 | This article may need to be rewritten to comply with Wikipedia's quality standards, as it is generally vague and confusing, appears to contradict itself on definition, and focuses extensively on criticism.(April 2024) |
Nuevo tango (New tango) is both a form of music in which new elements are incorporated into traditional tango music, and an evolution of tango dance that began to develop in the 1980s.
Prior to the 1990s, Argentine tango was taught with a didactic method: teaching tango by having students copy examples shown by the instructor. Emphasis was not given to how or why movement was done a certain way. Tango dance in Argentina fell into general disrepute during the junta of 1976–83, to the point that the few professionals left as teachers were looked down upon, and the young people of the time rarely participated in the few opportunities to dance. [1] Ironically, the quote "el ser Argentino…vive la expresion tango" (meaning tango is part of the Argentine essence, or identity) comes from the 1975 book El Tango y Gardel , commissioned by the Argentine government in homage to Carlos Gardel. [2] Gustavo Naveira's instruction began to be offered after Argentina became democratic again in 1983 and restrictions on social life eased. He reported that despite his nerves about teaching, the classes drew "crowds of 200 or more", and many older former dancers became instructors as social tango returned. The popular reinstatement of tango is culturally seen by many Argentines as a point of nationalistic pride and self-representation. [3]
Starting in the 1990s in Buenos Aires, the Tango Investigation Group (later transformed into the Cosmotango organization) founded by Gustavo Naveira and Fabián Salas applied the principles of dance kinesiology from modern dance to analyze the physics of movement in Argentine tango. Taking what they learned from this analysis they then began to explore all the possibilities of movement within the framework of Argentine Tango. From the work of these founders of the tango nuevo movement, there was shift in all styles of tango away from teaching what to dance toward teaching how to dance.
Milonga in the last decades of the 20th century maintained a sense of exclusion toward the new tango style, where "the clash was between generations" whose older constituents acted as stewards of the formulaic style. According to one professional, "They didn’t want anybody else to come and change things." [4] The alternative center for young dancers then sprang up in the form of the modern practica, beginning with the opening of the popular El Motivo at the Villa Malcolm social club in 2004. [5] The accelerating creation of a nuevo tango beginning around this time is consistent with anthropologist Martin Stokes's idea that dance is a play form, and that along with music it is a form of "social creativity", subject to instability in times of social change. [6] Its formation and forging of a new social scene exemplifies the view of musical anthropology that music creates, rather than is created from, social life. [7]
Though widely referred to as a tango style outside of Argentina, tango nuevo is not considered a style of dancing tango by the founders of the movement. It refers only to the method of analysis and teaching developed through the application of the principles of dance kinesiology to Argentine tango. In 2009, Gustavo Naveira published an essay New Tango, in which he states: "There is great confusion on the question of the way of dancing the tango: call it technique, form, or style. The term Tango Nuevo, is used to refer to a style of dancing, which is an error. In reality, Tango Nuevo is everything that has happened with the tango since the 1980s. It is not a question of a style... The words Tango Nuevo express what is happening with tango dancing in general; namely that it is evolving." [8] Therefore, as Gustavo Naveira and the other founders of the tango nuevo movement have said, all styles of tango, which have now been influenced by the analysis of the dance, are all tango nuevo.
Despite the insistence by the founders of the tango nuevo movement that it is not a single style, it has become an accepted term by many that it is a separate and distinct style of tango. Considered by many as the most famous practitioners of tango nuevo are Mariano "Chicho" Frumboli, Pablo Verón, Roberto Herrera [9] (who even dedicated a whole Tango show to this new style: Tango Nuevo, premiere 2005), Gustavo Naveira, Norberto "El Pulpo" Esbrés, Fabián Salas, Esteban Moreno, Claudia Codega, Sebastián Arce and Mariana Montes. All of these dancers have highly individual styles that cannot be confused with each other, yet are all referred to by many as the tango nuevo style.
Critics of what some call the tango nuevo style claim that with all the emphasis being on the physics of the dance, that the connection to the music, the feeling, and the traditions of Argentine tango have been lost to the newer generations of tango dancers. Referring to the newer generations of tango nuevo dancers, one of the founders of the tango nuevo movement, Mariano "Chicho" Frumboli stated in an interview: "They are completely lost! I learnt with the last great milongueros, I took the information directly from them. [...] The problem is that we missed something in the teaching, I take total responsibility, and other colleagues should do so as well. I can't pass on what I have learned. I was crazy about creating, because I saw a new vein in the evolution of the movement. I threw myself into that, and I lost the way to be able to pass on the tango essence that I have very much inside. Because of this I feel that lately there are a lot of people who don't understand or know what the real essence of this dance is." [10]
Critics of tango nuevo also say that there is little difference in the way it is practiced than show tango. In an interview, Mariano Frumboli said: "Today you do a volcada and a colgada and it is the same because they are there, commercially speaking, in the same package. Then, between doing a sandwichito or a volcada… people do a volcada! Because it's more eye-catching. [...] They are not going to make a sandwichito to enjoy that moment, but whatever shows them more and better." [10] The increased openness in bodily movement extends to the face, where previously the cara de tango or standardized expression of passion was socially required; this is no longer a given between professional dancers at social tango events. [11]
In July 2009, Gustavo Naveira wrote about nuevo tango: [8]
There is great confusion on the question of the way of dancing the tango: call it technique, form, or style. The term tango nuevo is used to refer to a style of dancing, which is an error. In reality, Tango Nuevo is everything that has happened with the tango since the 1980s. It is not a question of a style... The words Tango Nuevo are neither a specific term nor a title (except in the case of a musical work by Astor Piazzolla). With this in mind, these words directly express, through their literal meaning, what is happening with tango dancing in general; namely that it is evolving. Tango Nuevo is not one more style; it is simply that tango dancing is growing, improving, developing, enriching itself, and in that sense we are moving toward a new dimension in tango dancing... There has been much recent discussion, in the community of tango dancers, on the problem of the embrace, dividing the dance into open or closed style, which is also a matter of great confusion. Open embrace or closed embrace, dancing with space or dancing close, these are all outmoded terms. This is an old way of thinking, resulting from the lack of technical knowledge in past eras. This simple and clumsy division between open and closed is often used by those who try to deny the evolution of the dance, to disguise their own lack of knowledge. Today it is perfectly clear that the distances in the dance have a much greater complexity than a simple open or closed... We have learned, and we have developed our knowledge. The result of this is a dance of greater possibilities, and also of a much more artistic quality.
The most important composer of nuevo tango was Astor Piazzolla, who revolutionized tango in the 1950s by introducing new instruments such as the saxophone and electric guitar, and who brought new forms of harmonic and melodic structure into the traditional tango. Piazzolla's Quintento Nuevo Tango (1978–1988) with Astor Piazzolla, Fernando Suarez Paz, Hector Console, Horacio Malvicino and Pablo Ziegler was decisive for the worldwide success of Nuevo Tango. Sometime later, Piazzolla met jazz saxophonist Gerry Mulligan, which led to the production of an album considered a classic of the genre: Summit . [12]
Other composers of tango nuevo include Osvaldo Pugliese, Ariel Ramirez, and Juan Carlos Caceres. Neotango is 21st century tango composed and/or orchestrated in the 21st century. Often it includes the fusion of electronic and acoustic sounds. Some examples of neotango music artists are Tanghetto, Bajofondo, Electrocutango, Federico Aubele, Gotan Project, Nuevo Tango Ensamble, Ensemble Montréal Tango, Narcotango (album by Carlos Libedinsky), Dure-mère, Rodrigo Favela (Latin tango), Pablo Ziegler and Otros Aires.
Astor Pantaleón Piazzolla was an Argentine tango composer, bandoneon player, and arranger. His works revolutionized the traditional tango into a new style termed nuevo tango, incorporating elements from jazz and classical music. A virtuoso bandoneonist, he regularly performed his own compositions with a variety of ensembles. In 1992, American music critic Stephen Holden described Piazzolla as "the world's foremost composer of Tango music".
The most distinctive music of Uruguay is to be found in the tango and candombe; both genres have been recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Uruguayan music includes a number of local musical forms such as murga, a form of musical theatre, and milonga, a folk guitar and song form deriving from Spanish and italian traditions and related to similar forms found in many American countries.
The music of Argentina includes a variety of traditional, classical, and popular genres. According to the Harvard Dictionary of Music, Argentina also "has one of the richest art music traditions and perhaps the most active contemporary musical life.
Tango is a partner dance and social dance that originated in the 1880s along the Río de la Plata, the natural border between Argentina and Uruguay. The tango was born in the impoverished port areas of these countries from a combination of Argentine Milonga, Spanish-Cuban Habanera, and Uruguayan Candombe celebrations. It was frequently practiced in the brothels and bars of ports, where business owners employed bands to entertain their patrons. It then spread to the rest of the world. Many variations of this dance currently exist around the world.
The Tango Lesson is a 1997 drama film written and directed by Sally Potter. It is a semi-autobiographical film starring Potter and Pablo Verón, about Argentinian Tango.
Tango is a style of music in 2
4 or 4
4 time that originated among European and African immigrant populations of Argentina and Uruguay. It is traditionally played on a solo guitar, guitar duo, or an ensemble, known as the orquesta típica, which includes at least two violins, flute, piano, double bass, and at least two bandoneóns. Sometimes guitars and a clarinet join the ensemble. Tango may be purely instrumental or may include a vocalist. Tango music and dance have become popular throughout the world.
Argentine tango is a musical genre and accompanying social dance originating at the end of the 19th century in the suburbs of Buenos Aires. It typically has a 2
4 or 4
4 rhythmic time signature, and two or three parts repeating in patterns such as ABAB or ABCAC. Its lyrics are marked by nostalgia, sadness, and laments for lost love. The typical orchestra has several melodic instruments and is given a distinctive air by the bandoneon. It has continued to grow in popularity and spread internationally, adding modern elements without replacing the older ones. Among its leading figures are the singer and songwriter Carlos Gardel and composers/performers Francisco Canaro, Juan D'Arienzo, Carlos Di Sarli, Osvaldo Pugliese, Elvira Santamaría, and Ástor Piazzolla.
María de Buenos Aires is a tango opera with music by Ástor Piazzolla and libretto by Horacio Ferrer that premiered at the Sala Planeta in Buenos Aires on 8 May 1968.
Tanghetto is an Argentinian neotango and electronic tango music project created and led by musician and producer Max Masri. It won the Gardel Award and was nominated five times to the Latin Grammy Awards. It's based in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
María Amelia Baltar, better known as Amelita Baltar, is an Argentine singer, one of the leading voices of tango, that appeared in the 60's to be considered, along with Susana Rinaldi, as a modern counterpart of older divas such as Libertad Lamarque and Tita Merello. She is mostly known for her collaboration with composer Astor Piazzolla and writer Horacio Ferrer, specially as first performer of their song “Balada para un loco”. She starred in places such as Olympia (Paris), De Kleine Komedie (Amsterdam), Cemal Reşit Rey Concert Hall, Cocoanut Grove at Ambassador Hotel or Ginásio do Maracanãzinho and shared the stage with celebrities such as Charles Aznavour, Franck Pourcel, Henry Mancini, Gerry Mulligan, Gary Burton and Chick Corea.
Pablo Ziegler is a Grammy Awards winning Argentine composer, pianist, arranger based in New York City. He is an exponent of nuevo tango, and has worked extensively as Ástor Piazzolla's regular pianist from 1978 until Piazzolla's retirement for health reasons in 1989. During their collaboration, they performed with Milva, Placido Domingo, Gary Burton among others. He played with Piazzolla's re-formed Conjunto 9 in 1983 for his Teatro Colón concert with the Buenos Aires Philharmonic. In 1985 Ziegler composed the music for the film Adios Roberto, and in 1990, he established the New Tango Quartet.
Neotango is a distinct genre of tango which goes beyond it both in music and in dance. It is a global movement in which the music includes tracks from all over the world, instrumental and vocal, distinct from the tango in that it includes only modern music recorded in the last 30-40 years, and can be danced using the tango's biomechanics. As a dance form it is still evolving. It is a 'living' globalized tango dance form of the 21st century.
Mariano Chicho Frúmboli is an Argentine tango dancer. He is regarded as one of the founders of tango nuevo, and he is best known for his musicality and creativity while improvising.
Carlos Libedinsky is an Argentine musician, composer and, producer. Born in 1961, he is most renowned for his neo-tango project, Narcotango.
Gustavo Naveira is an Argentine tango dancer and teacher who contributed to the detailed analysis of the movements of dancing to Argentine tango.
Antonio Agri was an Argentine violinist, composer and conductor prominent in both the tango and classical music genres.
Pablo Zinger is a conductor, pianist, writer, composer, arranger, lecturer and narrator, specializing in the music of Ástor Piazzolla, tango, Spanish zarzuela, and Latin American vocal and instrumental music.
Horacio Arturo Ferrer Ezcurra was a Uruguayan-Argentine poet, broadcaster, reciter and tango lyricist. He is particularly well known for having composed the lyrics for tangos by Astor Piazzolla, such as Balada para un loco and Chiquilín de Bachín.
The Octeto Buenos Aires was a legendary tango group formed in 1955 by the Argentine bandoneon player Astor Piazzolla. In 1958 the Octeto was disbanded and Piazzolla returned to New York City with his family where he struggled to make a living as a musician and arranger in the next stage of his career that would prove to be so ground-breaking in the history of tango.
Enrique Mario Francini was an Argentine tango orchestra director, composer and violinist who played in various tango ensembles including the Orquesta Francini-Pontier and Ástor Piazzolla's Octeto Buenos Aires.