Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Tango-The Story of a Milonguero's Life

Do you still think that the magic of Tango resides largely in its fascinating music? Then, just take a look at the lyrics of these Tangos, and the deeply tragic stories they reveal about what lies inside the hearts of the old Milongueros of Buenos Aires. [If you don't recognize the song, click the link on the title].



Once Upon a Time, in San Telmo...

A little boy stood in one of the arrabal's lost street corners, shining shoes to help his mother make ends meet...


Con sus ropitas viejas, curtido por el sol,
With his old little clothes, burnt by the sun,

la vida lo ha tratado con todo su rigor.
life has treated him with all of its rigor.

Siempre en la misma esquina, voceando su pregon,
Always in the same corner, announcing his trade,

"Senor, aqui se lustra mejor que en el Salon!"
"Sir, our shoe-shine is better than at the [Milonga] Salon!"

 Conozco su historia, y se de su valor;
I know his story, and I know his worth;

que, cierto dia, su padre no regreso al hogar...
that, one day, his father did not come back home...

y que el, sin decir nada, hizo aquel cajon,
and that he, without a word, made that little woodbox,

y que en su casa nunca les ha faltado pan.
and that, at home, bread has been always at the table.


As he grew up, the boy started dancing, and soon was fascinated by Tango, the dance, the music... He was a good, joyful young man from San Telmo, dancing his heart out in all the barrios of Buenos Aires, well known and respected...


Yo soy de San Telmo y vengo
I am from San Telmo, and I come

por estos barrios para dejar
to this neighborhood to give

un verso para las madres
a verse to all the mothers

y mozas de mi ciudad
and girls of my city.

Yo soy un cantor sincero,
I am a sincere singer,

sencillo y sentimental
simple, and sentimental,

trabajo como el hornero
I work as hard as the ovenbird

y canto como el zorzal.
And I sing like the thrush.

Siempre supe respetar
I always knew to respect

al que hablo y trato conmigo;
that who spoke and related to me;

en San Telmo me conocen
in San Telmo I am known

por cantor y buen amigo
as a singer and as a good friend.

Si hay que calmar el dolor
If there is a need to calm the pain

del que vive padeciendo
of the one who lives in suffering

soy primero en la ocasion
I'm the first to take the chance

para alegrar su corazon.
to try and cheer his heart up.


But he was soon engulfed by the gang (the "muchachada"), the game, the drink, the addictive way of life of the Milonga. He forgot about the mother he had helped so much as a little boy. And he charmed a lot of women... he had fun.


Yo no se por que mi corazon hace asi
I don't know why my heart does like this

Tiqui tic tiqui tac,
[ibid]

Tiqui tic tiqui tac
[ibid]

Ese ruido, con su repicar, a mi
That noise, with its constant ticking,

no me deja comer ni dormir.
does not let me eat, nor sleep!

Yo me quiero en seguida casar porque ya,
I would like to marry inmediately, since by now

con mis novias, Senor, hay un lio mayor...
with my girlfriends, Sir, there is a huge mess...

Pero que hago si son como mil, y yo,
But what can I do, if they are like a thousand, and I

con las mil no me puedo casar.
cannot marry the thousand of them.

Me gustan todas,
I like them all,

(Le gustan todas!)
(He likes them all!),

Que voy a hacerle si soy picaflor;
What can I do, if I'm like a hummingbird;

Rubias, morenas,
blondes, and brunettes,

(Tiene centenas!)
(He has them by the hundreds!)

Tengo un surtido de todo color...
I have them in all sorts of colors.

Tengo mil novias
I have a thousand girlfriends

(Tiene mil novias!)
(He has a thousand girlfriends!)

De los amores yo soy el campeon,
(In love, I'm the champion!)

Muchas novias hermosas yo tengo,
I have so many beautiful girlfriends,

(El las tiene en la imaginacion)
(Yeah, right, he has them in his dreams).

Una rubia se quiso matar
A blond one wanted to kill herself

(Ja ja ja)
(Ha, ha, ha)

Es verdad!
It is true!

(Ja ja ja)
(Ha ha ha)

Al saberlo despues su papa grito, 
When he found out, her father went like crazy

Y del mapa me quiso borrar
And he wanted to erase me from the map...

Y es por eso que mi corazon hace asi
And that is why my heart goes like this

Tiqui tic tiqui tac
[ibid]

Tiqui tic tiqui tac
[ibid]

Pero que hago, si son como mil, y yo
but what can I do, if they are like a thousand, and I

Con las mil no me puedo casar...
cannot marry the thousand of them...


Time passed by, and once he found love. But she was jealous of the time he spent at the Milongas, with his gang, with the other women. Unable to quit his lifestyle for her, he just let her go, while thinking... "Tough luck!"


"Se acabo nuestro carino"
"Our love is over"

Me dijiste friamente;
You told me coldly;

Yo pense pa' mis adentros
I thought to myself

"Puede que tenga razon!"
"She might be right!"

Lo pense, y te deje sola
I thought about it, and left you alone

Sola, y duena de tu vida,
Alone, and the owner of your own life,

Mientras yo con mi conciencia
While I was fully aware

me jugaba el corazon.
that I was playing with my own heart.

Y cerre fuerte los ojos, y aprete fuerte los labios
I closed my eyes hard, and I pressed my lips hard

pa' no verte, pa' no hablarte, 
not to see you, not to talk to you,

pa' no gritar un adios...
not to cry a good bye...

Y tranqueando despacito
And stumbling slowly

me fui al bar que esta en la esquina
I went to the bar in the corner,

para ahogar con cuatro tragos
to drown with those four drinks

lo que pudo ser tu amor.
what your love could have been.

Yo no pude prometerte cambiar la vida que llevo
I couldn't promise you to change my life

porque naci "calavera" y asi me habre de morir...
because I was born a heartbreaker, and a heartbreaker I'll die...

A mi me tira la farra, el cafe, la muchachada,
What calls me is the party, the cafe, and my friends,

Y donde haya una milonga, yo no puedo estar sin ir
and if there is a milonga, I just cannot stop going.

Bien sabes como yo he sido,
You know well how I have been,

Bien sabes como he pensado
You know well how I think,

de mis locas inquietudes
of all my crazy desires,

de mi afan de callejear.
of my need to be in the streets.

Mala suerte, si hoy te pierdo;
Tough luck, if I lose you today,

mala suerte si ando solo...
tough luck, if I am alone...

el culpable soy de todo, 
I'm guilty of everything

ya que no puedo cambiar.
since I cannot change.

Por que yo se que mi vida
Because I know that my life

no es una vida modelo;
it's not a good type of life;

porque quien tiene un carino,
because that who has a love

al carino se ha de dar.
must give himself to that love.

Y yo soy como el jilguero
And I am like the goldfinch

que aunque estando en jaula de oro
that even in a gold cage

en su canto llora siempre
in its song is always crying

el antojo de volar.
its longing for flying.

He tenido mala suerte,
I've had bad luck,

pero hablando francamente
but frankly speaking

yo te quedo agradecido,
I'm grateful to you,

has sido novia y mujer;
you've been a girlfriend, my woman,

si la vida ha de apurarme con rigores algun dia
and if life treats me harshly one day

ya podes estar segura que de vos me acordare!
you can be sure I'll remember you!!


And he continued his way, the King of the Milonga, for many years. But some times, a few more glasses of wine brought some nostalgic memories...


Patotero, rey del bailongo
Patotero, King of the Dance

Patotero sentimental
sentimental patotero

escondes bajo tu risa
you hide under your laughter

muchas ganas de llorar.
a deep desire to cry.

Ya los anos van pasando
Now the years are passing by

y en mi pecho no entra un querer
and no love enters my heart;

en mi vida hubo muchas, muchas minas
in my life there were many, many girls,

pero nunca una mujer.
but there was never a woman.

Cuando tengo dos copas de mas
When I'm drunk,

en mi pecho empieza a surgir
from my chest emanates this feeling

el recuerdo de aquella fiel mujer
the memory of that loyal woman

que me quiso de verdad
who loved me sincerely

y que, ingrato, abandone.
and that, ungrateful, I abandoned.

De su amor me burle, sin mirar
Of her love, I made a joke, without realizing

que pudiera sentirlo despues
that I could feel it later

sin pensar que los anios, al correr,
without thinking that the years, as they went off,

iban, crueles, a amargar a este Rey del Cabaret.
would slowly bitter this King of the Cabaret.

Pobrecita, como lloraba...
Poor her, how she cried...

cuando, ciego, la eche a rodar,
when, blind, I pushed her aside,

la patota me miraba
the gang was watching me

y no es de hombre el aflojar
and it was not a manly thing to give in.

Patotero, Rey del Bailongo
Patotero, King of the Dance,

siempre de ella te acordaras;
forever you will remember her;

hoy reis, pero en tu risa
today, you laugh, but in your laughter

solo hay ganas de llorar.
there is only a wish to cry.


And his time went by, and he found himself at the end of his life. The gang had left him, and only his mother was by his side... seeing this, he could only feel the deepest regret.


Con los amigos que el oro me produjo
With the friends that my money made me

las horas, con afan, pasaba yo;
I passed, willingly, my hours,

y de mi bolsa, el poderoso influjo
and from the powerful effect of my wallet

todos gozaban de esplendente lujo, pero mi madre no.
everyone enjoyed all the great luxuries, except my mother.

Pobre madre..! Yo de ella me olvidaba
Poor, my mother! I simply forgot her;

cuando en manos de mi vicio me dormi
while I slept in the hands of my vice

un inmenso cortejo me rodeaba
a large court surrounded me;

de mis afectos, a nadie le faltaba...
and nobody lacked my affection...

pero mi madre si!
except my mother!

Hoy, moribundo, en lagrimas deshecho,
Today, I'm dying, and broken into tears,

al ver que gime mi angustiado pecho
when they see that my anxious heart cries out

todos se alejan de mi pobre lecho...
everyone runs away from my poor dying bed...

pero mi madre, no.
but not my mother.

Y cerca ya del ultimo suspiro
And close to the last breath

todos se alejan por lo que hay en mi
everyone abandons me, because of my illness,

en mi triste derredor, a nadie miro
and in my sad surroundings, I see nobody

pero a mi madre si.
except my mother.

Good bye, Milonguero...

Monday, July 6, 2009

Tango People

Please... *STOP* the name-dropping in Facebook...


It doesn't look good.

Everyone can read through it.

Everybody can also tell that the Big Tango God you are trying to appear to be close to is not really close to you.

It just looks sad.

Do me a favor:

Occupy yourselves better-just go dancing.

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

A Tango War of Insecurities: The lighting at the Milongas

Over the last few months I have witnessed a number Tango wars (both 0pen and hidden) derived from insecurities. The lighting at Milongas in the US probably being the silliest of them...


It may be too  strong to call it a "War" but I will, anyway. The endless discussion on the right level of "lighting" at Milongas. More often than not I hear the opinion of those who claim that a dim environment in the Milonga makes them feel cozier, more intimate. There are also so those who are braver in admitting that they don't like the cold bright light shining on them while they dance, because it makes them feel exposed. I realize that this is a feeling probably shared by many, though not everyone is frank enough to admit it out loud.

And then there are those who hate the darkness that some Milongas have started to reach as a result. You cannot see easily potential dance partners; even worse: for those who care about the Codigos of the Tango in Buenos Aires, the darkness is tantamount to the impossibility to Cabeceo. Of course, someone with a cynical spirit could just claim that Cabeceo only happens in BAs and that, ultimately, the need for it only arises from another insecurity--that of the men to be rejected publicly, so, who cares? Those so afraid to ask and be denied a dance should just: (a) get over it; and/or (b) just get to dance better and increase their popularity to the point that nobody will never ever deny them a dance, right?

So, what insecurities to please? Who should win this one? I will start by confessing that, actually, I have been bothered by both extremes (too much light, and too much darkness), but if forced to chose, I'd rather have the light. Some Milongas (including at Festivals) just get so dark that one may have real trouble recognizing people and facial expressions at a distance, particularly when they are crowded. I love the idea of Cabeceo in principle, but I don't hold my hopes very high outside Argentina--except, perhaps, in places that make a point out of respecting tradition, such as the Milongas of the Denver's Milonguero Tango Festival.

The point here is that, regardless of what I think, the score seems something like 90-10 in favor of the light dimmers, at least in the US Festival Circuit/Milongas. In my experience, most places in Europe where I've danced were also "dimmers", though with certain exceptions (at some Milongas in Germany and the Netherlands, for instance). In contrast--and not surprisingly--most Milongas in BAs tend to be reasonably well-lit with some exceptions (La Viruta, and to a lesser extent, El Beso come to mind; as well as a few other small nuevo-Milongas). 

And I'm not sure I agree with it. The argument against "exposure" and in favor of the cozy darkness seems a little overplayed--after all, if we go dancing, it is fair to expect that some others will watch us dance, no? It's part of the deal. At the same time, creating so much of a darkness environment that the opportunities for Cabeceo disappear completely is just not fair. Yes, we are not in Argentina; yes, we come from another cultural background; but yes--there is a point to respect the Codigos and promote them, to the extent possible. Making it impossible for people to follow them may seem a negligible loss to some... but it is not. It is a pity that those Festival and Milonga organizers who say to love, cherish and hope to promote the Tango culture, tend to forget to create the conditions for it to become alive.

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Tango in the Air

A moment to cherish...

Haven't seen this friend for a while. He is a colleague, and a fellow Tanguero.

Bump into him in the corridor. He's telling me about his news, bursting of happiness, he and his wife about to have a baby.

The elevator finally arrives and we step in. We have to go up 12 floors. He looks at me and says devilishly: Tango in the elevator?

We dance. Not more than a couple of giros, before we get to our floor. Luckily nobody has stopped us in our way up. I feel I'm flying.

The elevator door opens, and we look at each other like two little kids who've been a little mischievous.

He goes to his office and I walk to mine, in another corridor of the building, smiling...

Saturday, February 28, 2009

*Your* Time to Vote: Your Favorite Milongas, Festivals, Dancers, Teachers, Music, DJs and more...! ;)

There is so much to do related to Argentine Tango these days, in every corner of the World!! With this in mind, this Tanguera is humbly asking her cyber-readers (and fellow Tango-addicts) to nominate one "winner" under each of the categories proposed below. Please comment to this post with your votes!


Instructions:  

*I will be collecting the nominees proposed by everyone who sends me a comment in the following weeks, and will announce the winner (as well as the first and second runner ups) by April 1st, 8pm EST (US time)

*Your answer will *NOT* be published immediately (just to add a little element of surprise to the whole thing), but I will give an update of the preliminary results in mid-March. Also, all comments received to dat will be published both when the interim and final results are announced. Comments may be anonymous, but it would be great if you could add the country where you live and dance Tango.

Please!! Let others who may be interested know so that we can get a good number of answers all across the globe, which may make our results more interesting :)


And... here go the Questions:

1. What is the best (non-Festival) Milonga you have ever attended (outside Argentina)?

2. What is the best Milonga you have ever attended (in Argentina)?

3. What is the best Tango Festival you have ever attended in the US/Canada?

4. What is the best Tango Festival you have ever attended in Europe?

5. What is the best Tango Festival you have ever attended in Argentina?

6. What is your favorite traditional (not playing anymore) Tango Orchestra?

7. What is your favorite current (still playing) Tango Orchestra?

8. What is your favorite Argentinean couple of dancers (Milonguero/Salon)?

9. What is your favorite non-Argentinean couple of dancers (Milonguero/Salon)?

10. What is your favorite Argentinean couple of dancers (Nuevo)?

11. What is your favorite non-Argentinean couple of dancers (Nuevo)?

12. What is your favorite Tango?

13. What is your favorite Vals?

14. What is your favorite Milonga?

15. Who is your favorite Tango singer?

16. What is your favorite Tango movie?

17. Who is your favorite Argentinean Tango teacher?

18. Who is your favorite non-Argentinean Tango teacher?


Sunday, February 15, 2009

Tango Hugs...

A long time ago, my dear and fellow blogger Tina reflected very wisely about the importance of the quality of the embrace. The more I continue to dance, the more I realize that I cannot dance without being hugged...


My best dances are, by far, the ones with leaders who allow me to feel hugged, cared for. At the extreme, this may be even more important than the music, and has nothing to do with the style, as long as the hug feels completely giving, intimate and personal. There is nothing more disappointing that going into the embrace and sensing that the person next to me doesn't really want to hug me the way I need to be hugged... My enthusiasm for the dance and my inspiration fly away immediately...

Sunday, February 8, 2009

Tango Snobs (II): The Polite Tangueros and the DJs

Upon further investigation, this Tanguera has concluded that the Tangueros may actually be somewhat more thoughtful than other dancing communities....


While leaving a Milonga last week, I approached the DJ to thank him for the music. He smiled profusely, explaining to me that while he's a relatively new Tango DJ, he's been in the business of DJing for other latin dances for decades. Literally, he told me:

"You know the strange thing? In all those years, not a single person thanked me for DJing for the night. Since I started DJing Tango, on the other hand, I've had a lot of people approaching me and saying Thank You. People seem so much more polite and appreciative of all the time I take to put in my tandas together; that's a lot of work."

I know. And I have to add, I'm so glad to hear about this. Surely we Tangueros(as)  can be picky about the music we like, but we also certainly appreciate the efforts the DJs make to give us all those blissful dances. It's even nicer to find out that we actually express our gratitude. :) 

Sunday, February 1, 2009

Interesting Australian Blog...

Proving Tango is truly World's Heritage :)