A knockout simple tango, and why you should care

Last week I sent my ezine readers this video from France of Amanda and Adrian Costa's beautiful, simple tango. I was surprised to receive quite a few thoughtful comments about it from my readers!  Here it is:

Note:  At 1 min 14 seconds - 1:14 - someone finally turns up the lights, but before that Amanda's white skirt helps us see their dancing. They are improvising here to the Orchestra Tango Tinto. (Anyone recognize the name of the piece?).

I want to tell you what I love most about this tango, and how close to something like this you may already be!  I'll explain why. 

First, my main points about this piece:

1) Adrian and Amanda are simply and beautifully walking what I call "the Rose Vine", the walks simple, but varied, like the interesting segments of vine (with multiple stems of different shapes and thicknesses, with some leaves, maybe with some thorns) between roses or clusters of roses on a trellis.  The "roses" or "rose clusters" are all stationary figures in which one partner walks around the other, with the central person doing something interesting.

2) Like with Sebastian and Maria Ines' example in my post just below, the beauty of Adrian and Amanda's tango comes not from the execution of acrobatic tricks and complex figures, but rather from their mastery of the basics, and from their precise and deep-feeling attention to the music and its nuances.

Now, back to you.  My third point is:

3) YOU CAN DO THIS.  Here's why:

- All of my intermediate men students (6 mos. to 2 years experience) know AT LEAST 80% of what Adrian is doing.  The elements they don't know are almost all turns, especially "enrosques", the turns in which he displays his greatest skills - and my guys will start learning enrosques within the year.

- All of my intermediate women students (6 mos. to 2 years experience) know, and do quite well, 100% of what Amanda is doing!  What they don't know are her exquisite adornos (embellishments), which are uniquely hers and which she does with great attention to the music. Ladies, as long as you have a mastery of your axis, which all of my students do after just a few months (except when you get nervous), you can start learning to do similar embellishments.  The challenge is doing them, not mechanically, but with meaning, both in interpreting the music and in communicating intimately with your partner!

* * * * *
An assignment for you to enrich your own tango:
I'd like you to take a few minutes to watch this video again, and break down the vine and the roses, noting which components you recognize, and which you don't.  We could create a whole program about reconstructing a tango like this, and prove to you, if you're anything like my students of all ages, that you do have the knowledge and the skills.  With only a mastery of the basics of Salon Tango, you'd just have to expand your vocabulary about 20% and keep honing those basic skills. . .  and your knowledge of musicality. (See me for that! My "6 Building Blocks of Tango MusicalityTM" will ensure you can interpret a tango much like Adrian and Amanda do this one!)

* * * * *

Bonus!  Here's another beauty with Adrian and Amanda for your enjoyment:

They're dancing at Sunderland in Buenos Aires, to Osvaldo Pugliese's "Pasional". 

Your comments are always welcome!  Please tell us your thoughts below.

Note:  If you would like to work on any of the skills or qualities you see in this article or in one of the videos, talk to me and we can work on it together in a Private Boot Camp or VIP day!

Two "Rose Vine Tango" videos for you

About a year ago I sent my readers a video featuring the young winners of the 2010 World Tango Festival "Tango Salon" competition in Buenos Aires, Sebastian Ariel Jimenez and Maria Ines Bogado.  Sebastian was only 18 years old!  While competition is not a big part of our tango culture, and many people contest that it even goes on, this annual event is highly respected and I always enjoy watching both the Salon Tango and Stage Tango performances.

I've been watching this couple lately on Youtube and I wanted to share with you how they're developing.  They are examples of my favorite style of Tango Salon, called "Villa Urquiza" style.  I call it "Rose Vine Tango" for reasons I describe in the article at the bottom of my home page at http://naplestango.com (scroll down one screen).  

First, here's last year's video from the moment they were announced as First Place winners.  Watch and see if you can identify the segments of "vine", and where the "roses" erupt!  At one point they earn surprising applause and it's hard to see why at first;  Sebastian is quietly doing some amazing turns! This you'll notice at at 2:24-2:30 (applause follows); it's  just before the variación, where the orchestra "speeds up" or plays in "double-time" and he shows off his turns with speed!   

Sebastian and Maria Ines with their winning 2010 performance:

They are dancing to "Raza Croilla" by the orchestra of Osvaldo Pugliese.

Next, please enjoy a more recent performance, and see how they have taken their simple and elegant tango to new creative heights, while still doing variations on walking and basic figures.  The virtuosity comes, not from a myriad of figures and tricks, but from applying a mastery of simple things, with great sensitivity to nuances in the music, and from having enough absolute fluency in the basics to be able to do them easily with speed.  For me, the fascination of improvisations like these come from the extreme contrasts of slow and fast, inspired and guided by the music. (Musicality devotees: Notice too how they walk the syncopations starting at 1:26 and at 2:40.) The explosions of speed happen in the second half, so watch till the end!

The music is "Te aconsejo que me olvides", played by Anibal Troilo's orchestra, with Francisco Fiorentino singing.

Let me know what you think of these! Is it clear to you why I insist it's so important to really master the basics?