Let's begin with the terminology that I'll use to describe musical rhythms.
Strong Beats
Tango music has strong beats that occur approximately once per second.
Most dancers hear these strong beats clearly and target their steps to fall on them. For the purposes of this discussion, I'll represent these strong beats in groups of four and identify them with numbers as follows.
1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -
1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -
(For the musicians among you, these correspond to half notes, but musicians would count the beats with different numbers than dancers do - 1,3,1,3,etc. If you're not a musician, don't worry about this distinction.)
Weak Beats
Weak beats fall half-way between these strong beats. For the purposes of this discussion, I'll signify these beats with the word 'and'.
If we count strong weak beats together, we'll hear approximately two beats per second.
1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and etc.
There are smaller subdivisions of beats, but this article will not get into that level of detail.
Pauses (Rests)
Dancers sometimes pause and skip one or more beats. I'll notate these pauses with the word 'pause'. Musicians would use the word 'rest' to mean the same thing, but rest has a different connotation for dancers, so I'll use the word 'PAUSE' for clarity.
1 - 2 - 3 - PAUSE
1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -
1 - PAUSE 3 - 4 -
1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -
Now on to our topic...
Walking On The Strong Beats
The simplest of all tango movements is walking steadily on the strong beats.
1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - (repeat)
Remember that these beats occur about one per second. If you're walking faster than that, you might be adding weak beats. If you're walking slower, say, one beat every two seconds (which is more challenging from a balance standpoint), you might be adding pauses to the music.
The problem with walking on the strong beats is that it will seem repetitive after a short time. Rhythmic variety will make the dance more interesting.
Option 1 - Add Pauses
Let's alternate set of four walking steps on the strong beats with a second set where we walk on three strong beats and pause on the fourth.
1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -
1 - 2 - 3 - PAUSE
1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -
1 - 2 - 3 - PAUSE
This adds much needed variety, but even this more complex pattern will seem repetitive by the third time through.
Option 2 - Add a Weak Beat
Let's add a single weak beat in between strong beats 2 and 3. We'll alternate this pattern with walking on all four strong beats. Remember that the weak beat is marked with the word 'and' and falls exactly halfway between the surrounding strong beats (2 and 3).
1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -
1 - 2 and 3 - 4 -
1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -
1 - 2 and 3 - 4 -
We have more variety than walking on every strong beat, but again, this pattern will seem repetitive shortly.
Option 3 - Combine Option 1 and 2
Example A:
1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -
1 - 2 and 3 - 4 -
1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -
1 - 2 - 3 - PAUSE
Example B:
1 - 2 - 3 - PAUSE
1 - 2 and 3 - 4 -
1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -
1 - 2 - 3 - PAUSE
Can you work out / practice some other combinations?
Multiple Weak Beats
Our rhythmic patterns are becoming more interesting, but they can still use additional variety. Let's add multiple weak beats to one series of four strong beats.
1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -
1 - 2 and 3 - 4 -
1 - 2 and 3 and 4 -
1 - 2 - 3 - PAUSE
This is an interesting pattern, as it seems to accelerate with each series until the final pause gives us a chance to relax.
Moving The Weak Beat
We can also change the location of our single weak beat. Instead of following beat 2, let's have it follow beat 4. In this example, we'll make this modification to the very first series. Each of the following series will use combinations that we've already discussed.
1 - 2 - 3 - 4 and
1 - 2 and 3 - 4 -
1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -
1 - 2 - 3 - PAUSE
Contrary to the previous example, this one seems to slow down.
The Grand Finale
Let's combine the two previous examples to make one rhythmically interesting sequence. The first four lines accelerate, and the second four slow things back down.
I'm going to alter the sequence of the second group slightly (lines 7 and 8), but this is not necessary. It's just for variety.
1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -
1 - 2 and 3 - 4 -
1 - 2 and 3 and 4 -
1 - 2 - 3 - PAUSE
1 - 2 - 3 - 4 and
1 - 2 and 3 - 4 -
1 - 2 - 3 - PAUSE
1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -
Rationality versus Randomization
We could add more modifications, but if the pattern becomes too randomized, it will lose its musicality. We want our rhythms to be interesting and somewhat surprising, but not completely unpredictable and inscrutable.
Rhythmic patterns should have the sense of logical development, not randomly scattered beats. A sense of rationality is critical if the choreography is to appeal tastefully to the senses. This constitutes an appropriate use of creativity. Randomized patterns are also creative, but unless randomness is the point of the dance, they won't be as effective.
I'll discuss the effective employment of creativity in an upcoming post. Until then, work those rhythms!
¡Buena suerte amigos, y muchas gracias!
Daniel
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