By My Tran in HCMC -
Original article at the Saigon Times
http://english.thesaigontimes.vn/Home/travel/travelguide/25987/
For
a long time, the tango has come to epitomize the glamour and elegance
of high society, with women in sleek glittering evening gowns and men in
tuxedos, but the fact is that it is originated in society’s underbelly,
in the brothels of Argentina.
No matter what the history of the tango is and no matter what class you are from in society, as long as you like this genre, you are can indulge your passion and talent at Ta Tango Club at Bros Cafe, 213 Nguyen Van Thu Street in District 1.
The tango’s journey began in Buenos Aires in the late 19th century and it consists of a variety of styles that developed in different regions and eras, and in response to the crowding of the venue and even the fashion. The tango is performed in an embrace that can vary from very open style, in which the leader and follower connect at arms length, to very closed, in which the connection is chest-to-chest, or anywhere in between.
Tango is essentially walking with a partner and the music. The extremely important thing about it is to ensure you dance appropriately to the emotion and speed. A good dancer is required to transmit a feeling of the music to your partner, leading them effectively throughout the dance, so dancers generally keep their feet close to the floor as they walk, the ankles and knees brushing as one leg passes the other.
It relies heavily on improvisation, and teachers may establish a “basic step” in order to help students to learn and pick up the ‘feel’ of the dance.
Unlike the majority of social dances, tango is not a set step, but a completely improvised dance combining various elements in a spontaneous manner, as determined by the lead. To be able to improvise, the dancer needs to learn the lead and implementation of the different single elements of tango, so they can be produced later by leading appropriately in space and music.
“The improvisation is the attractiveness of tango as it can be created out based on styles, cultures, lifestyle even life experiences of a dancer and as they can dance in different ways even in the same work in different times,” said Ta Quoc Dung, founder of the Ta Tango Club, who studied tango in Australia with Professor Carlo Sansour, the founder of Siempre Tango Club in Australia, Germany and the U.K.
Tango can be danced in a variety of styles and accompanied by different types of music. These styles vary in tempo and fundamental movements. There are many styles of tango such as salon, milonguero, orrillero, club, fantasia and canyengue but the club just focuses on salon-style.
“Tango is attractive as dancers can dance with anyone, not a fixed partner like other genres, moreover, it is for all people of all ages,” said Dung. He added: “However, tango is like a burning flame inside a dancer’s soul so dancers need to have a considerable life experience to sense and express feelings in moves.”
Since tango is almost entirely improvisational, there needs to be clear communication between partners. Even when dancing in a very open embrace, dancers do not hold their upper bodies arched away from each other; each partner is over their own axis. Whether open or closed, a tango embrace is not rigid, but relaxed, like a hug, Dung said.
Founded in 2007, the club is not only for dancing but also to call on people to learn a new culture called tango culture, a healthy playground for everyone to present their talents and share passion as well as to relax after tired working days.
The club offers tango courses for all levels on Tuesday and Saturday evenings. This course is designed for students with no previous dance experience and it aims to introduce students to the basics of authentic Argentine social tango. Couples and singles are welcomed.
Moreover, tango lovers should not forget to join the weekly Milonga (social tango party) at the club on Saturday evenings. They also hold workshops on tango as well as tango shows annually. The remarkable thing is that members of the club have also joined international tango festivals such as TangoXposed 2008 in Bangkok, Singapore Tango Festival in 2009, Tango Show 2009 in VietNam, World Tango Summit in Finland in 2010,Co-organizer TangoXposed 2011 in VietNam, organizer TangoBlitz 2012 in VietNam, TangoXposed 2012 in KL, Maylaysia... The club’s activities are also supported by the Embassy of Argentina in Vietnam.
“I have learnt many genres of dances such as jazz, dance sports but finally I have found my destiny with tango where I perfectly express who I am and who I want to be. Embracing the profound passion, not only coming to the Ta Tango Club every week, I also come to Buenos Aires to join short training courses as well as festivals every year to satisfy my love for tango,” said Le Thi Hang, a city tango dancer.
For more information, visit http://ta-tango.blogspot.com or call Mr Dung at 0918 057 078.
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