Tanda (tango)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A tanda (Spanish: a lot of ...) is a block of three to five pieces of the same musical genre, which are traditionally played at a classic tango dance event, a milonga . It consists of pieces of the same genre ( Tango , Milonga , Vals criollo ) and the same style. For example, played by the same orchestra, from the same period, kept in the same rhythm and with a similar mood (romantic-melodic, rhythmic-energetic, ...).

Different tandas are clearly audibly separated from each other by a cortina (tango) , a short, non-danceable piece of music.

The Tanda Trinity

A tanda trinity has developed. One differentiates:

  1. Tango tandas ,
  2. Milonga tandas and
  3. Vals criollo tandas .

“If you examine what is written and sung about the three musical genres, a secret trinity opens up here . The normal tango usually reports a loss and mourns. Quite different in the milonga . Here he rediscovers his strength and energy. In the Vals , the tango soul looks up. The gaze is directed towards the transcendent and the tango soul begins to float. This dreamy, transcendent mood in Vals possibly explains the pure beauty of many Vals melodies. "

- Jürgen Bieler: Tango - what is it all about? A contribution to the phenomenology of tango. P. 75.

Typically, tango tandas consist of four titles. Milonga tandas contain three pieces and Val's criollo tandas contain three to four. They are played one after the other - separately from Cortinas .

The Cortina , the separation signal

Traditionally, a Cortina (“curtain”) is inserted between two tandas - for about 30 seconds . This means that a piece of a completely different genre is played that cannot be danced with tango steps. For example a sequence of flamenco , rock 'n' roll , jazz or even classical music  ...

The Cortina has a double function.

  • On the one hand, it announces the Tanda change as a break signal. From tango to milonga and from milonga to Vals.
  • On the other hand, it is the signal of partner separation. Tangueras and Tangueros are encouraged to separate. During the Cortina break, searching glances meet in this way.

With this Cortina signal of the break and separation, the dancers have the opportunity to discreetly challenge each other non-verbally by eye contact and nodding, using a so-called cabeceo .

So new dance couples form for the next tanda.

Role of DJs

It is the job of the DJs to put together tandas and cortinas for tango dance events. Good DJs carefully observe the audience and capture the atmosphere in the hall. Depending on how the milonga guests react to his music sequences, the DJ may change the order of the tandas or put on other pieces that are more popular that evening.

At the end of a milonga, it is customary for the DJ to play La Cumparsita , el tango de los tangos , “the tango of all tangos”, as the last tango . This piece is the musical signal that shows the Tangueras and Tagueros that the event is nearing its end.

However, the milonga rituals are not uniform in the German-speaking tango scene. Some DJs do without Cortinas . Cabeceo's invitation to dance is not widespread either.

literature

  • Jürgen Bieler: Tango - what is it all about? A contribution to the phenomenology of tango. In: Tangodanza. Magazine for Tango Argentino 4/2008, pp. 70/71.
  • Gerhard Riedel: The great milonga leader. Everything you always wanted to know about tango but never dared to ask. Wagner Verlag Gelnhausen 2010 edition, ISBN 978-3-86683-698-3 , limited preview in the Google book search
  • Gerhard Riedel: The even bigger milonga leader. An amusing satirical guide to Argentine tango. Books on Demand 2016, ISBN 978-3-7322-6187-1 .

Web links

Tango tandas

Milonga tandas

Vals tandas

Mixed tandas

Role of DJs

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ "Series de ciertas cosas dadas o hechas sin interrupción" María Moliner: Diccionario de uso del español
  2. ↑ The DJ's Role
  3. ↑ 100 years of the famous tango La Cumparsita - on the website of the Uruguayan embassy in the Federal Republic of Germany.
  4. ↑ Tango-DJing Part II: About Tandas and Cortinas in Tango Argentino