The Finnish type of tango night

The Finnish tango is organized in a totally different manner than the Argentine tango.

In Finland the tango is present everywhere as a mental idea. Even if all of us don't dance tango, or if we don't have the voice to sing, we still know the central tango repertoar and the famous singers. 

Finnish tango is not a   d a n c e  but it is a song tradition. Therefore the greatest singers are appreciated and the composers are known by names.

In this short video the night starts with a dinner at a friends summer cottage, the car ride with talk and laughters to the dance barn. Dancing and listening Arja Saijonmaa, who is an appreciated singer of tangos and Mikis Theodorakis music when he was working against the military in Greece as well as Darya & Månskensorkester.

On our way home we had the Super Moon guiding our way!


Gues what - I could not link but click here for the VIDEO

It is worth to note that this is NOT happening in Finland but in Sweden where the Finnish tango has got a cult status. I have seen in Stockholm people waiting in the snow and icy wind to get in to the bar with Darya & Månskensorkester performing.     . . . . fascinating for a Finn!

Arja Saijonmaa is a Finnish singer and a political performer with Mikis Theodorakis.
http://www.saijonmaa.com/index.php/en/

Darya & Månskensorkester is a kind of cult band in Sweden formed by members of Finnish emigrant families.https://www.facebook.com/darya.manske...

http://youtu.be/Bf1qS9wL3Tg

Finnish tango 100 years today!

The  2nd November 1913
is the clearly stated  date for the start of tango in Finland. That day a Danish couple/three French couples had a dance performance at a restaurant in Helsinki presenting the newest steps from Paris; the Tango!

There are some others claiming that the tango was presented earlier by a Finnish dancer and the fact that music came earlier sounds reasonable too.

This early succes was not enough to establish the tango in the whole nation and it took years, until the second world war to hit to the roots of the Finnish soul. It is said that when the Argentine tango was combined with the Slavic romances and coloured by German march rhythms the whole country did open their hearts to this new music.

This is the result! Filmed at the Frostbite festival February 2013.

Here you find a palylist for some popular tangos and tango singers!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SIqnLmoNS0&list=PL1D0272D95EA04EAA

no Milongas but Dance evenings!
There is not specific tango evenings but tango is one dance among the 8-12 other kind of dances during an evening. This is the case even for the biggest tango gatherings in the country - Tangomarkkinat - which has around 100 000 visitors during a weekend. Two tangos, 8 other dances (two same kind of songs for each)  and then tango again even there!

no YouTube but Competitions!
It has been nearly impossibly to find any clips in youtube and Finns don't post anything today either. The clips on line are posted by foreigners mostly by johnofbristol. In Finland the feedback is received from judges in the countless competitions! Here a posting from a competition, semifinals:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5BqKCFLIic


How it was to grow up with this kind of tango?
The feeling now is that I was virtually surrounded by tango, but not actually.
http://leadingladyl.blogspot.se/2011/01/another-kind-of-tango.html


New York times has visited the Tangomarkkinat, the Finnish festival.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/16/world/europe/finnish-tango-the-passion-and-the-melancholy.html?_r=0

A blog posting at Tango Voice - Finnish Tango is worth reading if you like details too!
http://tangovoice.wordpress.com/2011/01/10/finnish-tango-tango-finlandia/

Neatherland Radio is talking for 30 mins about the tango and tango history in Finland.
What is the difference between A and F tango? If you kill your wife's lover can you sing about it?
http://www.rnw.nl/english/radioshow/tango-minor-key


John Wards blog gives you a continuous contact to the Finnish tango culture; enjoy!
http://finnishtango.blogspot.se/

If you plan to visit Finland, you can find the tango information in Face Book: https://www.facebook.com/groups/5555248820/?fref=ts

To recognize the musicality

Humans have an ability to recognize the rhythms and let the body react and flow with those impulses.

In our family history we have a story about me, one year old, hands on the radio table edge and moving the whole body to this song. This was also the moment my mother became sure about my musicality!

                                                                                ..... click HERE!

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balancing vs. loading

During the entire last year I was following about a half a dozen tandas. That's not much and I can tell you my following is rusty. I have though plans for a slight change here and therefore I did accept a few follower tandas when I was asked in Finland at Tampere festival.

I was like seaweed in storm chasing my balance! It was fascinating. I know that I have good balance as a leader and on my ballet lesson I can stand on my toes in pose and keep my balance for a moment. So it can’t be a balance problem, but WHAT is it then?

The only reasonable suggestion I came up to was: Did I load my steps with incorrect amount of energy?

Think of this situation: You are running and then suddenly you must stop. And there you are waving your arms, moving your whole body and trying to absorb the surplus energy. I am sure you know the situation!

I think now that my balance problem actually was an inablility to give my step the right amount of energy as well as my inability to effectively take care of the surplus of energy.

I think that the experienced followers are really good at allocating the right amount of energy for every single step and it gives them soft and effortless flow of steps. If they misunderstand the lead they can effectively absorb the surplus energy or add some more if needed!

Those abilities I had lost during the years I was following so few tandas.

Addition 15.08.2012
Many followers are talking of balance problems. I think we could help me/them by finding some exercises how to more exactly read the lead and how to alternate the strength used for the steps.

Follow with me to a milonga in Finland!

So often we just follow what the great international stars in tango are doing, all the big performances and events around the world. For some time I have felt a joyful need to find ways for tango dancers to breath the milonga air at far away places. So....

Please take your time and participate at a Finnish milonga with me!

This Friday evening milonga is part of a Finnish summer camp for Argentine tango. The festival is at Tampere which is surrounded by two big lakes and of course we will come together on one of the islands. We were extremly lucky with warm and sunny weather so even on the ferry a thin jacket was enough! Quite unusual this summer. Pay attention on the very last part of the video so you can spot the floating sauna with visitors!
 
But now hopp on the boat and enjoy the trip to this nights venue!

(for full screen - click the right, down corner!)

There is windows in all directions and water is visible behind the trees. Notice that this video is taken at 10.30 PM and the sun went down about ten minutes earlier.This evening the performers are from Finland or have a strong connection :)  to Finland! 
The first couple is Pasi & Maria Lauren. 

         Please enjoy!

Maybe a vals with them? Push here

The next couple is Arttu Artkoski & Carina Quiroga! 
          Please enjoy!

How about a one more tango? Push here please

I had travelled all day and was quite tired so the best choice was to take the first boat back to town. Now at 11.30 PM it is nearly dark, but not so long, at 4.40 the sun will go up again! Tammekoski-boat comes to fetch us and some of us continue dancing on the deck to a song from a Nokia phone! (must be so because Nokia county is just a few kilometers from here!)

 If you would like to follow what is happening in the Finnish tango Universum you may try these links


Argentine tango
https://www.facebook.com/groups/5555248820/
http://www.amigosdeltango.fi/event/2012/07/27


Finnish tango
Be aware that this festival has totally non-Argentine character and structure!
http://www.tangomarkkinat.fi/en/program.html
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Another kind of tango..

I did grow up with tango, the Finnish one. I remember we were talking about tango but now afterwards I can hardly understand when I did hear it. There was radio but as child I did not have control over the buttons and the family was not interested in dance music. My uncles did build instruments and had a village orchestra but I can not remember any tangos -The Hungarian dance nr 5 of Brahms was my favorite. But still I have the feeling of being surrounded by tango all my life and I know all the old singers, composers to be known.

My tango life was activated first when I at age of 17 started to attend the Saturday dance nights. Then I could hear four or six tango songs per night - the rest of evening we had other kind of music. This is a rule even for the Finnish Tango festival - Tangomarkkinat - orchestra plays songs in sets of two; two waltz, jive, chachacha, samba, foxtrot, tango, polka, humppa, and so on ...... and then once again! During a dance evening the tango is just one sort of dance among 12-14 other ones!

I have collected some aspects of Finnish tango to an exhibition on my YouTube site. The feature video is a modern tango and the couple is dancing as it is appreciated nowadays.

One of the playlist is about Darya och Månskensorkester (Darya and Moonlight orchestra). It is a retro group using cloths from 50’s and singing the music from same period. The interesting thing is that this is taking place in Stockholm Sweden (not in Finland) and people queue up to get in to their club evening! Background images are from a club evening last spring. Many of the members in orchestra has partly Finnish background so they can sing the songs in right language!

You will find the old singers in the other playlist and the last song on that list is la Cumparsita. There you get the finnish flavour strong and clear!  Here you  one more - In the clip text you get a translation and some information in English. In comments people appreciate the pictures giving the right feeling.   (If you can not stand the music turn it off and look the pictures!)

Sometimes I am really longing for dancing these old tango songs but the idea of ladies leading in tango is not so popular. Other danses are quite ok for ladies to lead!