Sep / Sound

​How does sound influence our dance?

​What does tango music mean to us — and how does that relationship change as we develop as dancers?

​I remember when I started dancing tango 14 years ago. For the first couple of years, I was drawn to tango nuevo. It felt different, exciting, alive — especially compared to what I then thought of as the rather boring sound of “real” tango.

​Gradually, though, the traditional orchestras grew on me. I started to appreciate the melancholy, the drama, the sadness in the music. It took many more years, countless musicality classes, and probably infinite hours of listening before I could distinguish the orchestras and recognize their characteristic details.

​And yet, I still notice how differently music lands in my body depending on where I am.

​So in this circle, we’ll listen to a few different orchestras and explore where the music takes us, sensacionally.

​What happens in your body when you hear D’Arienzo?
What does Pugliese evoke in you?
Does one orchestra make you want to move bigger, faster, sharper — while another makes you want to soften, pause, or stay close?

​And then we’ll turn the question around:

​What do I want to dance when I’m in a particular mood?

​When I’m sad, do I actually want more drama — or can I not take one more melancholic tango?
When I’m low on energy, does an energetic tanda lift me up, or does it feel overwhelming?
Do I choose music that reflects how I feel, or music that takes me somewhere else?

​There are probably as many answers as there are dancers.

​And that’s exactly what makes this exploration interesting.

​We’re looking forward to listening, sensing, and sharing this call with you.