Nuevo musicality

No, by nuevo musicality I don't mean interpreting the music with huge volcadas across the floor followed by intricate leg wrap combinations and other such quasi-stage moves that seem to defy conventional limits of biomechanics. In fact, as a respectable tango snob, I look down upon such dancers with contempt and disgust. What I am talking about is what has been referred to as "Mickey Mousing" at the great tango blog Simba Tango (be sure to check it out). I had previously been told by my 'tango aunt' Flor that my musicality is often superficial in that it shows I know the music well, but it's interpreted from the ear, and not the heart. Back then, I only half-heartedly agreed, thinking that there are different kinds of loving, and you can love the music by interpreting it with the ear.

A milonga tanda last night, however, made me realize that my musicality indeed tends to be 'Mickey-Mousy'. It was a mixed orchestra tanda, and the first and third song in particular, Que tiempo aquel (Lomuto) and Milonga criolla (Canaro) respectively, offered many opportunities to do extremely detailed musicality steps. Paloma, the tanguera I was dancing with, was cracking up the whole time because of this. To get an idea of what I was doing, see the below video, in particular at 0:42, 1:42, 2:02, among other instances:



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Although the musicality I talk about does not necessarily involve moves generally associated with tango nuevo, this way of interpreting music seems to be pretty much exclusive to the exponents of nuevo, like Chicho and Arce. There was a time when I used to idolize these two, and in fact they shaped my prioritizing in tango. I prioritized musicality above all else. The connection with the partner, the posture, the embrace, everything was a mere element to serve the higher purpose of musicality. In fact, one of the reasons I started hating electrotango and nontango music was the incessant percussion, which is very hard to ignore when you want to go deep into exploring the music (more on that later). There is no doubt that such view still reflects my dancing today, although (I hope) to a lesser degree.

Of course, it is trivial to mention that you can only listen with your ears, but it may be less obvious that you interpret the music with your heart. To be sure, it is unrealistic to be expected to love all music by all tango orchestras. In fact, one necessarily gets more and more selective with the music one loves with time. And by definition, loving is selective. I don't love all music, and in my defense to the accusations of nuevo musicality, I don't interpret the calmer kind of Troilo music, like some with Fiorentino or Marino (neither of which gets much play at milongas here, unfortunately... more on that later), the same way I interpret Troilo instrumentals, which, for the most part, I find impossible not to mickey mouse. I really like playful music for mickey mousing, but I don't love it. I like to make food analogies to tango - the playful music for which I fool around is like a guilty pleasure, an indulgence that is to be enjoyed sparingly.

(Personally, such music tends to be instrumentals. It is because, for all the beautiful sounds the bandoneons, violins and pianos can make, they are no match for the emotion and the poetry expressed by the human voice.)

To be politically correct, I would say that there is no right and wrong in tango, and as such no way to say how one should interpret the music. But as an irreverent tango snob, I am compelled to be judgmental and say that there definitely is right and wrong in tango. And blindly memorizing music just for the sake of musicality is wrong. There is no nuevo musicality, because there is nothing new with the music. It is right to learn to love the music and pay it the homage it deserves.