The four levels of tango musicality

One of the most important aspects of every dance is the musicality. A dancer can’t be considered a good dancer if what s/he does is not in some way connected to the music. Dancing is’t just mechanically performing step after step, sequence after sequence – it goes far beyond that.

To be honest, I strongly believe it goes even beyond the music itself and touches the core of who the dancers are as human beings… but that’s another topic.

Let’s now focus on the four levels in which tango dancers connect to the music. I tried to simplify the language and the explanations, so even beginners and people with no musical background can understand.

I also need to mention that there is a slight difference between how the musicality in tango is perceived by men and women, having in mind that they are focused on different things during the dance.

When I first started learning tango this was my biggest problem. I understood that learning the steps was just the question of time and practice – what bothered me was how to connect that to the music. And then I discovered that it is much easier to connect to the music from the Golden Age than to electro-tango or non-tango music. That is because the music from the Golden Age was created together with the dance, they are the two sides of the same thing. They support and help each other.

If you are a beginner, or even an advanced dancer who never thought about working on his/her musicality, this is the right time. The earlier you start – the better. If you have problem to finish the dance on the finishing beat, this is most certainly a sign that you have to pay more attention to musicality.

The beat is important, but recognizing the measures will help you become even better dancer. And then, one must also take into account the more complicated levels of melody and the sentiment.

1. The rhythm

The core of every music is its rhythm. Let me begin this section with a quote from a cognitive neuroscientist Jessica Grahn, who’s field of interest is the connection between the brain and the music.

I might be a little bit biased, but I believe that the rhythm is the most important, basic, fundamental aspect of music. You can take away all of the melodies, the harmonies, forget about the keys and don’t worry about scales; and what you have left is still undeniably music

– Jessica Grahn, neuroscientis

Yes, the ability to interpret the rhythm is, as well, the core of the tango musicality. You can’t say that someone is a good dancer if he/she can’t feel it.

They’re right when they say that tango is danced to the feeling that the music produces, but this must not be used as an alibi to ignore the music, and specially to ignore the rhythm.

Recognizing the rhythm is the ability to step on the beat. Even if you make long pause during the dance, your first step should be synchronized with the beat.

2. The segments

The second level of tango musicality is recognizing groups of beats called measures or bars. Tango music bars often consists of 8 beats, but dancers should consider just 4 of them (check more detailed explanation here). This means that the dancer usually steps 4 times in one measure.

On this level, we call musicality if the dancer is able to recognize when the measure finishes and new one starts. This is usually done by accenting the finishing beat or missing it completely (adding pause).

For example if you just walk, one measure can be 3 normal steps and one pause. There are of course, other ways to interpret measure – consider this just one very simple solution.

Recognizing measures/bars is basic, but at this point I have to mention recognizing the passages – those are kind of solos, which represent song within a song. You can, for example hear those in the finishing part of D’Arienzo’s tangos. Interpreting them requires extra knowledge and dancing skill.

This level of musicality should be main focus of every dancer who consider himself/herself a social dancer with beginner or intermediate level. It’s very easy to learn and results are immediate.

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3. The melody

With melody we are already touching the higher levels of musical expression in tango. First, because listening to the melody and respecting the rhythm in the same time is usually hard for most of the beginners.

Second, because interpreting the melody often requires complicated movements and technique. This might include things like complicated giros, vertical movements or synchronized inhaling/exhaling pattern.

Giros and circular movements are particularly useful for dancing in social conditions, when the dance floor is very crowded.

My impression from watching thousands of videos is that is that show dancers and those influenced by their style tend to focus on this level a lot. On the other hand, milongueros and social dancers are often mostly focused on the second level.

4. The sentiment

The most complicated level is the level of emotions. It goes way beyond the dance itself… And yet, despite its complexity, this is the first level many beginners appreciate the most – I guess this comes from the fact that they don’t have technique and repertoire to focus on other stuff. It comes natural. When they start learning, they somehow forget it: often because of the influence of the show performances they watch on Youtube.

But what is it actually? It includes the lyrics, the general mood of the milonga, the energy from the partner and, most important, the feeling you have during the dance. Tango is danced to the feeling the music inspires in you, not to the music itself.

Can you be considered a good dancer if you dance with lively and happy movements while Raul Iriarte sings:

Tus manos amarillas, tus labios sin color
y el frío de la noche sobre tu corazón.

(English translation)

Your yellow hands… your lips without color
And the cold of the night in your heart.

(see the lyrics here)

That means that you completely ignore the subtle sad emotion that the song brings on the dance floor and in the embrace of the partners. Even without understanding the lyrics, you can feel the mood in the melody.

To be complete tango dancer means to acquire skills and to feel all of the four levels. Sometimes the individual style of the dancer depends a lot from the accent he/she puts on the some of those, but there is a difference between accenting and ignorance.

I will appreciate a lot if you share this post with your tango friends who in your oppinion can learn something from it.