The prior discussion centered on teaching beginners to step on the tango beat.
Some posters felt that it is possible to dance stepping off the beat.
Leaving sarcasms aside, I think that that concept could have some validity and
originate confusion as well.
When we become good tango dancers frequently we dance to the melody and not to
the beat.
What happens is that tango music could have a strong beat like D'Arienzo for
instance, a beat that cannot be ignored, he was known as "The king of the beat"
(El rey del compás).
But there are many tangos that alternate moments where the beat is strong, with
moments when the beat is very weak or at times when it could be totally absent.
If we are dancing to the beat we continue hearing that beat even when it is
absent, but at times we dance to the melody, precisely because the beat
disappeared or it is very weak.
This dancing to the melody then does not feel or looks bad at all.
I suggest as an exercise that you try to dance to both the beat first and then
to the melody and see what happens.
The problem arises when beginner dancers do not hear or feel the beat, and
there are many people that dance for the longest time without knowing where the
beat is.
There are times when we go to ballroom dances where American or European tangos
are played. They usually have a beautiful melody but with a strong beat that
is very difficult to ignore. the result is that you end up dancing
slow-slow-quick-quick-slow sequences like in American tango.
Best regards, Sergio
PS. My apologies to Don Kline, I intended to be humorous using Argentine
sarcasm, but respectfully.
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