More about Javier and Andrea

After reading Coleman's post, I also want to add a little bit. I want to clarify the style that they dance - I once asked Andrea how would she describes the style of tango, and what she says they dance "Salon tango". She says "villa urquiza" is just a famous place where there are many good salon dancers. I believe that this term is widely used by Ney Melo, who want to promote Salon in the US with an attractive name on youtube...you know, it's like a marketing strategy.

Javier once told me, "there are only two types of tango, one is good, and one is bad." He then told us a story. They had a chance to meet a nuevo tango dancer, who is one of the most famous one (i don't want to dispose their name, so do Javier). In one performance, he danced with a new partner whom he is not used to dance with. After his performance, he told Javier that he didn't like his performance at all, cos it was not as satisfactory as those with his previous partners. but Javier thinks the performance was his best, in a way that he never saw this nuevo dancers cared his partner so much, like a gentleman cares a lady. For Javier, to dance good tango is not to show off the steps and technique, one of the essence of tango is how you feel and care the woman, and how you let her dance beautifully. If you really understand Javier's teaching, you would realize that his way of walking and embrace are made for the woman, to make them feel warm and comfortable, as what he says "tango is a woman's dance".

I think that makes Javier different, and so to many milongueros in BsAs.

Tips of dancing in a crowded milonga - Emily

I wish all of you enjoyed Milonga del Corazon at Xperience last saturday. I always recalled New York New York in Taiwan and even El Beso in Buenos Aires when I danced in Xperience for its cosy space. Dancing in an atmospheric bar or restaurant is always nice - but one problem may occur in this occasion. The dance floor, like that of Xperience, may not be as big as those of a dance studio or a dance hall, and people have to squeeze themselves on a crowded dance floor. This may end up leaders have less intention to invite ladies for a dance since the floor seems not to have enough room. But I think all of us, including leaders and followers, can make an effort to make a small and crowded dance floor a heaven to enjoy the music and dance with your partner. Being a dj, who always have a full observance of the dance floor’s traffic, I would like to share some tips of dancing in a crowded dance floor that I got from crowded floors in BsAs and my tango teachers. These are not golden rules of no reasons - all are originated from our considerations to other dancers on the same floor and our care to your partners.

General Etiquette
1. Line of Dance
Line of dance is always one of the key factors defining a good and a bad milonga. While Nino Bien and Salon Canning getting the fame of the most popular and crowded milongas in BsAs, they also become notorious for bad traffic and bumpings. One reason, that many people believe, is that more and more tourists, who usually have less awareness to the importance of traditional dance etiquette in milongas of BsAs, are attracted to these popular milongas, making the dance floors lacking good discipline. Milongas of good traffic in most of the time, like El Beso, are always my favourite. As you can observe from the video showing a regular milonga at El Beso, there are actually roughly two lines of dance - one is around the boundary of the dance floor, and one in the inner circle. Thanks to the interior design of El Beso, having huge column in the middle of dance floor, dancers who favour fancy steps can hardly enjoy themselves in the middle, making the dance floor one of the best in BsAs. Dancers should keep moving in a dance floor at the exterior circles, maintaining a smooth traffic. The middle of the dance floor should be remained to beginners who have less experience of following the line of dance or those stubborn dancers who are obsessed with fancy steps.

2. Type of Embrace
Credits should also give to the milongueros in El Beso who prefer close embrace, which allows more rooms to dance in a smaller dance floor. If the floor is already quite crowded, it is absolutely unwise to show off the steps of nuevo style which demands open embrace and bigger space. Even you really make sure your steps cause no disturbances to other dancers, your steps may scare other dancers who want to squeeze in away.

3. Steps
It is always wise for leaders to avoid big steps or any steps that may let the ladies kicking people around you both, like gancho and high boleos. I am sure most ladies would enjoy more with the leaders’ smaller steps of good musicality, then the heels of her elegant Comme il faut being forced to kick the chair leg behind her! Leaders should also avoid back steps unless you make sure no one is behind you, since back steps would interrupt the smoothness of the line of dance. I think leaders should take more responsibility on this since the ladies have less control about the steps while they may have their eyes closed in the embrace. Turning on the same space and doing hero in close embrace would also help yourself getting away from a traffic jam.

4. Embellishment
Ladies can try to keep their embellishment smaller to avoid kicking your leg to the people at your back. I make this fault sometimes too… = (

5. Cortina
Cortina is a good chance to reshuffle the traffic of the dance floor. It is always good to leave the dance floor when cortina is played. Invite your favourite partner once again later, chance is there!

The Sound of a Milonga

Salon CanningSuddenly I want to write about the sound of a milonga, mainly because I received a few complains during Javier and Andrea's grand milonga. Actually, not only that milonga, but in J&A's guided practica too. "Emily, your music is great, but would you please turn the volume down a bit? It's too loud."

Every time I received this kind of complain, I always have one of the following response,

(1) "Well, the teachers say this volume is just perfect." (I didn't make this up, this was really true, when Javier & Andrea/Pablo & Dana were here.)

(2) "Ok, will do." (Then I would turn down a little bit, then after a few mins, I would just turn to the "normal" volume gradually without causing others' attention.

(3) "This is exactly the volume in the milongas of Buenos Aires," I said only to my closer friends.

In my memory, Salon Canning has the best sound system. The Salon has very high ceiling, hanging speakers from the above, along the shape of the dancefloor. No matter how crowded the dance floor was, and how noisy the people were, I could always indulge myself into the music in a man's embrace. Since the music is loud enough to overwhelm me - what I conscious about is only - the music, and the bodies. As I remember, Nino Bien has similar sound system too.

Actually a milonga, is similar to a disco - a place of music and dance. Yes, a milonga should be more elegant, calm and romantic, but we have to admit that this is a place mainly for dance, not exclusively for eating nor chatting.

I'm sure some people may feel annoyed by this - but really, this is the authentic culture of BsAs too. Some argentinean teachers told me, "just ignore those people. This is what a real milonga should be."

I have to admit that almost all milongas and practica space in HK don't have a sound system like Salon Canning. The speakers are always put aside of the dance floor, so the sound is always louder at one side of the dance floor, and less loud on the other side.

It is really hard to make a balance.

The essense of a milonga

"A good milonga needs two things - one, the atmosphere, and another, the music," said Andrea.

"La musica, es el corazon (para una milonga),"Javier said. (The music, is the heart. (for a milonga) )

That is what they told me in the Grand Milonga last Sat. What they said really gives me more energy to keep djing... millions thanks for them...

Emily

Pensalo Bien - Think it well - Emily

I guess many of you may have heard D'Arienzo's "Pensalo Bien", which became popular after Sally Potter's "Tango Lesson" using it as part of the soundtrack.

The lyrics of this song, I think, is very touching...and it means so much for me, as a tango lover.

Think it well,

before taking that step,

that perhaps tomorrow may be you may not go back.

Think it well,

I have loved you so much

and you have sent me into the past perhaps for another love.

My little thoughts on Close embrace - by Emily

Otros Aires DOS is finally released! Otros Aires is always regarded as one of the rare electro musicians who mix traditional tango and milonga music with modern lyrics or melody in an interesting way. Unlike many electro musicians who completely deconstruct the rules and sequences of traditional sound (it doesn’t mean that their music is bad though), Otros Aires definitely draws more on the traditions and seems to have a happy marriage with it. It is even regarded as an “electronic-archaeological tango band”! They are very well received in Europe and BsAs, and their albums are always the top sellers in Zivals. (visit http://www.otrosaires.com/ for their website and the cd cover)

The claim of their archaeological mission sounds valid to me when I see their cover design of their second album. There is a couple embracing closely in milonguero style, on a funky electro music album!

May be the graphic sounds nothing special to you. But the design carries a lot of meanings to me. Because nowadays the role of close embrace (not to mention milonguero style particularly) gradually become less and less important as it was with the tango evolution in the recent decade– the new technique, music style…etc. My feeling on this grows even stronger after I watched the wonderful performance of Esteban and Evelyn on their website- they don’t have any forms of embrace but simply connected by their holding hands! (go to http://www.eyetango.net/video1.htm for the video)

The “new style” has become a big hit in many places including Hong Kong, and many dancers (I was one of them actually) are easily attracted by the technique like opposite energy and many other fancy steps. At the same time, I hear some people talking about their conceptions about close embrace. “It is old fashioned, “it is boring”, “I can’t even turn when I’m embracing”, “I can’t play with steps at all”, “I don’t do close embrace because it is totally different from the style that I learn”, etc. Gaston told me that Buenos Aires actually encounters the same phenomenon, where new dancers tend to appreciate the embrace less than the older generation does.

Then I start to wonder – don’t we really need the close embrace from now on? Has the embrace, perhaps, gone with Gavito?

I still remember in one of the writings of Daniel’s blog – he was asking Miguel Angel Zotto about his perception about the recent changes in tango. Daniel quotes from M. Zotto, "En el escenario se puede entrar y salir del abrazo, pero siempre hay que volver a la esencia." Daniel translates in Chinese, “舞台上可以在舞姿上面做變化，但總是要回到探戈的本質。“本質是什麼呢？應該指的就是“擁抱“吧（abrazo，也就是阿根廷對於探戈舞姿的稱呼）。(for the full writing, please visit: http://www.wretch.cc/blog/tanguero&article_id=4752078)

I am very touched by Daniel’s comment. What make tango different from other dances after all? Tango is the only dance who requires a man and a woman embracing each other (please correct me if there is other) But now more and more people seem underestimate the importance of close embrace of all styles, having no interest of feeling it and knowing how it works. Now, one can easily tell others that he or she knows how to tango – without experiencing the intimate embrace of tango and its magical energy behind.

It is undeniable that embrace closely is never a Chinese culture. We seldom embrace each other in every day’s life, unlike many westerners do. But we also can’t deny that that embrace is one of the most important elements in tango. If you want to have a fuller picture of tango, I think everyone, no matter what style you like, should at least have a taste of it and experience different styles of close embrace, and have a basic understanding of how the embrace works. Nowadays many people adore some masters like Pablo and Dana or Gaston and Mariela and want to dance like them. If you know them well and observe carefully how they dance, you will find out the way they dance is different with some younger dancers who have never had traditional dance training. These masters have a sense of unspeakable elegance underneath their footwork and technique, that they benefit from the so called “boring and old-fashioned” way of dance.

Many teachers, like Dana Frigoli, dances with close embrace in social dancing. These masters seem to have a clear distinction the difference between performance and social dancing. They know that dancing in a milonga with their friends is not the same as performance - it is not the time to show off. Since the milongas in BsAs (especially those famous one in peak seasons) are always full, you will be easily annoyed by bumping if you don’t embrace your partner closely. Actually it is rather easy to understand why we need close embrace in tango – cos we simply don’t have enough space to dance if everyone doesn’t embrace closely with each other! The embrace, in this sense, can be regarded as a form of manners which is used to respect other dancers on the same dance floor. Of course in BsAs nowadays there are milongas like La Viruta where you are have more freedom for fancy steps. But the dance floors in Hong Kong is far less crowded than those in BsAs, but we still always encounter bumpings (of course it is solely because of the style of embrace but also the lack of traffic too…)

When people praise the new elements in tango, shall we also respect the treasures of the traditions – regardless you like to dance with it or not? Sometimes I feel frustrated when people criticize about something before they really have experienced what it really it. Can you imagine someone says he hates chocolate given that he never has a taste or it?

I always think we should learn tango like those masters who can have the flexibilities to handle different forms of embrace – just like Pablo and Dana, Julio and Corina or Javier and Andrea. They change their form of embrace regarding different dance environments, partners, steps, mood or music. Very often, they tend to dance with both open and close embrace with the same song. Indeed, the change of embrace can add colors and variations to the dance.

Totally denial of other styles, I believe, would only limit our understanding of tango. That is why I always appreciate those young dancers like Matias who devotes to study the embrace again after years of Nuevo tango training.

To be a good follower, as Corina de la Rosa told me, should be well-prepared to leaders of different embraces. She should know how to adjust her embrace with different leaders.

I still remember before I went to Buenos Aires, I knew very little about the different styles of close embrace. I was annoyed when teachers like Fernanda Ghi, Leandro and Andrea asked me to lean my chest forward – I didn’t feel comfortable cos I was new to the technique and I couldn’t handle it.

But I told myself I should not give up when I saw how elegant they dance, especially when I cannot enjoy dancing with milonga music with open arms as much as with close embrace. Since the rhythms of milonga music require us to move fast with the music, I realize I just cannot enjoy the milonga if I sense the lead in a less prompt and less efficient way without the close embrace.

Two years ago, I got a chance to spend 5 weeks in Buenos Aires. At one night in Salon Canning, I saw a very old and famous couple dancing milonguero style – I was so touched and moved! I wish one day I can still dance like them when I’m as old as them. Cos I know I cannot jump and move like I can now when I’m 60 years old.

Then I told myself, I should learn, seriously, how to embrace.

I ended up spending 4 weeks studying milonguero style in BsAs. It was not only because Royce recommended me very good teachers, but simply, I want to learn something that I knew nothing about it. For me, the embrace of milonguero style is the trickiest one among all kinds. When I started to manipulate the technique, gradually I started to enjoy the movements and the postures that Fernanda and Andrea taught me before (their technique is not totally milonguero, but having similar logic) - something that I once felt strange and uncomfortable with. Once I can handle the logic of close embrace, I find myself enjoy tango in a different way – I start to feel the subtle signals and energy that I receive from the leader’s chest, and the magic of merging with other’s body in tango with my eyes closed. I start to feel that tango can really combine two units into one. The embrace also demands me to polish every steps that I walk, helping me to be a better dancer.

I wish, for those who really love tango, can have a taste of all different elements of this sophisticated dance.

Blacklist "Magenta"! - by Emily

Yes, I always know that "Magenta" is a problematic tango label. It offers wrong song descriptions, saying their music is from famous orquestra XXX but is actually not. Yes, I know it! But I always believe there may be exceptions...like Magenta's collection on Canaro. But as a music collector + a tanturi lover - I really couldn't stop myself to buy the final two Tanturi commencial cds that I still did't have...Then eventually I received these two dXXm cds saying Tanturi on the cover but I can't find a single trace of Tanturi's style of any period in any of these music. (though the singer does sound like Enrique Campos...)

So, please, with my wasted money and frustration........"Blacklist Magenta"!

A Beginner's Guide to D'Arienzo By Emily

Juan D’Arienzo is one of the most important names in tango history. His music is highly danceable, and it’s hard to imagine a milonga where it won’t be heard. Since he made around 1,000 recordings in his 50-year career, it is not easy to find a small selection of CDs to represent his music. The four disks selected here, however, all have my seal of approval.
The best jumping off point is D’Arienzo’s music from the late 1930s to early 1940s. His music of this period carries a very distinctive rhythm – its mission: to lure dancers to the floor. The piano has a very important role, particularly when played by Rodolfo Biagi, another famous tango musician, who was D’Arienzo’s pianist until he went off to form his own orchestra in 1938.

“Sus Primeros Exitos Vol.1” in the Tango Argentino Series collects almost all of D’Arienzo’s most classic instrumental works from 1935 to 1939. I remember hearing this CD played repeatedly by a group of street tango performers in a flea market in Buenos Aires for nine hours every Sunday. All the tracks are “super-classics”, but especially strong are “9 De Julio”, “La Cumparsita”, “La Viruta” and the famous milonga “Milonga, Vieja Milonga”. If you only want to own one or two D’Arienzo CDs, this should be one of them.

If you prefer music with singing, try “Sus Primeros Exitos” or “Tango Bravo”, also in the Tango Argentino series. Vocals tend not to play the key role in D’Arienzo’s music (very different from Di Sarli’s lyrical pieces, where the vocals almost always carry the whole melody, dominating the flow of the song). The melody of D’Arienzo’s music typically comes from an interplay of voice, piano and violin, making the singer as just one of a trio of elements embellishing the rhythm.

D’Arienzo worked with several tango singers. Héctor Mauré is certainly one of the most important. Although D’Arienzo and Mauré worked together for less than four years, they together created several of tango’s most classic songs. “Sus Primeros Exitos” features such greats as “Amarras”, “Dime Mi Amor”, “Infamia”, “Uno” and “Tango Brujo”.

“Tango Bravo” collects the classic songs of D’Arienzo with Alberto Echagüe and Armando Laborde – possibly the orchestra leader’s two favourite singers. Both Echagüe and Laborde recorded more than a hundred pieces with D’Arienzo. Since the album collects recordings made from 1938 to 1954, it offers a taste of D’Arienzo’s pieces from a period when his music became more dramatic than in his earlier days. Again, most pieces are extremely popular, but with the standouts (in my view) being “Trago Amargo”, “Corrientes Y Esmeralda”, “Mandria”, “Olvídame” and a vals called “En Tu Corazón”.

For milonga lovers, I recommend “Milongueando Con Juan D'Arienzo 1935/1962” released by Euro Records. Since D’Arienzo music’s style is very rhythmical, his interpretation of milongas tends to up-tempo compared with most other tango orchestras. This album has an excellent selection of 21 pieces recorded between 1935 to 1962. Particularly worth listening to are “La Cicatriz”, “Meta Fierro”, “Milonga Del Recuerdo” and “Silueta Porteña”. This CD is also the perfect option for anyone who simply wants a collection of milongas.

If you are a serious collector or a DJ, then consider the “El Rey Del Compas/70 Años” collection released by Sony BMG. This series, consisting altogether of 15 CDs, collects about 300 of D’Arienzo’s recordings, in chronological order, from 1935 to 1975. You will find many beautiful pieces not released on any of the Tango Argentino or Coleccion 78 RPM series.

Exploring Fresedo by Emily

Osvaldo Fresedo may not be as famous as other orchestra leaders such as Carlos Di Sarli, but Di Sarli might well have remained unknown if Fresedo had never existed. Di Sarli’s music, especially his early pieces from the late 1920s, were very much modelled on the style of Fresedo, who first formed his own orchestra in 1918.

Fresedo’s music, especially in the 1930s and early 1940s, is characterised by soft rhythms supporting elegant melodies to evoke a totally romantic atmosphere. Many DJs, myself included, like to play his music towards the end of a milonga when dancers, possibly a little weary after dancing for a good few hours, are looking for something a little softer and less demanding.

Fresedo’s most representative pieces come from between 1933 and 1941, with many of them featuring the singing of either Roberto Ray or Ricardo Ruiz.

Ray started working with Fresedo in 1933. Ray’s way of singing – soft and delicate, almost feminine – became a benchmark Fresedo’s later lyrical tunes. “Tangos De Salon” in the Reliquias series collects the most popular pieces of Fresedo with Ray, among them such classics as “Vida Mia”, “Yo No Se Llorar”, “Canto De Amor” and “El Mareo” One rarity is “Isla De Capri”, a tangoable foxtrot rarely featured on other albums that is also noteworthy for featuring a harp to ornament the melody.

Osvaldo Fresedo con Cantores” in the Solo Tango series has many of the same tunes as “Tangos De Salon”, but it also features some songs with Ruiz. Ruiz, who had a similar tenor range as Ray, was chosen by Fresedo to replace Ray after the latter left Fresedo in 1939. Ruiz’s voice is even softer and more feminine than Ray’s – quite easily mistakable for a woman’s. The highlights of this CDs include “Mas Alla”, “Niebla Del Riachuelo”, “Rosarina Linda” and “Vida Querida”; my favourite is Ruiz singing “Despues Del Carnaval” – a piece also adored by many other Hong Kong milongeros after they watched Javier and Geraldine perform to it in Taiwan.

To hear some of Fresedo’s finest instrumental pieces, try “1933/1948”, released last year as part of the Colección 78 RPM series. This album collects many previously unreleased tunes, many of which are popular with DJs in Buenos Aires who previously only owned poor quality bootleg recordings. Fresdeo’s instrumentals are similar in style to his sung tangos, witness his recordings of “La Clavada” and “Firulete”. Also worth listening out for is the subtle sound of the vibraphone in “Mariposita”.

Since the album collects recordings made from 1933 to 1948, it also offers a taste of Fresedo’s pieces from the late 1940s when he experimented with a more grandiose and dramatic sound than in his earlier days. Adding drums and other percussion, however, is not to everyone’s taste; certainly it makes for less tranquil, more abrupt sounding style of tango. For those looking to try a disk from this period, “Y La Perdí” is recommend.

For those looking to sample Fresedo through a single CD, “Años ’33 Al ’48” in the Buenos Aires Tango Club series features something in just about all of his different styles. The album collects instrumentals and lyrical pieces with a number of different singers. Its stand-out tunes – for me at least – are “Tigre Viejo”, “Cuartito Azul” and “Buscandote”.

Editted by Simon Cartledge © 2006 Hong Kong Tango Lab

Starting with Di Sarli - by Emily

When beginners start to explore tango music, they often ask “Which kind of music is the best for me to try first?” Of course there is no perfect answer, but almost always I recommend the music of Carlos Di Sarli, an orchestra leader often referred to as “El Señor De Tango”. His highly danceable music, especially his recordings of the mid-1940s to mid-1950s, is very popular in many tango classes. So when people who have just started dancing tango go to milongas and hear pieces such as “Bahía Blanca”, “A La Gran Muñeca” or “El Once”, they usually recall them as the songs played by their tango teachers as they attempted their first steps. The reason this music is a favourite for teaching is because of its slow but strong beat and an elegant melody – an ideal combination to train the ears of all newcomers to tango.

The Carlos Di Sarli title in the “RCA Victor 100 Años” series is an all-round excellent album. This CD collects many of Di Sarli’s classics from the 1950s, among them “Bahia Blanca” (which should be familiar to many people after featured as the soundtrack of a Heineken television advertisement), “A La Gran Muñeca”, “El Choclo”, “Comme Il Faut” and “La Cumparsita” (the song usually played at the end of a milonga). The recordings on this CD have had noise-reduction treatment to remove the hiss and crackle of their original recordings. This gives them a sense of newness. Indeed, listening to them it is easy to wonder if the music was recorded a lot more recently rather than around half a century ago.

To hear an older sounding recording, try “Carlos Di Sarli–20 Grandes Exitos” from RCA’s “Inolvidables” (unforgettables) series. It features a similar collection to the RCA Victor 100 Años disk, but has more pieces recorded in the 1940s, among them “La Racha”, one of Di Sarli’s most elegant songs.

Both the RCA Victor 100 Años and the Inolvidables disk comprise mostly instrumental pieces. If you prefer his pieces with singing, then try “Carlos Di Sarli – Sus Primeros Exitos Vol. 1”, “Sus Primeros Exitos Vol. 2” and “Porteño Y Bailarín”, all part of the “Tango Argentino” series issued by RCA.
“Sus Primeros Exitos Vol. 1 ” collects the classics of Di Sarli sung by Roberto Rufino. The combination of Di Sarli and Rufino was one of the great pairings in tango history. Many of their productions are classics, admired as much today as when they were recorded. Among the highlights of this CD are Rufino’s first recording with Di Sarli in 1939, “Corazón”. Vals-lovers are certain to like “Alma Mia” and “Rosamel”. Rufino worked with Di Sarli from 1939-1944, a period when the latter’s beat was faster and more rhythmic than in his lusher, more grandiose works of the 1950s.

“Sus Primeros Exitos Vol. 2” collects lyrical pieces sung by another renowned singer, Alberto Podestá (who, incidentally, is still alive and performing in Buenos Aries). He started as a Di Sarli vocalist before reaching the age of 18. This album includes many classics recorded between 1944 and 1947, among them “Nada”, “La Capilla Blanca”, “Vamos!”, “Junto A Tu Corazón” and “Tu! ... El Cielo Y Tu!”. These songs are as good as guaranteed to pull dancers on to the floor when played at a milonga.

“Porteño Y Bailarín” is a collection of Di Sarli’s music with Jorge Duran as vocalist. Its best-known tracks include “Porteño Y Bailarín”, “Que No Sepan Las Estrellas” and “Tus Labios Me Dirán”. The album also has a few famous instrumental pieces, among them “Marianito”, “El Ingeniero” and “El Pollito”. As the album collects recordings ranging from 1945 to 1958, it has a more varied style than the Rufino and Podestá CDs.

For anyone wondering how best to lay the foundations for a tango CD collection, or simply wanting to have some great music to listen and dance to, any – or all – these five CDs are an excellent place to start.

Editted by Simon Cartledge © 2006 Hong Kong Tango Lab

Royce's article on Cortina - must read! - by Emily

Royce has just posted an excellent article on cortina, please also read my comments too. = )

http://www.loksze.com/thoughts/2007/01/09/why-do-i-love-cortina/

100 % agree with her, she's like the worm of my stomach!

Emily

Tanda - Why and How to make use of it - by Emily

Tanda is a set of tango music, usually consisted of 3-5 pieces. A serious tango dj usually selects songs of the same orchestra, same period, same pace or even the same quality sound for a tanda. I am not going to discuss how to make a tanda here, as my friend, Royce (my first tango teacher and the one who inspired me to be a tango dj) has written on this. For those who want to know more about this area, I highly recommand her article, "The Making of a Tanda" on her blog - http://www.loksze.com/thoughts/2006/11/

We all know about tanda. Most of you may have heard how I make a tanda in Milonga del Corazon and have danced to it. Then, why do we need songs to be arranged in tandas in a milonga? Do we simply mimic the tradition of the milongas in Buenos Aires? Do we really need it? And why? How can we manipulate the tanda and benefit from it?

Imagine a milonga without the use of tanda - one simply plays the music ramdomly without considering the genre, the orchestra, the year of recording, the pace and the sound quality- probably a modern milonga after a traditional vals, an up-tempo electro tango after a lyrical traditional tango...or of any combinations that can be made. For me, it is like having a meal without considering when differernt dishes should be served, like having a starter after enjoying a dessert. Would your enjoy having a light salad after having a rich chocolate cheese cake? I am sure you cannot enjoy the meal in the same level as in the way that the dishes are served in a better timing, even given that the dishes are nicely cooked. Of course this also very much depends on personal taste, but why don't we request more if we can have a better atmosphere where most people can dance in a more comfortable way? In Milonga del Corazon, we aim at being a serious french chef, carefully arrange a sophisticated 9-courses-meal for all of you, while your stomach can comfortably enjoy all the delicious dishes!

Playing tango music with the use of tanda is a trick to help creating an atmosphere or a kind of mood, which allows one can dance more comfortably. Our psychological status can be affected by the music that we hear. That is the reason why we are adviced to listen to some calm, relax and slow pace music if we suffer from insomnia, and there are many psychologists heal their patients with music. Our mood also varies when we hear differernt kinds of tango music.

Let's take milonga as an example. When you hears a piece of milonga, especially when you like that pieces of music, your mind will natually move with the energetic and up-tempo music. This status of mind will not ceased in just about 3 minute time (most tango /vals/milonga lasts around 2 mins more to 3 mins), especially if you hear some real good milongas like those of Canaro and D'arienzo and you have a good partner who dances milonga very well!. You become excited with the pace of milonga, and may expect to hear/dance to one or two more after the first one. Of course, your body will be exhausted after dancing 3 or 4 milongas. You may want to take a break (this is the time when a cortina should be played), and to dance to some music which is less demanding comparing with the milonga. This happens the same when you hear tango or vals.

In this case, the use of tanda in fact helps creating a smooth and comfortable atmosphere for dancers. Offering too much changes of music, either frequent changes of orchestra, genre, pace, time period or sound quality, will create creating a lot of interventions to the dancers. I am sure your ears do not welcome too much disturbances when you are embracing / holding hands of a lovely partner!

Tanda also helps beginners to dance in a milonga, since most tango songs are new to them, it will be just too much for them if their ears have to adapt to every pieces being played, without any idea of which kind of music will be played next.

The use of tanda helps one enjoys a milonga better also because dancers can choose their partners in a more efficient way. For example, in A's mind, B is a very good dancer dancing to energetic and rhythmic music. When A hears D'arienzo's music, A thinks of B immediately and approaches B for a dance. Imagine in a milonga without tanda, after A danced to one rhythmic pieces of D'arienzo with B , the dj plays a dramatic piece of pugliese! Unfortunately, A is a is not a fan of pugliese and is not good at dancing to emotional and melodic music at all! Both A & B suffers because it is just too impolite to reject each other after dancing only one song together!

If the dj plays music according to the rules of tanda, when you hear a piece of D'arienzo's after the cortina, it is guarenteed that the coming three or four pieces will also be D'arienzo's pieces, (even recorded in more or less the same period of time and of the same sound quality if the dj is a serious one). It is a lot more convenient for you too choose the most appropriate partner to dance to the music that you like.

Since tanda usually consists of 3-5 songs, you can choose to invite a partner that you don't feel confident with in a better timing. For example, if you are a beginner, you always want to invite an advanced dancer for a dance. Nevertheless, you are very timid because you are always afraid to be rejected. Then you can invite him/her after the first or the second song of the tanda has been played. Very often, many advanced dancers will not reject their less preferred partners if they don't have to dance the whole tanda with them(unless he/she is really picky and snob!) Some of you may feel sad to read this, but I'm sorry to tell you that this is very true in many tango communities! Sometimes, when an advanced dancer is invited by their less preferred partners for a dance when the first song of a tanda is played, they may reply, "how about if we dance after this song?" To avoid hearing this, you can seize the correct timing to invite your desired partner in a milonga where tanda is arranged. I know some leaders will only invite unknown followers when the 2nd and the 3rd song of a tanda is being played, so it is less risky for them if later they find out that don't like to dance with them...(poor followers....) Of course if they like dance with you, I'm sure he will dance with you for more tandas!

I know that some real good followers in Buenos Aires, they will wait for their favourite leaders to invite them when the tanda just begins. They will only accept the invitation from their less favourite partners if no one invites them after the first song is played!

Some of you may say, "I'm a buffet lover and enjoy hearing differernt sorts of music at any time and don't want any rules at all!" Well, my response to this is, a milonga is a dancing space for a lot of people of differernt levels and styles, and I need to concern the needs for all of them! Since tanda is a generic way of arranging music in major milongas of many well-established tango communities all over the world (like those in BsAs, Italy, Spain, U.S....), most visiters and local dancers who have danced in other cities can easily enjoy themselves in a milonga where tanda is used. It also helps most local dancers to get used to this generic form of djing, so they won't feel strange at all when they have to dance to a tanda when they are in BsAs one day! So, why not tanda if it helps dancers in many ways? (though it requires a lot more time, effort and money........)

I wish you now have a better understanding of the importance of having tandas in a milonga. Hope all of you can enjoy as much as you can in Milonga del Corazon! If this happens I will be more than happy to spend my time and effort!