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How the DJs use their superpowers?

by Ivica Anteski ·

How the DJ s use their superpowers?

If one can say that the DJ has superpower, than it’s his ability to control how the milonga unfolds. The mood of the dancers is often influenced by other factors as well, but the music selection can make or break the milonga.

How does DJ’s choices actually work? What are the tools in his/her toolbox? What knowledge he/she should have?

Well, the short answer is that they have a lot of tools. Some are simple, other require some experience. In this article I will talk about some of the tools I learned during almost 8 years of DJing around different international events.

The milonga tanda just finishes and dancers go back to their seats or part of the room where they make invitations. The cortina slowly fades away into a dense silence. Dancers look across the floor for the possibility of invitation…

But no invitation is made before they recognize the the first notes of the tanda. They wait!

The silence seems too long, but then something happens… a piano: taam-taaaaaaaaam… with staccato violins in the background: tan-tan-tan, tan-tan-tan, tan-tan-tan… You always hear one long “aaaaaaaah” when the excited dancers recognize the intro. It’s Fresedos “Buscandote”. No matter if they heard it a hundred times or more – people just love that song.

Good DJs know that and, more importantly, they know how to use that knowledge.

Listening and feeling the music is highly subjective experience. For this reason the stuff I am talking about here can differ in different environments and in different times. The DJ should develop his/hers ability to recognize those differences and react accordingly.

It’s not enough to just have good collection of tango music – you have to know how to use it. A DJ should observe how the music he plays influences those who dance and learn how to use the right music in the right moment.

1. Melody vs rhythm

The simplified formula would be: use rhythmical music to make them feel playful and use melodic music to make them emotional.

In my experience people respond to rhythmical music with focusing on their steps. They open up to their creative side and become more eager to experiment. They laugh and enjoy the physical side of the dance.

On the other hand, melodic tandas can turn the focus of the dancers more to their emotional side. Their connection becomes deeper, there’s more passion and sensuality. You can see less smiling and more sadness painted faces.

Some rhythmical orchestras to consider:

  • D’Arienzo
  • Biagi
  • Rodriguez
  • Tanturi
  • Donato
  • Canaro

Some melodic orchestras to consider:

  • Di Sarli
  • Fresedo
  • Demare
  • Caló
  • Pugliese
  • Laurenz
  • Troilo

2. Fast vs slow

In my opinion playing slow music is the most dangerous thing one DJ can do: it’s like walking on the edge of a cliff.

Slower can be stronger and deeper, but I believe every DJ should use slow music with extra caution.

Playing slow tanda should be in the right moment and with the right choice of orchestra. If you play it too early it might destroy the mood of the milonga; if you play it too late, there might be no dancers – all would have been gone home tired from the fast music you played.

Dancing with slower movements is much harder than dancing faster. This is why the DJ has to find the right amount.

What is the difference between the slow and the fast music? Fast music energizes dancers, makes them jump from their chairs, they invite their favorite dancers who have more technical skills… The fast music is specially effective if its in the same time rhythmical – it is a killer combination.

The slower music, on the other hand, makes people feel heavy. They feel every step much stronger. Dancers who dance on slow music are often more grounded and the ronda suddenly becomes quiter. It’s heavy and meditative music, and it brings those feelings on the dance floor.

Some fast orchestras to consider:

  • D’Arienzo
  • Biagi
  • Tanturi
  • Rodriguez
  • Fresedo
  • Troilo
  • Donato
  • Canaro
  • Lomuto
  • Caló

Some slow orchestras to consider:

  • Di Sarli
  • Pugliese
  • Garcia
  • Laruenz
  • Demare
  • D’Agostino

Hey, sorry to interrupt…

Do you like reading my articles? If you do please consider a small contribution to the existence of this blog.

I don’t sell a book or run ads: I share these articles for free. Unfortunately I also have to pay my bills, so if you see value in my work please consider a small donation/gratuity (the same way you tip your favorite bartender).
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Ivica

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3. Simple vs complex

Usually the traditionalist line of the tango music (like Canaro or D’Arienzo) is considered to be less complex than the line of the innovators and “artists” (like Pugliese or Troilo). It is also noticeable that the older music is usually less complex than the one recorded later on, or played by orchestras that came later in the history of the tango music.

Beginners are usually impressed with complex music first, but no matter what the DJ should be aware that their mood goes up when they dance to simpler. Why? Because it’s less demanding and their technical skills are still not mature enough for complex music. For example, they love to dance to Canaro or Di Sarli.

What can a simple tanda do for the DJ? First of all – it can start the milonga in a smooth way, giving the dancers enough time to get on the track and warm up. It starts the dancers musicality engine.

I used simpler music later on during the evening as well as well, but only when I noticed that the mood goes down and the milonga needs a restar. Consider the simple tanda to be the great tool to reset the milonga, or starting a new mini set.

DJs should try not to experiment with complex tango music if the level of dancing is poor. Beginners will dance much better with simple music.

On the other hand, advanced dancers get easily bored if you don’t give them a little challenge. One should here also play smart and avoid going too far. There should always be a balance between simplicity and complexity.

The complex music usually has a lot of surprises: slowing down, pauses and so on. It can also sometimes use irregular rhythmic patterns.

Some complix orchestras to consider:

  • Troilo
  • Pugliese
  • Tanturi
  • Demare
  • Caló

5. Old vs new

Different people – different tastes. I can notice a split between festival and marathon on one side, and encuentros on the other. Namely, the festival/marathon world DJs lean towards music that was recorded latter (even in the post-Golden Age period); on the other side, encuentro DJ’s tend to use older recordings.

Well, I don’t like both approaches. Why? Marathon DJs use music recorded after 1950s, which in my opinion is unacceptable in 80% of the cases.

On the other side, I feel this tendency among encuentro DJs to focus too much on older music (most often, but not necessarily the Old Guard).

The best tango music is recorded in the Golden Age – the period between 1930s and 1950s. I believe that the good DJ should be aware of that and use it in his/her advantage. It’s wrong approach to give up the richness of the Golden Age no matter what’s the reason behind that.

But what does the old music brings to the dance floor?

First, it brings warm atmosphere. It has this little bit old jazzy mood and it makes people feel welcomed and happy. If the milonga is half empty, the DJ can answer to the emptiness and coldness of the mood with some older tandas. It’s just feels friendlier – no wonder some people enjoy the hear that vinyl crackling sound in the tracks.

On the other hand the newer music brings deeper expression to the dance floor. It has bigger emotional charge and, in some cases, a drama.

Some older orchestras to consider:

  • Carabelli
  • Orquesta Tipica Victor
  • Canaro
  • Fresedo

Some orchestras with newer music to consider:

  • Pugliese
  • Caló
  • Di Sarli
  • D’Arienzo
  • Biagi
  • Racciatti

6. Hits vs less known music

Hits make people jump to dance, good music which they hear for the first time gives them wings. In my experience a good set consists of 70% hits, 20% less known music and only 10% (or less) of music which the crowd do not recognize. This implies that a good DJ has to know the taste of the dancers and the level of their knowledge.

I could have easily named this point Hits vs education, but I didn’t. Why?

DJs are often considered the most educated members of the tango community – which means they investigate, search for the music, check the quality, read the history. Doing so, sometimes they notice that their community is unfamiliar with part of the rich musical heritage of the tango. Their job is sometimes to introduce new songs and new orchestras.

New music also refreshes the mood. Listening to the same music over and over again can sometimes take away the energy – this is why new piece from time to time can be refreshing. This is especially good if you have advanced dancers on the floor – this is a kind of challenge which they will accept with gratitude.

When playing unknown music DJs should pay attention to danceability. If the song is unknown there must be a reason for that: sometimes some tracks are not played for the simple reason that they are bad and undanceable.

The principles of danceability

When people recognize a song they feel in a familiar territory. They feel comfortable to invite and to accept invitation. Among the hits are often the favorite songs of many people. Playing a hit for the DJ should be a tool to invite everyone on the dance floor. I recommend to all DJs to start every tanda with a hit.

What’s your experience? Please share in the comment section bellow and share the post with your friends, so they can benefit from its content.

How to organize a successful milonga?

by Ivica Anteski ·

Please waiter, this is a milonga

Organizing а milonga is much more than playing music and letting them dance. It’s not a rocket science, but every organizer has to know some things in order to enable their guests to enjoy.

If you’re starting your first milonga this post is for you. The points explained here are very basic, but they’re important. The more experienced organizers can also use this article as a sort of reminder or a check-list for their already existing milonga.

My feet were tired and I decided to skip the milonga tanda. The music that evening was great and I enjoyed a lot. Siting on the comfortable leather covered armchair I was watching the mastery of some of the dancers in the ronda. I sometimes feel immense enjoyment just from observing others having good time – it seems that the positive mood transfers from others to your heart…

Suddenly my thoughts were interrupted by a scream. I turned my head and I saw girl’s white dress all red. The waiter dropped all drinks on his tray on her while trying to pierce his way through the ronda. I’d seen him few times that evening getting his way on the floor between couples – he was having a good time, dancing in a funny way with the drinks in his hand, jumping around skillfully like a skier doing his zigzag slalom.

I guess this time he was not so lucky. He bumped into a couple and dropped his tray on the girl sitting near the floor.

Well, I was thinking, you can’t blame the waiter – he was just doing his job. People usually pay attention to the waiter, but tango dancers are not just regular people. There is a part of the visual field that is completely covered during the tango dance – so the dancers can’t see if someone is coming their way. This is why the organizer should prevent this kind of incidents by educating the stuff.

There are of course many other aspects of having successful milonga – these are just some basic tips you can start from.

1. Good music

The musical content of the milonga is the key for its success. People may complain that the floor is not good or that it is too hot, but they will stay and dance if the music is good. So an organizer had to pay special attention to choose their DJs very carefully – they can make or break their event.

The music has to be organized in tandas and cortinas in a predictable way, so dancers would not be surprised – some of them count and wait for their favorite part (milonga or vals).

2. Smooth floor

Wooden floor is the optimal choice, but I’ve visited perfectly good events where the floor was marble or something similar. Even some of the most famous traditional milongas in Buenos Aires are in venues without wooden floor. Take a look at these two examples – “Sunderland” and “Lo De Celia”

The floor has to be smooth enough so that the dancers do not have problems with pivots, but not too much so they are afraid to slip and fall.

If you organize all-weekend event where there will be dancing almost non stop, a wooden floor is a must – since marble is hard and after hours of dancing people feel pain in their knees and ankles.

Hey, sorry to interrupt…

Do you like reading my articles? If you do please consider a small contribution to the existence of this blog.

I don’t sell a book or run ads: I share these articles for free. Unfortunately I also have to pay my bills, so if you see value in my work please consider a small donation/gratuity (the same way you tip your favorite bartender).
From my heart to yours!
Ivica

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3. Uninterrupted ronda

Ronda is one of the basic rules of milonga. It’s the organizers job to enable an uninterrupted flow in a counterclockwise circle. The host has to predict all that might interrupt and intervene before it happens. Interruptions might come from thins like waiters trying to serve dancers seated around, outsiders trespassing, parts of the furniture, chairs etc. All these interruptions can kill the mood, not giving people chance to relax and enjoy completely.

Place chairs and tables around, organize the space so that people can feel where the center of the ronda is without solving complex formulas in their heads.

4. Fresh air

Tango is a physical activity and people burn out calories and exhale carbon dioxide. They also sweat.

Big crowded milongas get stuffy after just one tanda. To make the experience enjoyable the organizer has to find a venue with proper ventilation. Air conditioning and ventilation are very important – particularly in summer months.

5. Light

Many people think that tango should be danced in darkened rooms. It might be romantic experience from time to time, but, most of the time, milonga venue needs light.

There are three main reasons for that:

  • People need to see each other in order to make invitations
  • In a dark room, the mood is dark as well
  • Dancers need to see others dancing if they want to chose their next partner.

Above in this article I posted links where you can see that some milongas in Buenos Aires are completely lighted.

6. Dancers, of course

This is the last point because the organizer has a lots of things to do even before the dancers show up. No milonga can be considered successful if the dance floor is empty.

Some organizers even adjust the size of the floor in order to have it filed up with dancers. A half empty floor is one of the biggest mood killers. Usually 1 to 1,5m2 is enough for a couple – maybe more if they are beginners or dancing showy.

The adjustments can be easily be done by moving the tables and chairs closer to the dance floor.

Speed up your learning

by Ivica Anteski ·

Speed up your learning

I know! You want to learn without effort and you want to know right away.

Who doesn’t?

Unfortunately there is no magic formula that will help you speed up your learning process. But I have good news for you: there are some things you can do to learn faster.

These 6 recommendations can help speed up your learning: you may like them or hate them – it’s up to you. Years of teaching experience proved me that if you respect the process your path from beginners classes to milongas will be much shorter.

No-shortcuts approach

When he decided to take private class with me he’s been dancing for 2 years already. He knew a lot and yet, on the dance floor he could barely move. All he could do was walking, ochos – and some occasional volcada.

“I know I can do more, but when I’m dancing with someone for the first time I just freeze”, he said.

When I asked him to show me what he really knows, I was left speechless. Colgadas, volcadas, some crazy ganchos and sacadas… When I asked him to lead his partner in back cross, he was struggling. It was clear: he never done it before.

You can guess, he invested 2 years to practice steps that he could barely use in crowded milonga and with unfamiliar partner. I knew exactly what he needs. We worked for 3 hours on some very simple steps like back cross, cross and ocho cortado.

One has to pay attention to the usability of steps he learns, that can completely transform his dancing. He later told me that this saved him from quitting tango. And he was not the only one: I had several other similar experiences.

This is just a part of what beginners must know. It’s not the complex steps or technique that is challenge – it is the impatience. People want to advance well before they’re really ready.

1. Dance at least 8 hours a week

The popular belief is that in order to become a master in something one has to spend 10.000 hours of practicing it. Of course, you don’t have to become a master, but if you want to become a good dancer you have to spend hours and hours of doing… practicing and dancing.

There is just no way around that.

Why is that important? Our brains are able to adapt… it’s called neuroplasticity. As the scientist David Eagleman says the brain is basically like a potatoman, so you can attach to it whatever you like – just give it enough time and practice to adapt.

For example, he attached a camera signal to a vest and a blind man started to see, just feeling the impulses on his back. The brain needed a period of practice to start recognizing patterns.

Other example for this is the astronauts training to use the robotic arm on the International Space Station. They spend hours and hours in the simulator so the brain starts to recognize the robotic arm as part of their body. Check out how they train.

The same process apply for the tango dancers. One of the keys to good dancing is the communication. It’s basically the same thing to what astronauts do – we train our brains to feel the partner as a part of our own body. You practice for hours so the communication becomes natural – there is no conscious process to interrupt it, it goes directly from the center of communication with the partner to our body, without going trough our consciousness. This is how we achieve to dance with our heart and not with our mind – to feel, not to think.

I consider the improvement of communication the biggest benefit of the hours spent dancing, but it also helps with musicality, body-mind coordination etc.

Dancing is a complex task for the brain. In order for you to enjoy it has to become subconscious process. Learning to dance is like learning to ride a bicycle: your legs have to turn the pedals, your body to control the balance, your arms have to turn the wheel, you have to coordinate the wheel movement with the balance change, your eyes have to pay attention to what is in front of you, your brain have to navigate….

In the beginning it was a task that took a lot of effort, but as you become more experienced, the process become instinctive. Today you can ride a bicycle with one hand and chat with a friend on your mobile with the other. It feels as the vehicle is an extension of your own body.

Dancing 8 hours means visiting at least 2 milongas and 2 practicas or classes a week and being active, dancing at least 50% of the time.

Hey, sorry to interrupt…

Do you like reading my articles? If you do please consider a small contribution to the existence of this blog.

I don’t sell a book or run ads: I share these articles for free. Unfortunately I also have to pay my bills, so if you see value in my work please consider a small donation/gratuity (the same way you tip your favorite bartender).
From my heart to yours!
Ivica

Thank you button

Securely processed via PayPal

2. Know what your goal is

99% of us learn tango as a social dance. This means you have to focus to learn things which will be useful to you in social conditions, on the dance floor, not on stage.

Many of my students watch videos of show dancers and get instant urge to learn how to do that fancy movements they see.

If you want to learn fast you have to make calculation how much energy and time you want to invest in learning. Are you sure you want to invest a month practicing step that you’ll use only once or twice on every milonga? Don’t you think that it’s better to invest that time and energy to learn something that will have much more influence on your dancing? Something like improving the musicality or getting better with reading your partner?

Of course, steps are important, but working on something easy first is smarter. It’s like an investment – ask yourself what are you willing to invest and what is the benefit?

When you learn new steps you will see that some are more usable at the dance floor than others. Value and practice them more often, those are the bones and the muscles of your dance – the others are just the cosmetics.

It’s also important when you take classes and learn new steps to try to use them right away. There is no point in learning if you do not implement. Learning tango isn’t a process of gathering knowledge – it’s a process of enriching your dancing.

Think of it as a painting – it does not matter if you have all the colors of the world on your palette, if you do not put them on the canvas.

3. Watch and learn

Every child in the world knows how to play football or some other game – and they never took classes to learn it. How is that possible? Because we are creatures that learn just by watching.

In order to do that our brain uses something called mirror neurons. Children learn by mimicking, adults as well. Scientist call this ability visuomotor transformation, namely, the ability “to transform the observed visual information into internal motor commands that will allow them to perform the motor task”.

Yes, this means that if you give people enough time to watch and practice, they will learn tango even without a teacher.

You think that is impossible? That is how tango was learned in The Golden Age. That was partly my learning path as well.

On the other hand, there is a great confusion about should people learn from videos? It’s because people have wrong mindset about what they see. In order to be able to learn from watching you have to watch exactly what you want to learn.

This means that if you want to be able to dance well on milonga – you need to watch how people are dancing at milongas, and not admiring show dancers performing for the audience. Maybe it’s the same tango and the same music, but there is a different purpose and there is difference in what and how they do it.

I do not like when my students watch or post videos from tango celebrities dancing show. Of course, many of them tell me “but we are aware that it is just a show, we dance differently on milongas”. Maybe they are aware, but the mirror neurons are not. There is a truth in the saying “monkey see – monkey do” – you brain learns from what you watch, no matter do you like it or not.

4. Respect the process

You need to accept that no matter how hard you practice, how much energy you invest, how good your teacher is – it will take time to become a good dancer. Do not jump over steps in the process.

What does it means? That you have to focus on what and where you are in this moment. The better you learn what you do now, the better dancer you’ll be tomorrow.

You don’t try to build a wall. You don’t set out to build a wall. You don’t say ‘I’m going to build the biggest, baddest, greatest wall that’s ever been built.’ You don’t start there. You say ‘I’m gonna lay this brick as perfectly as a brick can be laid,’ and you do that every single day, and soon you have a wall. – Will Smith

Lay your bricks with joy and attention. The most important thing in tango is not what you do, but how you do it. Do your simple steps the best you can, and soon you’ll become a great dancer, soon you will have your wall.

Yes, there will be set-backs. Yes, there will be disappointments. Yes, there will be moments when you’ll think on giving up. Please, be aware that those are normal part of the learning process. This applies especially if you are very passionate and impatient to learn.

Over the years I’ve seen many students going from glory to despair, from darkness to glowing. Tango is an emotional journey and you have to be able to manage your inner battles. I recommend you to talk to your teachers, to your partners, or write me a message explaining your disappointment. I am sure I can help you.

5. Dance with good dancers

Easier said than done?

Not always. Good dancers can’t be good if they’re not givers. These people are most of the time willing to help and guide beginners – if you approach them in a right way.

First, whatever you do, please be aware that they came to tango to enjoy and socialize. They do not have obligation to help you or dance with you. Be thankful! Show them your gratitude.

Or course, there is this unwritten rule that advanced dancers from time to time have to dance with beginners, as a sort of social responsibility, but usually there’re many beginners and few advanced dancers.

Second, be determined. Advanced dancers like to help people with ambition to learn and those who show that will not give up no matter what. There is nothing worse than helping someone who will give up.

Third, don’t expect them to dance with you when they have option to dance with better partners. This means you have to show up at milongas early on, when there is no competition. You can also invite them to come to practica to help you.

Fourth, if nothing else works, you can offer some of the advanced dancers some kind of payment. Private class or private practica is a great way to improve your dancing. Pay attention to practice with different partners and not to learn the same patterns.

In my own practica I try to dance with all of my students as much as I can. This helps them learn and motivates them to endure during the periods of frustrations and disappointments.

6. Be curious

I have to congratulate you. The fact that you read this article means that you’re curious. I can ensure you from my own experience, the fastest learners are those who are active.

The role of your teacher is not to get you to the destination: he/she just have to show you the right door, it is your job to enter.

Take responsibility for your learning process. Be loyal to your school and teacher, but don’t be scared to visit others as well. I always say to my students to check out every option they have, to act on their instincts about what might help them. Tango is a journey and you have to find your own path.

Curiosity also means that you have to read a lot. We are not Argentinians. We do not feel the beat of Buenos Aires from the Golden Age. There is a huge influence of the African dances in tango – but tango was not born in Africa. Most of the tango musicians have Italian ancestry, but tango was not first played in Italy. It was Argentina and Uruguay, it was Buenos Aires and Montevideo.

Try to understand that culture and to feel that spirit. Learn something about the history and the origins. If you don’t know Spanish, learn some – it will be valuable skill in your tango development.

If yo think that this post can help beginners in your community, please share it. If someone told me this when I first started, it would have saved me months and frustrations.