About Tango and Rhythm. Ritmo! Ritmo! Ritmo!

Posted on March 1, 2012 by Wolfgang Sandt

Tango and rhythm. Ritmo! Ritmo! Ritmo!

In all the years I have been dancing Tango and organizing tango travels I have known a lot of Tango teachers.

I learned something from everybody of them and from some I learned a lot.

One of the Tango teachers who left a really strong impression on me was the late Eduardo Aquirre.

I remember Eduardo not so much as a teacher who explained things very theoretically.
Like many of the Argentine Milongueros he belonged to those who rather demonstrated you something and then let you repeat and practise.
Explaining the theory Eduardo rather left to his partner Yvonne. At least that was always my impression.

What was much more important for me, was Eduardo´s feeling for the music. He knew almost every Tango song by heart and could fill entire evenings singing Tangos.

And he knew everything about the different rhythms of Tango.

Tango lessons, Tango and rhythm, Tango class, Tango music

The late Eduardo Aquirre, Tango dancer and Tango techer, was living and breathing Tango. "Ritmo! Ritmo! Ritmo!", For me these were clearly Eduardo´s favourite word in every Tango lesson.

I will never forget one particular word, Eduardo used in the Tango lessons all the time, always in a pack of three.
“Ritmo! Ritmo! Ritmo!”
So he spurred us, the participants of his class, friendly but with decision when we were moving over the dance floor to sedately for his taste, dancing to music of d´Arienzo or other more rhythm oriented Tango orchestras.
When we had finally woken up and started to dance at least passably with the music, Eduardo smiled benevolently and was visibly pleased with us.

Until the next “Ritmo! Ritmo! Ritmo!”

I took me some time to get the idea with the rhythm right and to put in into practise on the dance floor.

 

Today finally I have it internalised so strongly that it comes to my mind everytime I think about Tango, which is practically every day…

Okay now you know a little more about what is important in Argentine Tango.

When you dance Tango the next time remember this: “Ritmo! Ritmo! Ritmo!”

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What kind of clothing women should wear for dancing Tango

Posted on February 11, 2012 by Wolfgang Sandt

What kind of clothing women should wear for dancing Tango

Tango lessons. A nice option for Tango clothing,: Dress at knee-lenght combined with leggings

A nice option for Tango clothing: Dress at knee-lenght combined with leggings. Ready for the Tango lesson

I am often asked what kind of clothing I recommend for dancing Tango.
Actually I´m not a friend of dress codes and if you come to La Rogaia for a Tango holiday you´ll find out that I never say a word about somebodies outfit unless I am asked for my opinion.

So what would I tell you?

Ladies dancing Tango use to be dressed very nicely and I certainly know less about Tango fashion than most of them. So I will limit myself to give some more technical counsels about the right clothing for dancing Tango.

Many tango ladies today wear long wide trousers with slits and/or trousers with ribbons swinging around the ankles. This looks nice but time and again creates problems while dancing Tango because they get easily caught in their own heels. Especially when the heels are high.
Actually I see it happen almost every time I go out dancing Tango.

Same thing is valid for very long dresses or skirts. You can get your feet trapped fairly easily (Unless you dance Tango really slow).
Apart of this it may happen that other dancers step on your dress while you are dancing Tango in a milonga. Something you definitely don´t want to happen.

I certainly would lie if I told you that I don´t like the sight of women in tightly fitting stretch dresses or tight mini skirts.

Yet I do not recommend that kind of clothing for dancing Tango, because they block your freedom to move unless they are extremely short.
Any clothing that doesn´t give you freedom to move comfortably is not really fit for dancing Tango.
Better are wider skirts or dresses at about knee-length that swing freely or tight classic Tango dresses with the famous Tango slit which are probably the most elegant for dancing Tango.

Another option of course are leggings plain or with lace which can be combined with short but not to tight dresses or skirts.

Last not least any trousers made from soft falling fabric are fine as long as they are comfortable and do not block your movement.

Tango clothing. Excellent for dancing Tango, the classical Tango dress with the famous Tango slit

Tango clothing. Excellent for dancing Tango, the classical Tango dress with the famous Tango slit

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Don´t fall into the figure trap

Posted on February 10, 2012 by Wolfgang Sandt

No photos in this post. I didn´t want to expose anybody. (Un)fortunately I don´t have photos of myself when I started dancing Tango:-)

Often when I watch dancers at a milonga I notice many of them working wildly on the dance floor, performing more or less skillfully all kinds of figures, they obviously have learned in some course or workshop.


What hits me most is the big majority of those dancers doesn´t seem to enjoy their dance. Instead they seem to be under high pressure to do the steps right and to do many different sequences of steps.


Indeed many dancers seem to be fairly unhappy while working hard on the dance floor.
Men with heads beetween their shoulders, grinding their teeth looking down to earth like slaves pushing a heavy weight…

Wow! looks like real fun!

It´s not that I object to figures totally. Some can be fun and some can help you to check whether your posture and your contact with your partner are right.


Yet in Argentine Tango it is not important to dance figures. And on the crowded floor you cannot do prefabricated figures anyway. Not without disturbing the other couples.


So don´t fall into the figure trap!


Relax instead. – Keep your posture. – Raise your head. – Listen to the music.

Feel your dance partner.

Be aware of the other couples on the dance floor.
And keep your dance simple.
You are not obliged to perform all the figures you have learned somewhere.
No guards with whips controlling you.


Slow down.
Listen to the music again.
Once in a while, when you and your partner feel comfortable try out some of the new things you have learned.
If it works, fine. If not, don´t force it. There will be another opportunity.


Relax.


Don´t toil and suffer!


Dance!

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What kind of clothing men should wear for dancing Tango

Posted on January 30, 2012 by Wolfgang Sandt

Tango clothing. What kind of clothing men should wear for dancing Tango

I am often asked what kind of clothing I recommend for dancing Tango.

Actually I´m not a friend of dress codes and if you come to La Rogaia for a Tango holiday you´ll find out that I never criticize somebodies outfit unless I am asked for my opinion.

That said what would I tell you?

Tango fashion, Wide cut Tango trousers made out of soft falling good cloth will pronounce the clear elegant line of the Tango dancer´s legs Image: Filippo Avignonesi and Yulia Yukhina

La Rogaia Tango holidays, Wide cut Tango trousers made out of soft falling good cloth will pronounce the clear elegant line of the Tango dancer´s legs Image: Filippo Avignonesi and Yulia Yukhina

Look, the ladies are mostly dressed very nicely to Tango and we shouldn´t offend them by dressing like bums.
So brush yourself up, get some decent clothing. You can wear something casual but never go to dancing Tango negligent about your outfit.
Unfortunately still to many men don´t care to much about their appearance (It´s a little bit different here in Italy. Italians by culture and education have an almost natural feeling for it. Even if you compare an Italian and an English punk you will at once see the difference:-).

Okay, what else? Well, I would never ever wear shorts or pirate style knee long trousers when I go out for dancing Tango, no matter how hot the sun shines.
One reason is that I think it looks pretty ridiculous for dancing Tango.
The other reason is that I don´t have the stature and nicely formed legs of a trained ballet dancer (indeed few Tango dancers have).
Therefore I use every trick to make my steps appear more elegant.
Wide cut trousers made out of soft falling good cloth will pronounce the clear elegant line of your legs (given that you stretch your legs almost a little bit:-).
Tight jeans (or other tight pants) with bulged out knees definitely don´t look good.
Some men wear Tango trousers which extremely wide legs (Looking a bit like elephants feet).
I think this is a little bit exaggerated (but that´s a question of your personal taste). I would be afraid to get my or my partners feet caught in these extra wide trousers.

Tango fashion, I prefer to wear a jacket when I go to a milonga, a Tango ball or even a public Tango practica (hardly ever while attending a Tango workshop). I think it looks more elegant and though I am lucky not to sweat a lot, even in case I do, my partner will not feel it.

I prefer to wear a jacket when I go to a milonga, a Tango ball or even a public Tango practica (hardly ever while attending a Tango workshop). I think it looks more elegant and though I am lucky not to sweat a lot, even in case I do, my partner will not feel it.

I prefer to wear a jacket when I go to a milonga, a Tango ball or even a public practica (hardly ever while attending a Tango workshop) .
I think it looks more elegant and though I am lucky not to sweat a lot, even in case I do, my partner will not feel it.
Normally none of my Tango clothing is very tight fit. I want to look elegant of course. But I also want to feel comfortable.

If it is not to hot I wear a scarf (traditional for Tango dancers) or a cravat and if I want to look even more dandy I put a flower in the button hole of my jacket collar.

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New Year Charity – Go for a Tango holiday and help “Doctors without Borders”

Posted on January 2, 2012 by Wolfgang Sandt

Villa La Rogaia, renowned organizer of Tango holidays in Italy has started a New Year charity fundraising to help „Doctors without Borders“

Tango holiday 2012, Enjoy aTango holiday in Italy and help "Doctors without Borders", photo: rogaia

Tango holiday 2012, Enjoy aTango holiday in Italy and help "Doctors without Borders", photo: rogaia

If you plan to go for a Tango holiday in 2012 you can combine your Tango holiday with supporting „Doctors without Borders“. The best thing about it: you won´t pay a cent more for your Tango holiday.

Discover how it works.

Dear friends of La Rogaia,

sometimes we happen to do a bigger favour to one or the other of our guests, arrange something special or give a trial course in Argentine Tango or stone sculpting.

When our guests offer us a payment in return In this cases we often refuse to accept money but suggest to our guests to make a donation to ”Doctors without Borders” instead.

We highly estimate the work of „Doctors without Borders“and have been supporting them for many years.

Yet we would like to do a lot more.

Therefore we´ve decided, to suggest to you the following.

From every booking you  make for a tango holiday in La Rogaia until January 31, 2012, we give 5 percent of the money we receive*  as a donation to”Doctors without Borders”

For you nothing changes. Neither do you have any additional cost (You really don´t pay a single cent more for your Tango holiday), nor do you have any work.

The only action you need to take is making your booking for your Tango holiday until January 31, 2012.

La Rogaia will deduct the amount of 5 percent from the participation fee for your Tango holiday and give it to ”Doctors without Borders”

We  would be very happy if you would help us to make a real big donation to ”Doctors without Borders”.

We wish you nice, relaxing holidays and a Happy New Year.

With kind regards

Annette Greifenhagen and Wolfgang Sandt

 

 

P.S.

If you don´t know”Doctors without Borders”you can find information about ”Doctors without Borders”clicking the link below.

http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/

 

 

*Please understand we have to deduct the fee for the instructors of your Tango holiday from the total sum, as we cannot oblige them to participate in the fundraising

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Heel or ball? The secret how to walk right in Argentine Tango

Posted on December 13, 2011 by Wolfgang Sandt

If you have danced Tango for a while, probably you´ve been taught completely different ways to walk by different Tango teachers.

 

 

Some Tango teachers tell you to walk with the ball of your foot first.

tango

How do you walk right in Argentine Tango? Stepping first on your heel or the ball of your foot?

Other Tango teachers tell you to walk over your heel the same way you do, when you walk naturally on the street.

Can be fairly confusing, right?

Particularly when the Tango teacher is convinced to be the ONLY ONE who REALLY knows how to do it.

 

 

So, what shall you do?

Don´t worry, Tango can be easy and in reality there is no problem at all.

Look, the right way to walk in Argentine Tango depends simply on the way you dance…

If you dance Tango quickly, taking long steps you will walk over your heel the same way (okay, maybe a little more elegant) you walk on the street.

Of course you can try to take long quick steps walking on tip toe.

Yet unless you are a trained ballet dancer (and who of us normal Tango dancers is?) you will have big problems doing this and most probably it will look pretty funny (Not that I´d think looking funny is bad :-) . Dancing Tango should be fun, true?

If you dance Tango quickly, taking short steps you will in most cases walk on the balls of your feet, because you can move faster.

Also your body will be pending a little bit forward thus keeping a better contact with your dance partner.

 

 

The right walk is one of the most important things in Argentine Tango. Once you´ve mastered the secrets of the Tango walk you start to become a real good Tango dancer.
The right walk is one of the most important things in Argentine Tango. Once you´ve mastered the secrets of the Tango walk you start to become a real good Tango dancer.

If you dance Tango  slowly (or even very slowly like in slow motion), taking long steps, it looks very elegant if you land on the ball of your foot with leg and foot extended as far as possible. And given that Tango is an elegant dance that´s not to bad, isn´t it?

It requires a lot of balance to perform an extra long step in a slow motion Tango, but it really looks and feels like “WOW!” and is an excellent training for your balance.

Of course you can dance Tango slowly, taking short steps but honestly I hardly ever do this.

Okay, now you know the whole secret.

So go out to your favorite milonga and dance…

 

For women:

How to walk right in Tango? How women walk in Argentine Tango?

 

 

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My Tango lessons: Gentlemen, resist temptation.

Posted on November 21, 2010 by Wolfgang Sandt

Guys you know, temptation can be overwhelming. Be strong, resist!

Gentlemen, resist the temptation to demonstrate how many fancy figures you can (or cannot) perform on a crowded dance floor.

Believe me there is no lady going to complain about you performing too few figures and sequences if you only…,

…well, if you only dance nicely with the music.

Most women love this waaaay better than stressful acrobatic exercises, which have nothing to do with the music.

And… I know not one single women who loves to dance with a man who makes her permanently collide with the other couples on the dance floor because he is only focused on his repertoire of figures and doesn´t care for anything else.

Okay, so now you know what to do, even when temptation seems to become overwhelming…:-)

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Good old Mirada and good old Cabeceo

Posted on November 20, 2010 by Wolfgang Sandt

Good old Mirada never becomes old or outdated

Actually I thought the question who invites to dance at Argentine Tango has been settled once and for all.

However seeing all the discussions in Tango lists and forums questions it seems to be a permanent issue.

But fear not! I bring you good news.

After all we are lucky, because we still have good old Mirada and good old  Cabeceo, two immortal dancers who already have lived at the Golden Age of Tango.

These two get along with each other very well and dance together every night. They are very elegant, flirt nicely, and know how to invite the other one (fairly successfully as you will notice).

They do all this without ever being annoying, without ever losing faces.

I think we really can learn something from these two seasoned dancers. What do you think?

Oh, by the way, good old Mirada knows, that good old Cabeceo is a little cocky. Therefore she leaves him in the belief, that he is taking the initiative.

Of course that´s not true.

If she wouldn´t give him a glance, a “mirada”, he´d never dare to invite her to dance.

Of course he knows this, but he´s not very eager to concede it openly.

Besides, …if he wouldn´t glance back, if he wouldn´t nod…

But anyway…

Mirada and Cabeceo in Argentine Tango. Invite to dance with a glance, a smile, a gentle nod of your head or a wink of the eye. Flirt a little and then start to dance. When I think of Mirada and Cabeceo I can´t help seeing my friends Walter and MariLynne Kane before my inner eye. Somehow the two of them for me are the personification of this elegant and witty game. I fyou want to know more aboutt them google Los Tangringos and Hudson River Valley.

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My Tango Lessons: How to do the embrace right

Posted on November 15, 2010 by Wolfgang Sandt

Argentine Tango  is very often described as “walking together in an embrace, following the sound of the music…”

embrace

Most important in Argentine Tango the right embrace

This means the embrace is one of the most important things when we are dancing Tango.

Actually the embrace can influence strongly whether we feel well and comfortable dancing together, and whether we have freedom to move or are blocking each others movements.

Okay, here we go.

For the gentlemen:

  • You want to embrace your lady, making her feel nice and comfortable.
  • You are NOT supposed to squeeze your dance partner until her ribcage breaks. Your arm is not a vice!
  • Offer your dance partner a secure but gentle hold with your right arm. She must be able to move freely within your embrace.
  • Never block the ladies possibility to move, unless you really want to stop her.
  • Specially when she performs ochos or a molineta it can cause her heavy back pain and even hurt her back if you hold her to tight, thus forcing her to twist her body completely unnaturally.
  • Of course you make it also difficult for her to stand stable in her axis if you hold her to tight to move.
  • Your arm shouldn´t be fixed tight to the ladies back. You have to be able to shift your arm on her back all the time.
  • When you dance in close embrace your arm glides around her back to the lower part of her right shoulder blade, the right side of her ribcage or waist (This depends on your and her height and the way both of you feel comfortable).
  • When you dance in open embrace your arm glides back towards her left shoulder blade (I prefer this because it provides a good hold) or the back of the left side of her ribcage.
  • Make sure that your  hand rests flatly on the lady´s back. Never press your finger tips into her flesh like an eagle´s talon. You can bet she won´t appreciate it.

For the ladies:

  • Don´t try to get your stability from clinging to your partner. Never hang on him like a sack of potatoes. Try to stand stable in your axis.
  • Your left arm shouldn´t be fixed to your partner´s right arm like a clamp. Instead it should be able to glide smoothly up and down his arm adapting to the embrace.
  • When you dance in close embrace your arm glides up his arm around his neck, where it rests loosely (Don´t strangle him with an anaconda grip:-).
  • In case your partner is much taller than you are, don´t try to wrap your arm around his neck, but rest it on the outside of his shoulder or upper arm in a position which is comfortable for you. Remember though your arm needs to rest on his arm loosely without weight. Otherwise you block his movement and it feels  awkward for him.
  • When you dance in open embrace your arm glides back to the outside of his lower arm. Don´t rest on his arm, just hold the contact. Be relaxed and prepared to change to close embrace again.

For both partners:

You should never block your partner.

Remember! You dance as a couple. If you block your partner´s freedom and possibilities to dance, you block yourself.

You don´t want that, do you?

This article could also be interesting for you:

One of the biggest (and most unpleasant) mistakes small men make when dancing with larger women.

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My tango lessons: The trick with the left arm

Posted on November 9, 2010 by Wolfgang Sandt

My tango lessons: The trick with the left arm

Many Argentine Tango dancers specially among those who consider themselves traditional dancers, seem to think it to be important to keep their left arm held in a very strong, even rigid way, to “give a stable hold to the ladys arm”.

Well, this may look okay and I don´t claim that it´s entirely wrong. At least if the man adapts his hand to the shoulder height of the lady and doesn´t drag up her arm uncomfortably.

A lady who has learned to stand in her own axis however doesn´t need that “support”.

Anyway, every Tango dancer should definitely strive to stand in his/her own axis (apart while performing figures which require to give up the own axis intentionally).

That means the „rigid hand” is not really necessary. Yet it has a real disadvantage. Actually it is blocking the movement of the dancers.

This starts already when doing simple things, like walking in front of each other in parallel system.

You ask me why? Well, I´ll explain it.

When we walk naturally our right arm always swings forward together with our left leg, while our left arm swings forward together with our right leg.

That´s not different when we are dancing Tango, also dancing Tango we want to move naturally and relaxed. But dancing Tango we are walking together with our partner. And here is the problem. If the left hand of the man is very rigid it happens quite often that the natural swinging of arms and legs is blocked.

Thus dancing together is less comfortable, many moves become unneccesarily complicated or even impossible.

So, and here is the trick:

Gentlemen,

  • Relax your left arm. To relax doesn´t mean though to get wobbly rubber arms all at a sudden. You still need to maintain a minimum of tension.
  • Keep your hand not higher than the height of the lady´s shoulder (Consider to hold it even a little lower, to make it more comfortable for her).
  • Everytime you step forward with your left leg,           swing your left arm slightly backwards. Remember I said slightly, okay? If you drag the lady out of her axis, making her falling towards you, you´ve done something wrong. By this slight backwards swing your body will be turned a little around your vertical axis and you get into the desired natural move together.
  • Everytime you step forward with your right leg, swing your left arm slightly forward. This movement however normally should be even smaller than the backward swing.
  • The good thing about this move is that you have to concentrate only on your left arm. The rest of your body will be turned almost automatically.
  • Of course you can and should apply this also, when you go backwards (Please go backwards only after making sure that there is free space and possibly not against the line of the dance.).

That means:

  • Left leg steps back   >> Left arm swings forward
  • Right leg steps back >> Left arm swings backwards
  • Important: I am only talking about the left arm. Your right arm provides a safe and comfortable embrace for the lady and doesn´t need to be moved intentionally.

That´s it. Try it and ask your partner what is most agreeable for her and how she understands best your signals, or better your invitations.

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