A tanda is a turn of dancing in a
milonga, and by association, a set of pieces of music, usually between three and five, that is played for one turn. The most common style is to play four pieces in the tango tandas, three in the milonga tandas, and three or four in the vals tandas.
Most commonly the music is
tango
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 as the result of a combina ...
,
milonga or
vals Vals is the word for waltz in many European languages.
Vals or VALS may also refer to:
* Peruvian waltz
* Venezuelan waltz
* Vals (dance), a dance related to Argentine tango
* VALS, "Values And Lifestyles," a psychographic segmentation tool
Places ...
. Between tandas is played a
cortina
Cortina may refer to:
Things
* Cortina (tango), a short piece of music played during a tango dance event
* Ford Cortina, a medium-sized family car built by Ford of Britain from 1962 to 1982
**Lotus Cortina, a 1963–1968 performance variant on the ...
(Spanish for "curtains"), a musical pause to allow dancers to leave the floor and to serve as a short break between tandas.
Tandas are normally arranged by feel of the music. A typical order of tandas is: T-T-V-T-T-M (T for a tanda of tangos, V for a tanda of vals cruzado, M for a tanda of milongas).
Structure inside a tanda
It is common to choose the music for a tanda from a given orchestra and era, often with the same vocalist (or, as an alternative, purely instrumental pieces). Mixing different vocalists, eras or even orchestras is rare. This approach is chosen for the comfort of the dancers, with two main reasons
[Sedó, Melina]
''Heroes of the Silver Disc - Guidelines for successful DJing''
Tangodanza, 2006 (revised 2008 online)
* When a new tanda starts, the dancers can listen to the beginning of the first piece to learn whether they like the music or not, and based on this decide to ask someone to dance this tanda, or take a break.
* The dancers can adjust to a type of music in the beginning song of the tanda, without having to readjust for each song.
Sometimes, in a minority of milongas in Argentina, non-tango tandas are also played, like
Rock n roll
Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm an ...
,
Cumbia
Cumbia refers to a number of musical rhythms and folk dance traditions of Latin America, generally involving musical and cultural elements from American Indigenous peoples, enslaved Africans during colonial times, and Europeans. Examples include:
...
or
Chacarera
The Chacarera is a dance and music that originated in Santiago del Estero, Argentina. It is a genre of folk music that, for many Argentines, serves as a rural counterpart to the cosmopolitan imagery of the Tango. A dance form played by contemporar ...
, but rarely for more than one tanda.
See also
*
Tango (dance)
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 as the result of a combina ...
*
Tango music
Tango is a style of music in or time that originated among European and African immigrant populations of Argentina and Uruguay (collectively, the " Rioplatenses"). It is traditionally played on a solo guitar, guitar duo, or an ensemble, kn ...
*
Cortina (tango) A cortina (curtain) is a short piece (20–60 seconds) of music that is played between tandas at a milonga (tango dance event).Beatriz Dujovne ''In Strangers' Arms: The Magic of the Tango'' 2011 Page 62 "When the 15-minute tanda of four dances is ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tanda (Tango)
Tango dance