Today is "el dia del maestro" in Argentina (Teacher's day). I feel gratitude for all my teachers, in particular I remember my first dance teacher Maria Teresa at the National School of Ballet in Argentina. She was so sweet to me. And in tango, I pay may respects to el maestro Carlos Di Sarli. Do you know who Carlos Di Sarli is?

Di Sarli's musical style[edit]

In the beginning, his music had a simple structure, but over time it matured into a more lyrical, richer, playful and more subtle style which remained popular with tango dancers as it continued to have a clear dancing beat. This clean compás made him a favorite of beginning social tango dancers, while more advanced ones could enjoy the complexity and variations of his music. Because of this, di Sarli's orchestra was among the most popular ones during Carnival balls of his age and can still be heard at milongas in Buenos Aires and around the world today.[3]

Di Sarli moved beyond the style of the guardia vieja of tango and Julio de Caro's avant-garde, preferring to forge his own style without concession to the fashions of the day. While being influenced by Fresedo early on, he soon established his own way. A talented piano player, he directed his orchestra from behind his own instrument. His recordings do not feature significant instrumental solos; the bandoneóns at times carry the melody but essentially play a rhythmical, milonguero role. Only the violins stand out, playing a short solo or a counterpoint melody. He recorded many tracks more than once over the years, often with different singers. Di Sarli's creativity was mostly limited to the left hand piano part, filling in, modulating and accenting his delicate and elegant dancing beat. His reputation for musical elegance got him his nickname El Señor del Tango (The gentleman of tango).

Some examples of his discography http://mp3.li/index.php?q=Carlos%20Di%20Sarli#.VBIPKksmVM4

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlos_di_Sarli

The Bandoneon: the tango instrument

THE BANDONEON IN TANGO

What is the bandoneon?

The bandoneon, shown below, is a type of concertina, played by holding the instrument between both hands and pushing in or pulling out, while pressing the buttons with the fingers. It has an essential role in the tango orchestra (orquesta tipica), and in fact has become almost the symbol of tango. Its beauty is in its power; it provides a somber, sensual sound.

The bandoneon history

The bandoneon was invented about 1846 by Heinrich Band, in Krefeld Germany under the name 'bandonion' - where it was intended to play church music. It is unknown exactly when it arrived in Buenos Aires (estimated at 1870), but it became very popular at about 1890 when it was found to be extremely conducive to the sounds of tango. Its name was changed from the German 'bandonion' to the Spanish 'bandoneon'. 

The exponent of the bandoneon

Ástor Piazzolla, the late Argentinean tango composer and performer, was the leading exponent of the bandoneon in the 20th century. His 1969 'Fugata' showcases the instrument. Below is an example of the Fugata played by Black Tango Pro - with no less than three bandoneons!

The complexity of the bandoneon

The bandoneon is a most complex instrument because most of the buttons produce a DIFFERENT note when played pushing in than when played pulling out. This means that each keyboard has two layouts - one for pushing and one for pulling. Additionally, since the bandoneon is asymmetrical - the right and left hand keyboards are different - it means that four different keyboard layouts must be learned. 

Here is Astor Piazzolla giving an interview on the bandoneon:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7z40MBS5gFk#t=99

Etiquette in Classes/Practicas/Milongas (circa 2006)

 

Etiquette:

·       If possible, switch partners. It helps you to learn better and faster. Argentine Tango is an improvisational dance; you need to learn how to follow and how to lead. If you always dance with the same person, you might get used to her/him and predict his/her lead.

·       THE DELAY EFFECT: Lead, wait to make sure that your follower understood the lead. When the follower goes, then you go so you both step at the same time. There is a very short delay between leading, following, and following by the leader.

·       Try to find a practice partner with whom you practice at least one hour outside the class. It does not need to be the same person every time! Either sex works. It is sometimes better to practice with someone of your same sex to share ‘expertise’, ‘problems’, etc.

·       Try to keep the line of the dance floor counter clockwise and do not run into other people. Try not to dance in the middle of the floor (as know as 'the shark zone'). Make sure that you protect your partner from collisions. DO NOT GO BACKWARDS

·       Remember that unsolicited instruction by another student does not help the dynamic of the class/milonga/practica. If you have any questions, please ask the instructor.

·       Be compassionate. If your partner makes a mistake, don’t say anything and be forgiving.

·       Shower (wash your teeth/floss) before class/milonga/practica – easy in colognes

·       Have fun! Don’t forget to enjoy it!!!

 

MILONGA ETIQUETTE

A ‘milonga’ also means a social event where people go to dance tango socially.

Try to go in a group of men and women, and promise each other to dance a number of ‘tandas’ so you know you will dance at least a little with friends.

A Tanda is a group of 3-4 tangos/milongas/waltzes generally interpreted by the same orchestra. It is etiquette to dance an entire tanda with the same person. You know that a tanda is over, because there is a “CORTINA” in between. A ‘Cortina” is a short song (30 seconds maximum) which is not tango, and in general is very different from tango that means: it is time to switch partners! Please do not dance to the Cortina.

The difference between a ‘milonga’ and a ‘practica” is the degree of formality. In a milonga, people follow the above rules very closely, and in general they are dressed more formally. In a practica, everything is more informal. There can be instruction involved (but not in the format of a class) and people can stop to try out different moves.

How to ask a woman to dance: it varies according to the location. In Buenos Aires it is rude to go to the table and ask someone to dance. You ask from the distance with a CABECEO. Here it varies. Check the people and observe how other men do it. Personally, I don’t like when men ask me to dance by holding my hand. Remember: when you finish dancing, accompany your partner until you exit the dance floor. You do not need to touch her.

A veces by Otros Aires

One of my students last night, suggested me to provide lyrics and translations of tango songs once in a while... what a great idea. For you Sachin! Please feel free to correct the English translation that was not edited by a native speaker. Why did I start with Tango Nuevo instead of traditional? Not sure, but don't worry more lyrics will come soon...


Lyrics of A veces by Otros Aires - Loose translation by Makela -



Sometimes,
On the street, in the mattress,  in the light of the forest
Sometimes in the madness,
When I hear the cries of the Abasto (tango neighborhood of B.A), in the peace of your beauty.

Sometimes,
when I manage to survive a Sunday that very seldom blossoms
Sometimes, when the world cries for peace, some times, almost all the time

Sometimes,
in the teeth of this piano, in happiness, in good fortune
Sometimes in the wrinkles
in the wide pupils, in my unpainted room

Sometimes, when I can't do anything else more than surrender
Sometimes, when left overs is the only thing left, sometimes, almost all the time

Sometimes, when I manage to travel with the sun until the sunset
Sometimes, when I start to believe again, sometimes, almost all the time...

...For sure I think of you


 Buenos Aires Sunset

**
A veces,
En la calle en el colchón, en la lumbre en la espesura
A veces en la locura,
En los gritos del Abasto, en la paz de tu hermosura.

A veces, cuando logro sobrevivir al domingo que rara vez florece
A veces, cuando el mundo pide paz, a veces, casi siempre

A veces,
En los dientes de este piano, en la dicha y la fortuna
A veces en las arrugas,
En las pupilas baldías en mi cuarto sin pintura.

A veces, cuando no hago mas que renunciar, cuando todo se detiene
A veces, cuando queda solo el resto, a veces, casi siempre

A veces, cuando logro deslizarme por el sol hasta el poniente
A veces, cuando vuelvo a creer, a veces, casi siempre...

...Seguro pienso en ti.

Letras Otros Aires

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otros_Aires

Sachin just gave me the perfect link for those interested in traditional tango lyrics in English now:
http://letrasdetango.wordpress.com/

Creativity needs time - do a huge volume of work

What a great truth about artists! 
"Nobody tells this to people who are beginners. I wish someone had told me. All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple of years you make stuff, it's just NOT THAT GOOD. It's trying to be good, it has potential, but it's not. But your TASTE, the thing that got you into the game is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase; they quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn't have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know that it's normal and the most important thing you can do is DO A LOT OF WORK. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you finish one piece. It's only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I've ever met. It's gonna take a while. It's NORMAL to take awhile. You just gotta fight your way through." - Ira Glass

My Tango: Extrapolated Tango

My Tango: Extrapolated Tango: "What follows is a loose interpretation of the beautiful article by Ramiro Gigliotti that was published in the Argentine newspaper Clarin on..."

Extrapolated Tango

What follows is a loose interpretation of the beautiful article by Ramiro Gigliotti that was published in the Argentine newspaper Clarin on June 8, 2011. While translating the content, unfortunately, many nuances and references that are common knowledge to the reader from Buenos Aires have been lost. I agree with Ramiro that tango must accommodate the breathing and perspiration of bodies that claim it. I myself sometimes feel distant to the tango culture after 20 years of claiming my Angelino status. However, I do not forget playgrounds with tango music in the background, taxis and coffee shops with pictures of Carlos Gardel, my ballet school years dancing to Piazzolla, seclusions in the Cochabamba 444 bathroom to avoid refusing avid milongueros, La Catedral, and finally my ancestors who owned the tango for decades-- they are still whispering in my ears what tango is supposed to be about.

CONTEXT – Controversy was generated because foreign residents of Buenos Aires claimed the right to participate, win, and represent the city in the contest (Campeonato Metropolitano) that will select who will represent Buenos Aires in the World Tango Championship. This happened on the anniversary of the 1810 revolution, which resulted in our first Argentine national government.

“…It has been a long time since the tango transitioned from a domestic expression to a phenomenon that is practiced around the world. Tango has been danced in other bodies, breathed into other languages, interpreted in other fibers. Tango is ultimately intervened by the actors involved and the circumstances that it passes through. When it returns to its hometown, it flashes novel nuances that it did not have before, details that attack the tradition. The surprised tanguero is astonished first and then he is worried, “they have changed it on us”

It should be noted that the transnational dissemination of any local cultural expression is not a new phenomenon or a prerogative of the locals, much less an exception reserved for the tango. There are countless human manifestations that have transcended the boundaries of the site from where they originated. Suffice it to mention that jazz, communism, pasta a la marinara, Catholicism and the language in which these lines are written verify that ideas go all kinds of distances, and through all kinds of change.

Often the creation of a city, a neighborhood or even a person circulates on the planet and gets mixed into cultures other than its own. The causes that push the ideas to move and vehicles involved in the tour are multiple and often interact among each other: migration, invasions (with or without weapons), great marketing strategies, the fascination with beauty, the universality of existential problems; violence and pure chance are at the top of the list. There is then a mirror effect because in the same way that artistic/cultural expressions change the places they visit, new scenarios are not passive or indifferent to them. On the contrary, they question, transform, and fight them, and they reverse them. The logical and invariable result is a new interpretation of the original product.

These are the tensions that tango is undergoing. While traveling around the world, tango has discovered that the world also turned it around. Exposure to changes—with their advantages and disadvantages—is a fact of life (the tango knows this very well, since it has dealt with renovations and diversity since its inception). It is likely that our cry for the tango is not from just our greed or chauvinism, but from the love of the dance and fear that we’ll lose it. If so, the cry would not be an issue of nationalism but a more primal and visceral protest: you may borrow it from me, but please do not break it.

Fortunately, although it is always good to demand respect, only that which has truth in its essence is destined to endure. “

Loose translation by Makela Tango - Proofreading in English by Amy Nielsson
Ramiro Gigliotti is a professional tango dancer, teacher and writer who lives in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He is the author of Tango Venom, excellent book that captures the hidden milonga life of Buenos Aires of the last 10 years.
Thank you Ramiro!