Posts tagged Argentine Tango
Carmencita Calderón - Virtual Class 10/11/2020 by Makela Tango

Carmencita’s significance as a tango dancer:

* She had 87+ years of tango dancing.

* She danced and performed with El Cachafaz one of the most important male Tango dancers.

* She performed in the first Argentinean sound movie “Tango” in 1933.

* Her dance was unique, musical. She improvised and interpreted beautifully the lead of her partner with adornments.

* Carmencita and El Cachafaz created a new tango dancing style with corridas - sentadas - quebradas (Anecdotally she also says that she is the creator of the tango skirt slit)

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Astor Piazzolla - Virtual Class 8/23/2020 by Makela Tango

According to himself: “I left the (Troilo’s) orchestra around 1949 - I had an attack of erudite music - and it was then when Piazzolla erudite was born. I composed symphonic music, chamber music. The orchestra of Bruno Bandini of Radio Del Estado would play everything I wrote,, everybody was playing my music, so I started feeling superior. I didn’t want to go back to tango. But I needed to pay bills so I created arrangements for Troilo, Pugliese, Fresedo.

In 1953 my maestro Ginastera suggested to enter to a competition to study with Nadia Boulanger in France Boulanger. I won. I felt I was Beethoven. (…) I learned everything I know. I discovered Piazzolla thru her. When I played Triunfal she took my hands and told me “this is you” (…) what I do is TANGO. You can find Gobbi, De Caro in my music.

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Alfredo De Angelis - Virtual Class w/Makela 5/31/2020

Pianist, leader and composer. (2 November 1910 - 31 March 1992)

He focused on the melody with a very simple rhythmic conception. His best numbers were those with vocal duos (Dante/Martel). Around 1949 the orchestra wen through a brief rhythmic period but the departure of Julio Martel at the end of 1951 marks the end of their best recording, with the exception of instrumentals (Pavadita).

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Lucio Demare - Virtual Class w/Makela 5/24/2020

Lucio Demare is born in 1906 in the neighborhood of El Abasto, in Buenos Aires, in a family of musicians. The father Domingo played the violin, his brother Lucas (important cineaste) the bandoneon, and Lucio chose the piano. At 8 he was already working playing to musicalize silent films in a cinema. He was the composer of Malena.

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Tertulia #7 - Conversations with Makela - The Tango Warm Up - Introduction

Any dance performer knows that 90 percent of the performance starts in the camerino. The moment they arrive, put their things in a hanger, get into their make up stand, and start getting ready. First, they apply the make up, then they do their hair, then they put on the costumes slowly. It is a ritual, and for the true artist, it is the most important part of the show.

The TANGO WARM UP sounds simple and insignificant. However, I would like to argue that it is the most important part of the tango class. I know that sometimes you let the 405, or the 10 (Los Angeles freeways tend to be trafficky sometimes) to be on your way of your warm up. You have a life out there, your work, your family, your pets, your friends, your hobbies, the everyday tasks like preparing food, grocery shopping, so much stuff.

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An intro to Pugliese by Steve Gordon

When you go to a milonga you will most likely hear Pugliese toward the end of the night.  People are more comfortable with each other, the space and romance is in the air. Pugliese’s music is intensely romantic, filled with melancholy, passion and longing. Some recordings that demonstrate these qualities are “Recuerdo” and “La Yumba”

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Your Tango Music Collection Part 2 by Donald Cooper

Now that you have some familiarity with the Big Four orchestras you will likely want to experience some of the other major orchestras of the period.  Our suggestion (Makela’s and I) is to now become familiar with Miguel Caló and his “Orchestra of the Stars” and his famous singers, Raúl Berón, Alberto Podestá and Jorge Ortiz.

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"Tertulia #2" (conversations) with Makela - New to tango? Classes and "Tarea" (homework)

There are people who like to take private lessons more than others, I think you are more like that, and if you can take private lessons in addition to group classes that is definitely the best way to go. They are customized and hand picked training for you. Now, if you want to take group lessons I suggest the Absolute Beginners class on Saturdays.

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"Tertulia #1" (conversations) with Makela - How did all this start? Get to know her philosophy and experience on tango -

About tango… And I always think the moment you stop studying is the moment you stop living basically. I always try to go back to Buenos Aires and talk to colleagues, practice, ask questions, read, and listen…Tango is such a huge array of things, the music, the history, culture, the relationship between a lead and follow, gender issues, so many things. It’s fascinating and I love it. ..

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