Re: Finish tango

[Eero Olli <eero.olli @ISP.UIB.NO>]

I am not an authority on Finish tango, but I am born there and I visit the 
country and my family regulary. So my opinions are not based on a TV-show 
or a exotic finn who showed up far a way from home. Since none of the 
finnish dansers of argentinan tango have replied I will do my best.

I believe that Finish tango (dansing, not the music) has it origins in 
somekind of simplified folksy version of the german danseschool tango. It 
is a simplified danse, that keeps slow-slow-fast-fast rythm, through the 
whole song.  The danse consist of prelearned figures, from which the leader 
picks one. There is not room for much improvisation.  It is dansed with 
close distance (chest-contact) between the dansers.

In the same time it is considered the most difficult of the regular danses 
in Finland :-). My experiences with the finnish tango are from the 
dancefloor, more than from the schools, so perhaps there exists a more 
complicated version of the danse in the danseschools.

Tango is what could be called a national dance in Finland and they have a 
yearly tangofestival at Seinäjoki. Last summer they had 130 000 visitors in 
a town with 30 000 inhabitants. 
http://www.tangomarkkinat.fi/english/etusivu.htm

There are very few tango orchestras. Usually the orchestras that play tango 
are regular dancebands (synth, drums, base and guitar), and tango would be 
just part of their repertuar (short tandas of polka, slow fox, valse, or 
tango) the same band might also be playing swing and soft rock depending on 
the evening.

The tangomusic does not have the same complexity as the argentinan music 
and is rather boring.  At Seinäjoki Tangofestival there is a contest for 
the best male and female singers, who then become the tangoking and 
tangoqueen and will  tour extensively.  Part of the revard for the winners 
is to make a record with a Symphony orchestra (which then somehow is 
supposed to improve the quality :-)
I find the state of finnish tangomusic a bit sad, because there are some 
great musicians after Second World War, which were clearly connected to 
argentinan tango music. Olavi Virta (our local Carlos Gardel) have made 
many recordings that have not received enough credit. 
http://virtual.finland.fi/finfo/english/tango2.html  Unfortunately the the 
later changes in finnish tangomusic have not been improvements.  There are 
still some great singers, but the arrangements are boring and the tempo is 
often fixed and makes me wonder if they left the drum-maschine on. (there 
is a difference between a clear beat and a fixed tempo!)

The singers can make their careers as tangosingers.  The local dansing 
place would arrange a tango evening, with mostly tangodansing, when one of 
the singers is in town.

I have never been to a tangorestaurant or cafe in Finland (are there any?). 
What you can find are danserestaurants and cafes.   If you ever come to 
Finland you definetely should visit one.  There are a few finnish 
spesialities that are worth while experiencing.
First, they have afternoon dansing at some of the dansing places, starting 
around 3 in the afternoon.  People would come straight from work, before 
going home for dinner (or be lured to have their dinner at the dansing 
place) This is a working class phenomena, no fancy dresses and drinks. 
People come for the dansing!
Second, they might have a womens evening on regular mondays; That is only 
women are supposed to ask men for a dance. Men are supposed to sit and 
wait, and hope that someone comes and asks them for a dance... Women like 
it so they show up, and because women show up the men will show up, 
too.  Waiting is a healthy experience for the most men, and I suggest that 
you all arrange a womens evening at your own club if the women are not used 
to ask men.

There have been some diplomatic quarrels between Argentina and 
Finland.  Finns regard tango as their national dance (and acknowledge its 
roots in Argentina). The melancholy of tango fits the finnish 
melancholy.  Last year Argentinan Goverment applied United Nations for 
considering Argentinian tango a World Heritage (as the Pyramides and other 
major cultural sites allready are), and some goverment official stated that 
'tango' is a concept that only should be used for Argentinan tango, not for 
finnish tango.  The next day one of the finnish papers filled their front 
page with the following title:
    Argentina
    declares
    tangowar!

Unfortunately I do not know how this tangowar ended. Perhaps the Argentinan 
goverment had enought domestic problems to keep the busy.

happy dansing,
eero
mailto:eero @bergentango.no   http://bergentango.no