Argentinian Tango in and around Bury St Edmunds
EVERY MONDAY AT THE HUNTER CLUB AN INTERMEDIATE AND ADVANCED TANGO CLASS FOLLOWED BY A PRACTICA
INFORMATION AND TYPES OF TANGO
TANGO AND IT'S MUSIC
Argentine tango music has been popular for over 100 years and has spread across the world. Famous traditional orchestras include Di Sarli and D'Arienzo, pictured above. The music at Milongas is usually played in groups of three or four songs which are called tandas. There are three basic rythms that give rise to three different dances, tango, vals and Milonga.
Tango is the mostly commonly played form and there are hundreds of different songs performed by different orchestras, both old and new.
YouTube is an excellent place to find tango music to listen to. Radiotangorosario is available free on YouTube and has a vast selection of original versions of songs from the early tango period and of the Golden Age of Tango which was the 1930s and 40s.
More modern tango songs are also popular and artists include Gotan Project and Otros Aires.
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This YouTube shows Geraldine Rojas and Javier Rodriguez dancing a tango called 'Poema'.
MILONGA
The Milonga music is a very popular variation of tango. It is still based on a 2:4 time but it is faster and more syncopated than tango.
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This Youtube shows El Flaco Dani & Luna Palacios dancing a Milonga in Buenos Aires
VALS
Vals is the final genre of tango dances. It has a three beat rythm like the ballroom Viennese Waltz. The result is a fast, smooth dance that joins the seductive and rhythmic melodies of waltz to the complexities of Tango.
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This Youtube shows María Inés Bogado and Sebastián Jiménez dancing a vals called "Flor de Lino"
BANDONEON
The bandoneon is extremely conducive to the sounds of tango. It 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 and has become almost the symbol of tango. It provides a sombre, sensual sound. Here, Astor Piazzolla gives an interview on the bandoneon.