The Argentine Tango is a folk dance with complex roots. It descended from a rich folkloric dance tradition fused with musical and cultural influences from around the world.
The tango wasn't developed by academics or choreographers. It wasn't fashioned for the court at Versailles or the ballrooms of Vienna. It wasn't danced to the established music of classical composers.
The tango was never a dance for the aristocracy. It was developed by poor and working class people, people with hard lives who danced for the sheer joy of it.
The original tango experts weren't experts by virtue of their talent or their training, but rather due to their love and commitment for an exciting new art form. The tango filled their hearts with passion and comforted their souls during difficult times.
"Put on your red shoes and dance the blues." - David Bowie
The tango and the blues are like close cousins from distant lands.
- They came into existence at roughly the same time.
- Both emerged from folk traditions with multi-cultural influences.
- Both were developed and performed by the poor and the working class.
- Both express feelings of loss and sadness and difficult times, but this expression makes the troubles seem more tolerable.
- Each has a recognizable style and structure, but neither is strictly formalized.
- Within the context of the established structure, performances are improvised most of the time. (Some songs and some choreographed performances are preplanned in detail.)
- Both genres are flexible and adaptable, and they blend well with other genres and influences.
- Notably and regrettably, decades passed before either the blues or the tango were accepted widely in their respective homelands.
Blue Notes
The blues and the tango share two fundamental ideals.
The first is a strong connection with emotion during performance. Feeling outweighs technique in importance in both genres. Virtuosity is not a requirement for being a blues musician or a tango dancer. But the ability to express emotion and to connect on an emotional level with others, that is what makes a true bluesman or tanguero.
The second ideal is that of an open and evolving nature. Many varieties of blues have emerged over the years - rural blues, delta blues, Chicago blues, rhythm and blues, the earliest rock 'n' roll songs, and the blues-influence rock of music legends such as Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, and The Rolling Stones.
Tango also evolves continually and organically in surprising ways. Various styles of Argentine tango are danced today, and no two experts dance it exactly the same way. More styles will emerge as new generations experiment with the structure of the dance and blend it with musical influences from the future.
This open architecture should be embraced; it is a great asset of both the tango and the blues, and it keeps both genres vibrant and current generation after generation.
Boom Boom
And here is one final though to ponder. The blues and the tango emerged from the humblest of beginnings. They weren't commissioned by wealthy patrons. They weren't derived from classical theories. But when the right mix of people merged in the right places at the right times, a miracle happens, and two beautiful, living art forms emerged.
Mankind needs the blues, and we need the tango just as we need stories and drama and poetry. These art forms were developed not out of a desire for pageantry but out of simple necessity. We are simply not complete without the blues and the tango. Thank goodness that some inspired people brought these exquisite gifts to life.
¡Buena suerte amigos, y muchas gracias!
Daniel
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