"X" has sent me the article below by Victor Hernandez. For reference here is El Chino Perico referred to in the article (the clip is from 1989): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TGHe4dJSbI and from the same video Oscar "Pichi" Callegari: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eqj-YABBIzA
These four dancers do have a distinct style, which includes open frame with resulting upright posture. Due to the open frame the style allows various saccadas in the turns. I think, it would be fair then to call the historical Villa Urquiza style a variation of open frame dancing. I have not seen this style in the social dancing at Sunderland, when I was there couple years ago. It is, of course, fairly common style in varios tango performances these days. Thanks, Oleh Kovalchuke http://www.tangospring.com/ ------------------------ The "estilo Villa Urquiza" (the "Villa Urquiza" style). To understand what it follows, it will help to visualize Buenos Aires for what it is: a gigantic metropolis of mind-bogling proportions and daunting distances. A puzzle of immigrants, cultures, languages and communities. When Alberto Castillo sings his trademark vals hit "Cien barrios" (one hundred neighborhoods) he is describing exactly "that Buenos Aires": one hundred "cities", one hundred faces, one hundred accents, one hundred personalities. Even in today's world of cars, subways and technology, it is not infrequent for thousands of portenos to be born, live, work and die within the borders of his or her "barrio" and greet each other - immediately after their names - with their "barrio" co-ordinates. That information is good enough for the speakers to "set" and "clarify" with whom they are interacting. If this is true today, imagine, one hundred years ago, or even fifty, the "adventure" - and often the risks - associated with moving from one barrio to another (from Matadero to Avellaneda, from San Telmo to Devoto) to live, work, very often to support your local soccer team, or, to hear a particular tango orchestra recital or to see first-hand how "good" were the footwork of legendary and rival "milongueros" names. Tango is a culture. In its deep ethnological sense is the ultimate culture: from the people, by the people, to the people. It is the real story, in music, lyrics, movements and emotions, of those arriving by boat (and by the scores) to La Boca and then moving, with fists and knives, fast and painfully, to the "barrios" and "villas" of the metropolis'periphery. Only "el centro", the rich downtown, was (for a long while, anyways) off-limits. This is the background to understand why and how the many different "styles" were born. Without risking much, for the debate rages since the beginning of time, it is safe to group the basic Tango styles into six families (no, the so-called Tango "Nuevo", does not qualify for the seventh one under the parameters of this commentary. Sorry), each easily sub-divided, to the trained eye, in more categories depending again on when, where and by whom, they were danced. Thus, "Canyengue", "Liso", "Orillero", "Salon (or the family clubs)", "Apilado" and "Escenario (or show)" came to see the light at different times - and often co-existing with each other. Of course all were Tango, all embracing, all silent conversation, all emotional confession, and yet, all different. Each had a reason, a story, a logic of its own and - very importantly - a few names of legendary proportions, names pronounced in whispers and quasi-religious awe. At the end of the day, as with everything touching mankind, it was the convergence of necessity and serendipity plus the magic touch of individual genius which gave birth to those styles. The "Canyengue" in times of tight dresses, tight skirts and other complicated fashion "diktats" forced a style of small steps, bent knees and side close body contact. Eventually, fashion relented, allowing with the "Liso" style a more "easy", more "open" and "walking" style. One must always keep contact with the floor ("Liso" means "ironed", "straight", often "closing" and with little fantasy). It was an acceptable and "serious" style. The "orilleros" (inhabitants of the "orillas", the edges) had other ideas. Not only space was not a problem in the big warehouses ("almacenes") where they danced, but neither were the fixed "rules" of downtown. The feet started to move away from the floor in all kind of new tricks and steps, at times in a rain of pyrotechnics. Some of those improvised movements, eventually refined, will compose the basis for many of the circus-like stuff of today's "Escenario" or "Show" style. However, none of the above, was allowed or tolerated in the "family clubs" (small all-purpose venues kept by the barrios' associations, each with a respectable dance floor) and where a combination of tango-loving and rigid social and moral codes imposed a "distance" between dancers - usually closely watched by family members - in retrospective, a blessing in disguise, for that "distance", that "space" is going to allow, when practiced by the individual genius of the moment, a whole new array of possibilities. One can safely say that the Tango moves and rules that we admire in today's Masters were all taken from the "Salon" style of those "barrios": Devoto, Avellaneda, Matadero, Saavedra... There was, though, one very particular "barrio" among so many, which concerns our story today for the "salon style" it developed was something incredibly unique. This barrio is situated north of Buenos Aires (actually northwest), very far from El Puerto, San Telmo or La Boca. It extends itself on both sides of General Urquiza. During the last fifty years, the finest tango dancers and milongueros that Buenos Aires has ever produced, were trained in this area. Historic family clubs like "Sunderland" or "Sin Rumbo" had their addresses there and benefited from the genius of "Milonguita", the legendary dancer who never went up on a stage ("It is not worthy of a real milonguero") but left his legacy to names like Gerardo Portalea, EL Turco Jose, "Finito" Ramon Rivera, "Lampazo" Jose Vazquez, Miguel Balmaceda and of course "Virulazo", the one and only, who came to New York with Tango Argentino. Many of them are now gone but the "Milonguita'style", today known as "Villa Urquiza" remains with its firm, straight, elegant way of delivering the foot in long steps, caressing "el piso" simply and continuously but explosing suddenly, if need be, in a display of complex figures that the "open" space between dancers allows. Never losing embrace, never losing contact. >From now on, when you hear the expression "los viejos milongueros" you know now what they are talking about! Not long ago, the very respectable Buenos Aires newspaper "El Clarin" published an interview with somebody named Ricardo Ponce. Not many "milongueros" know Mr. Ponce by his real name nor by his day job (as a bureaucrat at the Ministry of Finance). But just say his "night" nickname ("El Chino Perico") and I can guarantee you that you will get some reaction, respect and admiration. For El Chino Perico - a legend in his own - is one of the last masters milongueros. This living bridge connects today through the Villa Urquiza style ("Milonguita" was his idol and teacher) a whole new generation of contemporary names perhaps more "familiar" nowdays. Names like Miguel Angel and Osvaldo Zotto, Ricardo Herera or Sebastian Misse. Oh!. We forgot. "Apilado"?. That is the "close, close" embrace, small steps, conveniently developed in the crowded "Cafes del Centro" (the downtown cafes and restaurants with usually an upper floor to dance) which, thanks to an unfortunate misconception attributed to Susana Miller has come to be known as "Milonguero" style. But as Maria Cieri says "you should not call that style "milonguero" because the real milongueros avoided until very recently those places - like Almagro - filled with rich Daddy's sons looking for easy pick ups. Call it "apilado", call it "confiteria", call it whatever, but, please, do not call it "milonguero"! Viva Villa Urquiza! > Date: Mon, 4 Feb 2008 11:03:17 -0700 > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > To: tango-l@mit.edu > Subject: [Tango-L] Villa Urquiza style > > I have heard the term "Villa Urquiza style" first time about four > years ago. Ever since I have puzzled what does it mean. Can someone > describe the defining features? > > Here are three examples labeled Villa Urquiza style from YouTube: > > Javier and Andrea: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HFUj0Y_DzE > Alberto and Elba: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orgGazxNz64 > Jorge and La Turca: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucLFoUHcp-g > > What do these couples have in common? Is it embrace? Steps? > Embelishments? Musicality? > > How is it different from this style, labelled Tango Milonguero: > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvYZTC27S1I ? > Or this "milonguero style" by the same Alberto Dassieu: > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpljPVhW6Gs . > > -- > Oleh Kovalchuke > http://www.tangospring.com/ > _______________________________________________ > Tango-L mailing list > Tango-L@mit.edu > http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/tango-l ________________________________ _______________________________________________ Tango-L mailing list Tango-L@mit.edu http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/tango-l
