Re: [TANGO-L] Memorized Patterns and Improvised Tango

[Bruno <romerob @telusplanet.net>]

It seems to me an over simplification that Argentine Tango can be danced by
walking around the room. From reading a couple of books on the history of
the characters who influenced the Tango dance I would estimate that a dancer
dancing by walking around the room who have not survived on the dance floor
for too long. Popular dances of the mid and late 19th century have all
levels of complexity. I wonder about the fact that Tango(s) is almost always
associated with having a characteristic walking beat and therefore walking
is the way to introduce people to the dance. It is hard to imagine but not
impossible that other music with characteristic walking beat as Tango such
as the cuban Bolero or the danza Habanera one could get away by just dancing
by walking around the room as the previous posting had implied.

Towards the late 1800's in Buenos Aires I read that one basic coreography to
dance Milonga would have consisted in executing 4 steps followed by a
Quebrada in addition to the dancers' interpreation and level of skill. The
style then was called milongueado quebrado and it was used to dance other
popular dances such as the popular polkas, mazurkas, valses, chotis,
habaneras, and to new evolving music with milonga rhythms (Milonga and
Tango).

Tango Greetings,

Bruno