Lovely sequence of different styles of Tango by the same couple

a History of Tango - Sebastian Arce & Mariana Montes
19 minutes of Tango Multiple Styles

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eT6pXSLwCpw

I never 'fall out' with people on a forum. I just use the clever device which enables one not to see their 'postings' anymore. Much simpler.

I am here to have interesting informed discussions with people. It's great fun. I am really not interested in bickering. LIfe is too short and I'd rather laugh

Works both ways HW!

We can dance with a reasonable/fabulous/mediocre leads without ever having to listen to their dreary monolgues (gets worse after 50) , suffer having a drink or supper with them, talking about their ailments, views on politics or engineering, or music choices, or how their wife does not understand them, etc, etc. - dance one tanda (that's 3 dances) and it's done. So long pet.

We can walk away from a ghastly tanda and ignore that leader's cabaceo next time if they do not come up to scratch, have a nasty aftershave, grubby clothes, can't hrar music, have BO or bad breath, are crashing bores, try to correct or teach us on the floor (Very Bad Manners), shove us about like fridges or fail to lead correctly.

And we do have to put up with a lot. Thing is, we AT 'followers' are hugely supportive of each other. We talk to each other, we advise and we warn each other about the creepy ones. AT women are magnificent, funny and usually brighter than the average. There may be many an AT lead out there who believes he is God's Gift to AT. Ah no, if they only knew what we say about them!

We women AT dancers can be very kind and forgiving. We will allow the occasional boo boo - but do not push it or you will find your reputation in tatters and only the real Fridges or the Desperate left to dance with!

Ah yes, seen that one before. They are wonderful. Great teachers too

Wonderfully put. And I have been told most (perhaps all) of it before almost verbatim. Wasn't you was it?

"try to correct or teach us on the floor" is indeed annoying. I saw one woman who did that to me at a pre-milonga class sitting during most of the milonga. I imagine she did that to everybody else as well.

Number of songs in a tanda seem to vary between three and four occasionally five. I always thought it was three dances fixed; but on asking I was recently told by an Argentine DJ that the "traditional" BA style is "our pieces in the tango tandas, three in the milonga tandas and three or four in the vals tandas"

Never enough Milonga or Vals for me - except birthday time.

Oh to come clean "my" line was stolen from my first tango teacher - an English woman. She was persuading the few blokes in the class to stick with it.

She also added "The sooner you learn to dance well, the sooner women will flock to you." She left out the bit about 12 minutes at a time.

Nah, it's true which is why you have heard it before

Women who teach or correct men on the floor are just as bad. It's just not done. If you hate what he is doing cut the tanda short and walk away. My usual response is, 'be quiet and just lead'. I never dance with them again.

Usual tandas are 3 or 4. Never known anyone to play 5. And your DJ was right with the order.

Oooh! I loathe birthday Vals. It's excruciating! Luckily the last time I endured one my teacher (a highly respected Argentinian tanguero whose style is sublime) led it so those who followed had to be in the same class as him or show themselves up!

For me it's Milonga and dancing to Canaro.

To elaborate for those looking in

A typical order of tandas is apparently:

four tangos - cortina *
four tangos - cortina
three vals - cortina
four tangos - cortina
four tangos - cortina
three milongas - cortina

This could be notated as T4-T4-V3-T4-T4-M3.

*cortina = curtain. A brief musical interlude between tandas at a milonga.

Sometimes it is swing, blues, salsa, merengue - or heavy metal or something else discordant and jarring. It is meant to rudely interrupt those "Twelve Minutes of Love" and facilitate a switch of partners.

Trouble is if it is joyous merengue or salsa I have been known to smile and dance to it generating glares from the serious in-crowd. Tango is meant to generate sadness and smiling is not allowed. They confiscate razor blades at the entry door just in case.

But at least it isn't Fado.

Here you are then ...

Miguel Angel Zotto & Daiana Gúspero dancing Reliquias Porteñas by Canaro

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4G03HpzArc

Note the non-scratchy music. I can't stand the sound of "original" 78 rpm cat scratching stuff. Much prefer a live band or a newish recording.

Thank you!

Ah yes, I know that video well. Have watched it many times. Zotti is incredible and her footwork is sublime. Yep, not very keen on scratchy tunes myself - I want to hear every note - but some think them more 'authentic'. I think that is pretentious nonsense

Here is my all time favourite couple - Geraldine and Javier - dancing to my all time favorite melody 'Poema'.

She is a my tango idol - one of the greatest. Feet to die for. I aspire to dance like her.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AL9scCF6F1E

*delurks*
totally fallen in love with them Sofakat....they are amazing - thanks for posting
*relurks*

It's my pleasure

Stands and applauds.

Mind you I am the trad tango fraternities worst nightmare. I also dance to cortinas. And have been known to beg DJ's to play the whole track if its something like Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole, Louis Armstrong et al. I love dancing to that sort of stuff and much more than the scratchy old numbers. A favourite is My Funny Valentine. I like to dance to weird stuff like Pink Floyd Cyambaline - you can imagine the apoplexy. I think the cabaceo is daft. If I want to dance with a guy I bloody well ask him. I can't be doing with this fluttering of eyelashes across a room shennanegins. And I can find my own way back to my seat thanks, I don't need an escort like a maiden aunt. It absolutely why there is a need to import out dated customs. Oh and I smile often and sometimes laugh too.

However I do respect the line of dance. I would never cross a dance floor and I observe common or garden good manners. I just think things need to move with the times and therefore am something of a rebel.

WOW. Not seen that before. That's cut right through me. It is so very beautiful and I am going to have to study it and try and replicate it. Except I'll learn the lyrics and sing it while dancing milonguero style very close embrace.

But I think it could have done with a few lifts and faffin baht ... and a whirling dervish on acid cameraman.

Here is the karaoke version of Poema with the lyrics. I had a go just now. Hammed up "Adoración" at 1:17 of course. I'll have to request it when I have learnt it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CyyuTii1wA

Here is the English translation

It was a dream of sweet love,
hours of happiness and loving,
it was the poem of yesterday,
that I dreamed,
of gilded colour,
vain chimeras of the heart,
it will not manage to never decipher,
so fleeting nest,
it was a dream of love and adoration.
When the flowers of your rose garden,
bloom again ever so beautiful,
you'll remember my love,
and you will come to know,
all my intense misfortune.
Of that one intoxicating poem,
nothing is left between us,
I say my sad goodbye,
you'll feel the emotion,
of my pain..

Come on in. The water is lovely.

Get your hankies ready before watching this version of Poema

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWAqNho-JpQ

I hear you. I can think of a few places where spontaneous dancing happens during a cortina. Some love cabaceo, some hate it. I am not wild about the Patience on a Monument pose, sitting waiting to be asked. I chose who I dance with anyway and we all have our ways of doing it. I also ask those who I think have a decent lead and can hear music if they are new and do not know me.

I also know of milongas where the music is very eclectic and the old world stuffiness is banned! I am heading for one this weekend.

The fabulous de Fazio brother Enrique and Guillermo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYWFuyznWgg

You don't have to be young and slim to dance tango!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0pzEqYQcrQ

Contrary to Len, AT has nothing to do with sweaty gauchos, but everything to do with people who enjoy the music and dance.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIy-I-XIWSw

Finally, just because they are the best ever, Javier & Geraldine

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHn1LK43dJ0

Fabulous Kass. Thank you. Many favourites in there

Thanks.

It seems that "Reliquias Porteñas" is your favourite music I haven't been tracking its frequency. I should mentally pre-prepare some sequences for it so as to look decisive. I particularly like to get the start and ending just right - as with any good speech of course.

This is a section of the BBC4 documentary about Geraldine (and Javier)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7r1mPWczWPk

Here is another Poema.

El Puchu El Puchu y Gladys Colombo Tango "Poema" F. Canaro

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hyjoz6Zqe1M

Understated leading designed to make the woman look good. Just wonderful to watch. I prefer it to the somewhat more exuberant style of Chicho Frúmboli - who of course is recognised as one of the best.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFS-GzLUdwU

But I am going off Chicho the more youtubes I see. Great to watch but not my style to emulate.

You, lady bird, need to come to Lindy Hop!

Ha ha - not at all, it's becoming as ubiquitous as La Cumparsita. No you had posted a clip of a dance to it and I thought it would be interesting to see some different interpretations that is all.

I have that on DVD it's good.

I said I had a go at Balboa. Good fun. But I'm going to do a Forro at Cortina time. That's shake things up. (including breakfast)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c33sqgUUJKg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KQ9pomQRUg

Wow! It's like a cross between Bal-Swing and Salsa!