Tango y Cultura Popular ® English Edition TyCP Special | Page 22

But in the improvised tango it comes out from the intelligence,
skill, in the “tangueridad” of the woman, the ability to decide
if it corresponds, and if so, when, how and which adornment
or type of adornment is the most appropriate according to the
circumstances. Of course, if the dancer has little experience it
is not advisable to try them at the milonga; for that, are the
classes and practices.
* One more: talking about hearing and musicality, some
dancers (or apprentices) consider that it is sufficient to “listen
to the rhythm”. Others, more advanced or exquisite, speak
of “dancing the phrase”. It should be clarified that this is not
enough; it is also necessary to understand the melody and
the peculiar expressiveness of each piece of music, each
arrangement, each version... And in this sense, the musicality
that both dancers need goes far beyond the recognition
of “rhythm”, “beat”, the “strong” or the “weak time”, the
“setback,” and all those things that are usually mentioned
(sometimes even mixing or confusing them). The musicality
that is required here is a true language that is capable of
translating, reinventing, and recreating once and a thousand
times the feeling, the composition structure, the essence of
this particular song that this man and this woman have the
pleasure of being able to dance here and now.
Finally, it is necessary to mention that the adornment is not
limited to movement, nor is it limited to the feet and/or legs
- although these are perhaps the most visible. It is of the
whole body, it is an attitude, a stillness, it’s the act of closing
your eyes, a pause, a succession of changes of speed and a
thousand other things that can, and often need to be worked
out technically, methodologically, but it ultimately shows the
love and passion of dancing tango as every man and woman
and as every couple is able to feel it.
Prof. Olga Besio