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Tango Musicality Part I

We just came back from Tango im Schnee 2012, we had a great time there and, we had the chance to join a musicality class with Alejandro Amenabar. One of the things that he said was that back in the 40', more precisely 1942, there was a big division among the Orchestras:

- From one side there were those that were more rhythmical, easy for social dance, for big audiences... more commercial we could say: D'arienzo, Biaggi, Malerba, Canaro...

- And from the other side orchestras that were more melodious, virtuosic, much more difficult to dance... may be more artistic in a way we could say...: Troilo, Pugliese, Di Sarli...

Here there is a proposal:

Check in your local milongas, marathon, festivals, or any other kind of event which orchestras do the Dj's play the most. Do they play orchestras from the first group or from the second group? Check then the dancers, are they more comfortable with the first group of orchestras than we with the second group? How would you define their dance? Are they relax or nervous? Do they flow easily? Do they make more pauses? Can you tell if they are more or less aware to the music? You can check yourself for more differences..

If you want to comment to this article please send us an email to: JLIB_HTML_CLOAKING

This question is a very important one...

Since Tango Argentino is a dance that has more than 100 years, and is clearly a dance of this era with its mechanical movements developed at the beginning with out any doubt between men (how do you think possible that in those years men and women would have danced together like two boys playing football... no way!), there is not much possibility that a person can do in a short period of time what took more than 100 years of dance... either she/he lives long and many lives at the same time, or... takes classes...

But, again... why to take classes...?

Well Tango Argentino is a dance... it is a dance in constant evolution... but what is what you want with Tango Argentino?...

- Dance socially and have fun?

- Do you feel like a dancer?

- Do you feel like working with Tango Argentino?

May be there are others reason why to dance Tango, but seriously, in any case, you would have to learn... it depends on you if you would like to dance a style of 1910 or from the 20' or 30' or 40'... or 90'... or 20XX' ... in all this periods tango was different... It is very important to understand that this dance is extremely codify and we can always evolve our own dance... to grow in this dance depends on us and many times on our teachers...

It is also difficult to say that you don't like this or that with out had ever tried, it doesn't mean that we are obligated to try everything, but looking back in the history, Tango Argentino was always more than connection and changing weight... (by the way, to limit people dance according to our limitation as teachers/dancers is not fair...) So, we all should look for develop our tango skills... being us beginners, intermediate, advanced, teachers, super teachers, master, maestros or how ever we want to label, the fact is that we are all evolving, for sure in different levels, but still we are all evolving... even with out taking classes... the thing is... in which direction you want to go... how to know the possibilities if we don't have a deep understanding of tango argentino, if we are not that experienced how to know in which direction to move... how to be sure that what we think that we need is exactly what we need with out having references, with out having a teacher.. Find a tango teacher to work with and change him/her from time to time help us to find a better way to tango.. find your teacher if you want to learn...

Take classes, even if you think you know all you need, take classes, may be you'll find something that inspired you, or shows you something, may be a direction or a feeling or a possibility that you didn't think before...

Respect the tango culture, respect all the generations, specially the old Tangueros, if we don't do that then we will be lost with out having any root... we won't be dancing tango argentino.

Enjoy taking classes...

Enjoy Tango Argentino!

Matias Facio

Would you like to share your opinion, send me an email to JLIB_HTML_CLOAKING

Few days ago, i had a student who made me one interesting questions about dancing at the milongas:

- 'i feel i can dance very good when i have more space but i can't dance well when the milongas is very crowded, what can i do ? it is so frustrating...'

I knew that feeling, everyone in tango had that feeling for sure at least once (and even more for sure!). My answer was something like this:

'Accept that you are at point in your learning process where you don't feel comfortable at dancing in small spaces yet, but you know you are improving. If it is difficult and so frustrating for you to dance in small space, well, just wait until some people leave and then dance. If you still feel there is too many people in the dance floor, then wait a bit longer, meanwhile you can have some drink or a nice talk with other milongueros. It is very important to get to know how you are when it comes to Tango. With the time you may find that you don't like dancing in very small spaces, and also that you don't like this and this other orchestra and that also you prefer milongas with cortinas, and also that you find that slow valses are better for you, or may be opposite, that you prefer very quick valses, or, that you might prefer slower milongas, or to seat when they start playing them, or may be you will recognize that you prefer to dance Di Sarli with one girl but with this other one you just like to dance slow valses but fast Biaggi's tangos, or that sometimes you prefer to take long steps, and sometimes short steps... you don't have to be good at everything! ... You can't ignore what is good or bad for you, or what you like or dislike ...'

The pressure to be good at everything in tango could be so much that sometimes we forget what we have, what we like, what are we good at and, that it is all about to enjoy DANCING...

I hope this article help someone to be nicer with him/her self...

enjoy dancing tango,

enjoy the dance,

Some people say that Berlin is the biggest tango community after Buenos Aires... I can't say that, i haven't seen yet the tango scene in New York or in San Francisco, but for sure there are big tango communities in Rome, Turin, Moscow, Paris, Rosario...

In Berlin, you can go to dance every single night. Sometimes you have a couple of Milongas to go on the same night, diferent kinds of atmospheres, bad and good dancers, good and bad Tj's (Tango Dj's), good and bad dance floors...

Tango in Berlin is pretty much alive, classes are doing quite well, milongas as well, Tj's are getting better and better, dancers are getting better too. In sommer you'll find open air milongas with free entrance twice a week (Monday and Wednesday), also there is something called Hit & Run where people organize through facebook the next place to dance which for sure is going to be a public place where is not allowed to dance.

Our Tango School is open from Monday to Friday and offers you the possibility to increase your tango skills. Milonga and Vals on Monday, Tango in Open Embrace on Wednesday, Tango in Close Embrace on Thursday, Praktika Atípica on Friday, and, from Monday to Thursday Tango for Beginners.

Berlin and our school have a lot to offer to your Tango,

Join us this summer,

Matias Facio

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Where to go to Dance?

Monday: Nou-Mitte, chill out non tango music mixed with some traditional. I would say 50/50. Nice Floor, low celling, great bar. Nice place to go for a drink and listen and may be to dance some tango and non-tangos music.

Tuesday: Claerchen's Ballhaus, nice music mainly traditional, free entrance (please buy a drink to support this milonga!)

Tuesday: Bebop, great location, with a terrace, traditional music, a place to visit...

Wednesday: Roter Salon, one of the oldest milongas in Berlin, great dancers have been performing a this place, great musical selection by Michael Ruhl. They do a sommer pause... check it out in internet

Wednesday: and just for the summer, Strand Bar... open air milonga, floor is not great, music traditional, check out the weather forecast.. in case of bad weather it will be cancel...

Thursday: Villa Kreuzberg, great floor, traditional music, nice navigation, nice location in a villa with restaurant.

Friday: Nou-mitte, nice floor, traditional music with a lot of guest Djs, nice surprises.

Friday: Tango Tanzen Macht Schoen, great floor, nice location, nice traditional music, lovely high celling and lights.

Saturday: Walzerlinks or Rixdorf, the traditional milonga in Berlin that took place always in Rixdorf Ballhaus, takes place alternatively between Walzerlinksgeschtrickt and Ballhaus Rixdorf... you have to check it out in internet... great music, Dj Michael Ruhl, the first location mention above is the best one with a great floor and nice bar with drinks.

Sunday: Café Dominguez in Mala Junta, nice afternoon milonga, traditional music, you can go there first and dance for some hours and then move to the other milonga, Max und Moritz. Nice floor, nice level of dancing, nice bar.

Sunday: Max und Moritz, it is the milonga to visit on sunday night, great floor, nice music, good level of dancing. If you go a bit earlier you can enjoy some traditional german food at its restaurant.

Sunday: Tango Loft... well best milonga location in Berlin... definitely a place to visit in Berlin, Music, we can say 50% non-tango, if you prefer just traditional tango music you can still visit this beautiful place enjoy a great atmosphere, nice dances, delicious cakes made by Mona..