Technical Series Part 3 - Musicality and Musical Expression

So,we've been practicing our balance, can recognize and control our own axis, have nailed our posture, and can perceive even the subtlest weight change. We have been listening to tango 24/7 and can pick out even the trickiest rhythm patterns in every piece of music. We've done walking exercises and explored every conceivable combination of rhythms, unerringly stepping out on the up- or down-beat every time. Even while holding a partner.

Now what?

Are we now "musical"? Possibly, but we are definitely "rhythmic", and that's a very good start.

Now our mind, body, and inner tanguero/a are ready to explore that interpretive mystery we call "musicality". The quality that makes great dancers look like they are not only part of each other, but part of the music itself. But before I start discussing Musicality directly (and its close but distinct relative "Musical Expression"), I need to expand my thoughts on music a little further.

In my last post on Rhythm, I discussed two of the several "layers" of music: rhythm and melody. If Rhythm is the "heartbeat" of music, the Melody is its "soul". The emotions and moods of the music are expressed through the melody. When we say a song is "happy", or "melancholic", or "playful", we are responding to the feelings elicited by the way the melody is being played.

Musicality
To try to describe Musicality with words is like trying to describe an elusive, spiritual quality. Some folks are innately "musical". Their bodies somehow naturally soak up the sound and exude it through their every movement. Most of us have to learn that. Some of us never will.

Everyone - except perhaps those with severe auditory problems - can "hear" music. But listening to music is only half of the musicality equation; the passive half. The other half, of course, is moving to it; the active half. The ability to bridge the two halves - making your body obey what you hear - is "musicality". And everyone knows that the challenge lies between admitting the notes into our ears and having them come out of our feet and bodies.

In addition, the movement choices should aesthetically compliment the music. In other words, they must obey the dynamics of the music. This is clearly a very subjective thing, which is why we disagree about whether dancers are "musical" or not. Some dancers make "opposite" choices to the music: highly aggressive movements to delicate passages, or vice versa - they choose to counterbalance the dynamics by either moving very slowly during a particularly animated part, or doing many fast movements to a slow portion. The point is, one can be "musical" without necessarily pleasing everyone.

There is a misconception that "musicality" is about "feeling the music", which is not the same as expressing that feeling while dancing. It is not even close. If it was as simple as that, I wouldn't be writing this post, and people would not be pondering about it. I can't think of anyone I've met in Tango who does not "feel the music". The trick is to have those feelings fit into the musical math and have our bodies respond naturally, expressing those emotions through our movements.

Another misconception exists regarding "improvisation", which does not mean doing anything that comes to mind whenever we want. The only time we can do that with any degree of success is if we are dancing alone, without a partner of any sort. To improvise while holding someone, requires that certain rules be followed in order for both partners to be able to improvise together. Jazz, often compared to Tango due to its improvisational nature, would be impossible if each musician did whatever they wanted! For them to produce a unified - yet improvised - sound, they must obey certain basic rules. In Tango, one of those rules is to obey the music. And the challenge of improvising is to match our movements to the tone, tempo, and mood of the music in that very moment.

Musicality for a dancer is the ability to match our movements to the moods - or "dynamics" - of the music, as well as to convey the same emotional expression of the song. It is more than simply moving rhythmically to the music. We would not move the same way while dancing to "Hotel Victoria" as to "Remembranza", even if we are dancing with perfect rhythm to each. For starters, one is highly staccato while the other is highly lyrical.

There are several variables to consider when "interpreting" music with our movements. In addition to "mood", we have quick, staccato movements (for D'Arienzo-type music) or lyrical ones (as with Pugliese-style music). We may use the exact same steps while dancing to these two musical extremes, but must "express" them very differently. Sometimes, the speed of the music precludes the use of certain steps. And musical styles such as "canyengue" and "candombe" offer an added concern, having their own unique steps and style.

Also, we must acknowledge and interpret the changes in mood that occur in so many tangos. Some dramatic songs have relatively "upbeat" passages, and some very playful tangos have a sudden serious moment. [I think this is why I don't feel particularly drawn to "nuevo" music: to my ear it has far less varied dynamics than traditional tango.] If we are to express Musicality, we need to adjust the dynamics of our movements with those of the music as they happen.

Musical Expression
So far I have discussed Technique (the "gravity" aspect of our movements), Rhythm (the core, or "heartbeat" of Musicality), and Musicality itself (how we process musical sound and emotion through movement). However, there is still one final element I'd like to discuss, which I call Musical Expression. It is the final detail of our movements, expressed not only by our entire bodies, but by our very feet, our embrace, and the moments "between the notes". Even how we step - the way in which our feet touch the ground - must convey emotion and a connection to the music: aggressive, solid steps to dramatic moments, delicate and soft steps to more romantic, tender moments. Musical Expression is part of our individual "styles" which I will discuss in my next post.

Carlos Gavito may just be the most expressive Tango dancer of our time. His Musicality made him a living legend. In this video with Maria Piazola, he especially, expresses a depth of emotion through his Musicality and Musical Expression. Things to look for that illustrate the latter are how he fills each beat to capacity - even when he isn't moving! - arriving right on the beat, with his entire body expressing the same emotion as the music in that moment. Also, the varying speed of his movements, which coincide with the music as well (i.e. launching into a step forcefully then gliding gently into its concluding, and matching, note). At about 1:35, he does an embellishment with the music, but mostly, he does hardly any at all. He speeds up his movements and the number of steps as the music swells, then slows back down, again with the music. Again, at about 2:30, he does his most complex embellishment, together with the musical climax. All his movements are there to highlight and compliment the musical nuances, not fight them.

My favorite example of female Musical Expression is this video of Natacha Poberaj and Jesus Velasquez. The music is completely different from the Gavito example; far more rhythmic, without any long, lyrical passages. The form of dancing to it is thus completely different. Examples of Musical Expression in this video are how she matches her foot placement to the staccato feel of the musical beat. She is clearly following the violins, and her movements imitate the sound of how the bow moves across the strings, down to the very emphasis at the very end of the note. She also fills every second of movement, arriving at her destination at the exact moment of the beat, and not a nanosecond sooner, as though she herself were a musical instrument. Though this piece has mostly a steady, march-like beat, there are several more ligato passages, such as the one at 1:32. The dancers adjust their steps accordingly, making longer and more sensual choices, before resuming the crisp movements when the music returns to the staccato. And like Gavito, she rarely does any embellishments, with the most notable and breathtaking one at 1:17.

Gavito and Natacha (just two examples of many very Musical and Musically Expressive dancers) dance with clean, concise, and unfussy steps. They hardly embellish. And yet, almost everyone who watches them is mesmerized by their "Musicality". Gavito would have veritable tantrums trying to explain to impatient students that Tango was not "steps", and that "less is more". He would often perform an entire tango doing nothing but the "basic" step, and perhaps a couple of ochos. He would often bring tears to the eyes of his students because of the depth of his emotional expression, coupled with the Musicality of his interpretation. All without a single embellishment*.

Final Thoughts
The masters we admire, who have developed such an exquisite ability to interpret the music, have been working at it for many, many years. Mastering all of the technical elements I have discussed thus far (Technique, Rhythm, and Musicality and Musical Expession) should take the average person about 6-8 years. For some it may be less, and for others, the best we can achieve is to be rhythmic in our dancing. Because each of us hears and feels everything differently, Musicality and Musical Expression - and not just rhythm - will always be what sets each of us apart from everyone else, even if we are all dancing to the same piece of music. And the only way to get there is to keep dancing. A lot.

[*Lest I give the wrong impression, I have nothing against embellishments. To the contrary, when used judiciously and to punctuate the music, they are highly effective, not to mention a lot of fun to do. However, while they can be part of Musical Expression, the use of embellishments in and of themselves does not constitute Musicality.]

In my next, and final post in the Technical Series, I will discuss matters of "style", which include interpretation and, of course, embellishments.