Tampa, FL 33617
American Tango
Styles vary in Tango: Argentine, French, Gaucho and International. Still, Tango
has become one of our American 'Standards' regardless of its origin. The Americanized
version is a combination of the best parts of each. The principals involved are
the same for any good dancing. First, the dance must fit the music. Second, it
must contain the basic characteristic that sets it apart from other dances. Third,
it must be comfortable and pleasing to do. Phrasing is an important part of Tango.
Most Tango music phrased to 16 or 32 beats of music. Tango music is like a story.
It contains paragraphs (Major phrases); sentences (Minor phrases); and the period
at the end of the sentence is the Tango close. For exhibition dancing, a Tango
dancer must develop a strong connection with the music, the dance and the audience.
The audience can only feel this connection if the performer feels and projects
this feeling. So it is when dancing for your own pleasure -- and your partner's!
"The Tango is the easiest dance. If you make a mistake and get tangled up, you
just Tango on." (Al Pacino in "The Scent of a Woman.") Movies that featured Tango
dancing include "The Scent of a Woman", Madonna's "Evita" and "True Lies" starring
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis.
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