tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8035244062520832583.post6367876479381204804..comments2024-03-21T05:39:38.636-04:00Comments on Tango Therapist: Good Tango KarmaTango Therapisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12548118004604256736noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8035244062520832583.post-9972644491012784762011-08-12T06:12:45.619-04:002011-08-12T06:12:45.619-04:00"Tango improvesation (much like baroque and j...<i>"Tango improvesation (much like baroque and jazz) is full of musical patterns that go unrecognized because of teachers' teaching step patters rather than musical patterns."</i><br><br>They go unrecognised only if people don't listen to the music. Throughout the golden age of tango, dacxners appreciated and understood the music without dance teachers to teach them musical patterns. All that's needed is to listen to the music. I think the suggestion that teachers in class should extract and repeat musical phrases from recordings will further discourage tango lovers from tango dance classes. Certainly I do not want to hear this beautiful music broken into pieces.Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08546555586986008873noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8035244062520832583.post-43099187876888906352011-08-09T20:24:06.352-04:002011-08-09T20:24:06.352-04:00Chris, I am delighted to have opinions from "...Chris, I am delighted to have opinions from "across the pond." Thanks for speaking up because surely others may wonder about my point -- especially teachers who want to break away from pattern teaching. The question that remains about "how" a teacher could use this ideal of referring and giving credit to the orchestra and music: First, you would have to agree that this ideal has value. I believe that you indeed see that this is a good ideal. So if this is true, then I would suggest that you could implement this ideal in your own way and in the way that your creative mind would fit this ideal. But I can suggest something for you --> Play the phrase a few times for the class. Let's say that it follows a common pattern such as *e**2**da/*e**da/4**** found in di Sarli, Biagi and Pugliesse. (The stars are rests assuming sixteen beats per measure and the first star is on the downbeat of a phrase or measure). Since this patern has inspired the step, why not show that musical pattern? And this answers your second objection/question. I am talking about improvisational musical patterns not stepping patterns. I apologize for not making this clear. Tango improvesation (much like baroque and jazz) is full of musical patterns that go unrecognized because of teachers' teaching step patters rather than musical patterns. Music inspires human movement and improvesation not teachers with cool moves. I hope my intention is clearer, and thanks for the question.Tango Therapisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12548118004604256736noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8035244062520832583.post-59046186999291871092011-08-09T18:03:10.396-04:002011-08-09T18:03:10.396-04:00"I did not suggest playing the music over and..."<i>I did not suggest playing the music over and over.</i>"<br><br>Agreed. What you suggested was "always teach with the music that inspires a step" and my question remains: how could you do that without repeating the music, if your teaching is based on repeating the step?<br><br><i>"The nature of improvisational tango does not suit this common but inappropriate way of teaching a tango pattern."</i><br><br>Again agreed. But I think it truer to say that the nature of improvisational tango does not suit teaching of patterns, period. <br><br>Pattern teaching is for pattern dances. Tango dancing is not one. <br><br>We have patterns in social tango dance classes only because many so-called teachers cannot teach any other way. That in turn is due to them having learned in the same kind of classes.Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08546555586986008873noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8035244062520832583.post-73577896267056175022011-08-09T17:05:05.790-04:002011-08-09T17:05:05.790-04:00Chris... you bring up an important procedural prob...Chris... you bring up an important procedural problem of presenting the music that inspires a particular move. However, I did not suggest playing the music over and over. You are right that a teacher can actually ruin your favorite tango! Usually when "Poema" is played over and over it is not for the purpose of musicality but usually out of laziness or because of the tempo desired, which makes the music nothing more than a metronome for the instructor. I think that bringing out the fact that music inspired a particular move allows students to know that this particular move fits only certain musical/rhythmical patterns. The present tendency is to introduce a step almost like salsa or a waltz step which will work with almost all of the dancing one does. The nature of improvisational tango does not suit this common but inappropriate way of teaching a tango pattern.Tango Therapisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12548118004604256736noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8035244062520832583.post-53472095474823906962011-08-08T06:45:26.653-04:002011-08-08T06:45:26.653-04:00"always teach with the music that inspires a ...<i>"always teach with the music that inspires a step"</i><br><br>It is a moment of the music that inspires the step. It the class teacher to repeat that musical fragment over and over as he teaches the step? It is bad enough when a teacher of a so-called musicality class playes Poema over and over for one hour...Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08546555586986008873noreply@blogger.com