Tango has always been intricate as a dance and music. It may seem complex for learners who haven't deepened their connection with tango yet, like a puzzle that's impossible to complete.
Those who take the time to understand it find a passion and art form that's unlike any other.
Tango is a beautiful dance and music style with a long history and many secrets waiting to be discovered.
However, ongoing disputes around it make it a controversial topic, especially in the world of tango music and dance.
When dancing to tango, should the music come first or the dance?
This is a common question that dancers and music enthusiasts often debate. Some say that the music should come first because the dance is just a bunch of steps. Others find that the music is a necessary part of the experience, embedded in the dance itself. All these questions gave birth to neolonga and neotango, which eventually became two more controversial topics.
What is neolonga? Is it an alternative tango, or is it an alternative to tango? Let's find out.
What Is Neolonga?
Some dancers find the tango music difficult; some find it too repetitive and predictable, so they started neolonga, which — according to the Tango Voice
— is a tango social dance event where people play non-tango music to dance the tango.
Neolonga is an “alternative milonga” that plays “alternative tango music,” which are genre other than classic tango.
Modern Tango
Modern tango music is from tango orchestras recorded after 1960.
Music by D'Arienzo, Pugliese, Salgan, Sassone, Varela, and other artists during the Golden Age and their successors belong to this genre. Moreover, the music of Sexteto Mayor, El Arranque, and other contemporary tango ensembles with instrumentation similar to Golden Age orchestras are also classified as modern tango.
Modern tango is described to be “more lush.” It varies in tempo, meaning the tempo is either too fast, too slow, or too irregular for dancing.
Nuevo Tango
Astor Piazzolla and his followers are credited for developing this genre in the 1950s, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Nuevo tango is a fusion of tango and other music genres — such as European jazz and classical music — lacking a constant tempo for dancing tango.
Tango Extranjero
Tango rhythm but with different instrumentation — that's tango extranjero.
This genre is typically from central and eastern European countries (non-Argentine cultures) and usually doesn't use bandoneon. It also includes drums, which have more staccato rhythms than classical tango music.
Tango Fusion
Tango fusion is a mix of tango and other genres. It has the characteristics of tango music with musical varieties such as tropical Latin American, African, and North American.
Electrotango
A mix of tango and electronic music is called electrotango.
This genre also incorporates lyrics referencing tango culture and lacks a tango rhythm. If there is a tango rhythm, it is subordinate to stronger electronic dance rhythms.
Non-tango
Non-tango music doesn't have the rhythm or instrumentation of tango music but is used to elicit movements of tango dancing.
This could be some popular Western music or some third-world music.
Neotango
Neotango is a fusion of tango fusion, electrotango, and non-tango music.
Milonga vs Neolonga
What's the difference between milonga and neolonga?
The traditional milonga only plays classical tango music for dancing the tango.
This includes music from the 1930s, 40s, and 50s, composed and designed for dancing the tango. These are music by the tango orchestras of Biagi, Canaro, D’Arienzo, Donato, Pugliese, and other artists.
Traditional milongas have conventional codes and etiquette, which include rules against talking on the dance floor and changing partners frequently.
They came from Buenos Aires, having several sets of non-tango music but only comprised less than 30% of the playlist.
On the other hand, neolongas or “alternative milongas” are anything but traditional. They play non-tango music for dancing tango and are found outside Buenos Aires.
The codes and etiquette in neolongas are also more relaxed, allowing dancers to talk on the dance floor and change partners more frequently.
Traditional milongas in Buenos Aires rarely play tango alternative music.
Some neolongas don't play classical tango music at all, and some are even advertised as “milongas” but are actually neolongas with tango alternative music.
Tango alternative music gives a different ambiance than what classic tango music does. It has a more relaxed atmosphere, and the music itself is more varied.
Neolongas did not come from Buenos Aires, but they are associated with introducing electrotango music into North American and European milongas in the early 2000s.
What Is Neotango?
According to the Neotango Collective, if traditional milongas are for the traditional Argentine tango, then neolongas are for neotango. Tangosynthesis defines neotango as:
Tango can and should be danced to music of all sorts of different genres, not just music that has been specially written for tango in 1950s Argentina, or even just modern recreations of traditional tango rhythms. You can dance it to blues, jazz, popular, electronica, metal... whatever you like to listen to.
In neolangas, neotango DJs have different approaches, but all of them play a broad selection of music from various genres.
Some neotango DJs emphasize "world music" to take you on a tour of global styles. Others focus on electrotango or any other genre.
Simply put, neotango and neolongas are more open to a wide range of music, reflecting the various cultures that have taken up Argentine tango.
They are the opposite of traditional Argentine tango and traditional milongas.
Why Were Neotango and Neolonga Created?
Tango has been evolving since the late 1800s.
It underwent several changes in musical style, dance steps, and fashion. Perhaps, neotango and neolongas are just a natural progression of this evolution.
Some say that neotango and neolongas were created to make tango more accessible to people outside Argentina.
There is a growing interest in Argentine tango around the world, but not everyone can appreciate the traditional music and dance steps. The Neotango Collective also said,
Dancers who have spent time with traditional tango music often say that Neotango lacks nuance and variation, that the music is all at the same pace and that there is no room for interpretation.
Like any form of art, tango is open to interpretation.
One style may not be for everyone, but that doesn't mean it's bad.
The differences between every artist create different kinds of art. Neotango and neolonga might be the results of this creativity.
Like traditional tango in traditional milongas, neotango dancers must also learn to listen to all the instruments individually. They must know how to switch between them.
The Neotango Collective also described good neotango music as music with just as much variation as any tango orchestra.
You dance to the tone of the music, the cadence, the flow created by the interaction of the melody with the accompanying musicians, not just the thump thump thump of the bass drum.
Neotango is no less versatile than traditional, it just needs to be learned a little differently.
Resistance to Neolongas
It's inevitable to have people who resist change, which is why there's an ongoing dispute between neolongas and traditional milongas and neotango and traditional tango.
Much like any other form of art, people are free to choose what they like based on what they believe in. Plus, not everyone believes that tango should be danced to music of different genres.
The Tango Voice listed three arguments as bases of the resistance to playing tango alternative music:
Tango can only be danced to tango music. If one is dancing to music that is not tango music, one is not dancing tango.
Dancing to classic tango music is part of the traditional tango culture of Buenos Aires, which many tango dancers desire to preserve.
Playing alternative tango music to attract people to tango dancing does not guarantee that they will eventually like dancing to classic tango music. Therefore, tango alternative music often becomes a persistent part of the foreign tango subcultures into which it is integrated.
These arguments have valid points. Traditional milongas are not for everyone. They are not the only way to enjoy Argentine tango, but they do play an important role in preserving the culture.
The tradition carries the weight of the history and culture of Argentine tango, so many will inevitably believe that it should be respected.
Even if neolangas and neotango are referred to as “alternative” versions, some will see that they are in no way better or worse. They are just different.
The valid point of the first argument is that since “tango” is in the name, it means it's for tango music only. The third speaks to the possibility that neolongas may drive people away from traditional milongas and ultimately, the culture.
There is a risk that neotango could become a persistent part of foreign subcultures, which is not what traditionalists want.
For many beginners, neolongas are another way to get into Argentine tango. They provide a comfortable and familiar environment to those who are new to the scene.
Neolongas also give experienced dancers a break from the traditional music and steps. They provide a space for creativity and exploration.
According to Tangosynthesis,
“Unless you have done at least a couple of tango classes, you will probably feel a bit out of your depth on the dance floor at a Neolonga.”
Indeed, neolongas are not for everyone, but they are a viable option for those who want to try something different. But what happens to the meaning and core of tango when the music and social events only hold a small part of tango's origin? That's what the community is trying to figure out.
Neolonga: An Oxymoron
Sharna Fabiano said in the 2003 article “The Rise of Neo Tango Music:”
Creeping into the souls of enthusiasts around the globe, the tango is searching for a contemporary cultural context… This is why modern music is so essential to effectively renew the spirit of the tango.
Many would agree with this, especially when there are many ways to reignite the fire of Argentine tango. But is neolonga really the right way?
Buenos Aires milongas don't play non-tango music for dancing tango. Moreover, no tango event uses mostly tango alternative music to make people dance tango. This makes “neolonga” more of an oxymoron than anything else.
Even if neolonga claims to be an alternative way of enjoying Argentine tango, it is not an alternative to Argentine tango. It is simply a by-product of the Argentine tango community's openness to new ideas and creativity.
After all, Argentine tango is about improvisation and innovation. Neolonga is just one way to keep the passion alive.
Tango is called tango because of its distinct music.
Its roots are found in the music, not the steps.
The dance is an interplay between the dancers and the music, so to change the music is to change the dance.
Argentine Oliver Kolker, tango dancer and instructor, stated in “Dancing to Non Tango Music,”
Because for me tango emanates from the music, with its roots attached to the meter and beats of the main harmony of Tango. ...
I’ve sometimes heard people in NYC say “I hate Tango Music, but I love the Dance.” It may be because they appreciate the movement without comprehending the music. To me this is baffling being that I believe the dance, itself, springs from the music.
Tango’s signature is classical tango music. The tango music was created for the tango dance, and the dance was created for the tango music.
Neolonga removes this critical element of Argentine tango, which makes it a completely different dance.
Neolonga might as well be called another term because it is not traditional tango.
It makes sense if many communities still disagree that neolongas are not alternative tango. After all, art is subjective. What one person sees as a beautiful piece of art, another may see as a complete eyesore. The same can be said about music and dance. To those who appreciate Argentine tango music and dance, neolonga is nothing close to either.
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