Tango Nuevo

Origin

Until the 1990s, Argentine tango was taught using the didactic method; Those who wanted to learn the art of dance only tried to repeat what the instructor showed. There was no explanation of how and why this movement was made. In the 1990s, the “Tango Explorers Group” (later renamed Cosmotango) was formed in Buenos Aires , inspired by Gustavo Naveira and Fabian Salas. They applied the principles of dance kinesiology of modern dance to consider the physics of Argentine tango movements. Analyzing all the results of their research, they began to consider all the possibilities of movement within the framework of the dance. This is considered the emergence of nuevo tango, since there was a shift in all tango .

Although outside of Argentina , Nuevo tango is treated as a tango style, but it is not considered the founder of the style. This is only a method of analysis and teaching, based on the principles of dance kinesiology of the Argentine tango . In 2009, Gustavo Naveira published his essay New Tango , in which he said: “ There is some confusion in the definition of nuevo as tango dance: it is called a style, form or technique. Often the term “nuevo” is used to denote a dance style, which again is a mistake. In fact, this is all that has happened with tango since the 1980s. This is not a style. The words of Tango Nuevo precisely reflect what is happening with the dance as a whole, that development is ongoing ” ^[1] . Therefore, according to Naveira and other founders of the concept, all the tango styles that are analyzed are all Tango Nuevo.

However, despite all the persuasions and explanations of the creators of nuevo, the term still began to be associated with a separate and different from the usual style of tango. The most famous nuevo practitioners can be called Gustavo Naveiro , Norberto Esbreza, Fabian Salas, Esteban Moreno, Claudia Codego, Sebastian Arce, Mariana Montes, Mariano Frumboli and Pablo Verona. All these dancers are very different, each has a bright individual style, but nevertheless it is believed that they all performed dances in the style of Tango Nuevo.

Critics have noted that Nuevo is more based on physics of movements than on music, feelings and traditions of Argentine tango , and this is a big loss for the next generation of dancers. It was also noted that almost no difference was seen between the nuevo and the tango show. In an interview, one of the founders, Mariano Chimboli, expressed the following thought: “Today you perform volcada and colgada, and this is the same as, roughly speaking, all this is in one package. Then, when the choice is between volcada and sandwichito, they do ... yes, the volcada movement. Why? Yes, because it is more bright and attractive. People do not dance sandwichito, but at the same time do everything that makes the dance better ” ^[2]

In July 2009, Gustavo Naveira wrote about Nuevo like this:

There is some confusion in the definition of nuevo as a tango dance : it is called a style, form or technique. Often the term “nuevo” is used to denote a dance style, which again is a mistake. In fact, this is all that has happened with tango since the 1980s. This is not a style. Tango Nuevo is not a term, not a name (with the exception of one piece by A. Piazzolla ). With all this in mind, such simple words express what happens to the tango as a whole, its evolution. this is also not a style, as the number of dancers increases, tango improves and develops, enriching itself with something new. Recently, a discussion was held on the problem of close positions, the division of dance into open and closed style, which also cannot but cause confusion. Open positions or closed, dancing separately or nearby - everything is already outdated, echoes of the old way of thinking due to the lack of technical knowledge from past milestones. This separation of closed and open is often used by those who are trying to disown the evolution of dance, they simply hide their lack of knowledge. It’s quite clear to us that the distances in the dance are much more complicated than just open or closed positions. We learn something new and systematize it. The result of our efforts is the discovery of more opportunities for the dance, as well as artistic beauty and quality ^[1] .

Nuevo Elements

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  Voleo

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  Sentada

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  Volcada from a close position

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  Volcada in open position

By the late 2000s, it included many improvisations and movements borrowed from Argentine tango. New elements differ not only in the type of touch, but also include off-axis steps, playfulness, attention to rhythm and melody, and an emphasis is placed on the partner’s improvisation. Some dancers include dance movements from salsa , ballroom dancing and swing .

The most important and famous composer of the Nuevo is Astor Piazzolla . He revolutionized this style by introducing new instruments such as saxophone and electric guitar , and also discovered new forms of harmonic and melodic structures in traditional tango. One of Piazzolla's most famous works in this style is Libertango . Other most famous tango creators of the Nuevo: Osvaldo Pugliès , Ariel Ramirez , as well as Juan Carlos Cáceres.

• Astor Piazzolla
• Osvaldo Puglise
• Ariel Ramirez
• Juan Carlos Cáceres
• Bajofondo
• Electrocutango
• Gotan project
• Sprout Aires
• Tanghetto
• Tosca Tango Orchestra
• Tango en Tres

• Tango styles - Nuevo
• A. Piazzolla on the IMDB website
• Music Oswaldo Puglise