonga (Milonga Lisa) we change weight only on '1'. For double time (Milonga Traspie) we also dance on the '2' - so '1-2'. Songs The songs focused on was El Negrito and Milonga Brava and other milongas by Francisco Canaro. Canaro’s milongas tend to be relatively slow and are therefore good for learning how to dance traspsie (double time) to the milonga rhythm. Go here for Sophia's milonga playlist on Spotify. Go here for links to songs on Youtube: El Negrito, Milonga del 900, Milonga Brava Moves
Week 5: August 12 The focus was on dancing to fast rhythmic music. The song focused on was El Nene de Abasto by Juan D'Arienzo. The spirited singer is Alberto Echague. I was unable to locate this song on Spotify but you can find here on Youtube. Tips for dancing to fast rhythmic music
Week 4: August 5 1. We worked on two versions of Alma de Bohemio, one by Pedro Laurenz , the other by Ricardo Tanturi. This led to a focus on dancing to mezza voce (long drawn out vocals). The movement approach also applies to long drawn out instrumentals (often violin). 2. We then contrasted this with two of the songs studied in previous weeks: Bahia Blanca and Tres Esquinas These songs are in Sophia's Tango Trad Spotify list. If you don't use Spotify you can also youtube these songs here: Laurenz version and Tanturi version. Week 3: July 29 The song we worked on was Bahia Blanca by Carlos Di Sarli. This song is in Sophia's Tango Trad Spotify list. Note the different phrasing structure when compared to Tres Esquinas. In Bahia Blanca the Statement and Response are 8 bars each (4 beats / bar) - so twice as long. Next week... We'll be exploring 2 versions of the dramatic Alma de Bohemio - one by Ricardo Tanturi, the other by Pedro Laurenz. You can find them on Sophia's Tango Trad Spotify list. Week 2: July 22 The song we worked on was Tres Esquinas by Angel D'Agostino. This song is in Sophia's Tango Trad Spotify list. We explored how musical phrases have a Statement and a Response. This could also be described as a Question and Answer. In Tres Esquinas the Statement is 4 bars of 4 counts and the Response is also 4 bars of 4 counts. So what are the practical implications of phrasing? - Punctuate / delineate in some way the ending of a phrase and emphasise the start of a new phrase or transition between Statement and Response. - Be aware and prepare for wind-downs of phrases. - The definitive ending of a phrase is more important than the start of a new phrase. If you catch the start of a new phrase - There are many ways to end a phrase - as long as it's definite in some way and avoids ending in a split-axis position for either dancer. We focused on dancing the Legato and Staccato of songs. The 2 songs we worked on were:
These songs are in Sophia's Tango Trad Spotify list. This involved an exploration:
Tango Music - for practicing Spotify Check out Sophia's spotify lists: Tango (Trad) Best for practicing musicality - walking to single, double and half time. Tango (Neo) contemporary songs (good for practicing technique) Milonga (Trad)Vals (Trad) Link to 250 songs The following link will download a collection of 250 of the most popular songs (tango, vals and milonga) played in milongas around the world! Focus for now only on the tangos. Also focus on instrumental songs as opposed to vocals as these are easier to find the beat. Di Sarli is one of the better orchestras to start with: 250 songs download This link goes to a zip file (little less than a 1 GB file). Here's a link to help you better understand tango music for dancing. For reading: How to practice without a partner - for leadersHow to practice without a partner - for followers Good habits for tango dancers
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