Two ports, two cities overlooking the Atlantic, two music styles. One dominated by the bandoneon, the other dominated by one of the most fragile instruments on earth, the Portuguese guitar (it can actually get out of tone just by shifting it 10C!).
Fado (also meaning fate) is the Portuguese equivalent of tango, the Portuguese blues. Initially it was danced to but gradually it moved from the music halls to the restaurants where it started to be only listened to. It is usually a sad, languid music style but it can get quite happy and joyful.
In Portugal it's rare to go to a milonga that doesn't play a fado or two along with tango. It's surprisingly tango-friendly and because the essence of both styles is so close, it fits perfectly and doesn't feel out of place.
Below, Juan Capprioti and Graciana Romeo dance to a piece from Camane. To be honest I have seen them dacing to other songs (that I prefer) but this seems to be the only one on youtube. I hope you enjoy it and I would like to know (especially those of you who do not like to dance to non-tango music) your opinion!
Monday, February 04, 2008
Tango and Fado
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
7 comments:
Very beautiful music, and very, very graceful dancers. I think they make the most of this song.
I also do prefer it to most of the "neo", "non", or "electronic" tangos I've heard. However, it does share the same constant rhythmic quality of non-traditional tango music which I don't find as interesting as traditional Tango.
Thank you for sharing!
Ha, you just brought me memories on the (one) milonga I attended once in Lisbon, on a Sunday night, on my way somewhere else in the world... It was full of Fado, and I loved it. Talking to a few of my fellow Portuguese Tangueros, I was recommended to listen to Camane. It was nice time, and I remember being thankful to Tango for the enjoyment at the milonga and also because it opened the door for me to jumping into the lives of all those people from Lisbon, who leisurely spent their Sunday evening dancing.
Later on, I got to see Juan and Graciana dance in Nijmegen, at the Doble Ocho Festival. I remember that I felt a rare connection to them, just because of the fact that they were settled in Portugal and I had gotten acquainted with the Lisbon community, if only for one night...
:) Thank you for bringing back those nice memories
Hi Johanna, thanks for your opinion. Tango as a dance evolved around tango music and most movements are "geared" for that. The dance suits the classic music best, I totaly agree with that and I don't think that anyone that really knows about tango will say the opposite! However, I think it is a waste to confine such a broad dance only to tango. Styles like neotango (and some non-tango) enable tangueros to explore the limits of the movements and to, in a way, understand more about the dynamics of it. That's how I see it and allied to the possibility of dancing a music that I really like to the dance style that "imprisioned" me since I started it is quite a satisfying feeling, provided that I can do it without feeling out-of-place.
La Tanguera, thanks for droping by! Yes, milongas in Lisbon are somewhat special. Juan y Graciana are fantastic, very friendly and approachable. I managed to grab Graciana for a couple of tandas in the Lisbon tango festival and she is just... GREAT! I feel very fortunate that I had the chance to have classes with them.
P.S. I still wouldn't dance tango to it though... it doesn't have the "ghost"... I'm very much a purist. But, I'd happily watch this couple any day. They are very soulful.
Oh no, my first comment didn't show up! Sorry!:-)
I said:
I LOVE Fado - when I lived in Italy I had a Portuguese friend who would have me listen to his collection of Fado music, just so beautiful. I'd love to hear Fado in a milonga in Portugal someday.
Hi Tina!
To be very honest I know many other tracks that are more tango friendly than this one. On the other spectra, most of the fado songs are not suited for tango. But some of them are great, for example, "Caravelas" by Mariza.
Juan y Gracina are just soooo elegant. Graciana's forward walk is amongst my very favourites (with Natacha Poberaj being one of my favourite back walks).
Thanks for your comment!
Another article for the Fado and Tango lover:
http://www.milonga.be/2008/02/fado-tango-the-pictures/
Post a Comment