That's how Enrique Santos Discépolo described it, although many think it's a phrase by Borges or Sábato. In reality, it was Discépolo — a musician, actor, playwright, screenwriter, and film director — and I would add, also a philosopher — who said this phrase. This thought becomes clear when you read his tangos, which reflect a deep worldview and a particular sensitivity, a profound and melancholic perspective. However, Discépolo didn't dance, and perhaps his perception of tango was influenced by his sensitivity and his ability to grasp the world's pain, which enriched his work, though not necessarily his life.
Therefore, the phrase that claims tango is a "sad thought that is danced" represents a view that doesn't encompass the entirety of what tango is or can be, depending on each person. It's understandable that many feel tango that way, but it's not the only way to feel it… it doesn't include the "whole" of tango.
This whole introduction is not about Discépolo per se, but rather to expand the perception some people may have of tango.
If someone asked me: "What is the purpose of dancing tango?" I would answer:
- "To express and connect." - Perhaps you would say that "express" is too broad a word and "connect" sounds a bit ethereal, and you’d be right. That's why I would add that: tango allows us to express movements inspired by the energy of the moment, which, in turn, depends on the emotions we have on that particular day of our life. So, imagine how many things can be expressed while dancing...
To condense the idea:
Thoughts = emotions = type of energy = type of perception (this goes in a circle)
Type of perception generates a certain form of tango expression = expression of a feeling
As for the connecting part, you might think: "But don’t we connect automatically by dancing since we have to embrace each other?" Yes, but no... it's not that simple.
Has it ever happened to you to dance with someone who seemed absent, whose embrace transmitted nothing, but you still danced the entire tanda? That's what I'm referring to. Learning to dance tango involves learning to make movements, to guide them, to create with the steps what the music inspires us and to translate what we perceive from the other into movements. But all of this can become automatic and happen without really connecting, because to connect, we need to FEEL the other person. To truly feel the other person, one must know how to be present in the embrace, in the now... And that’s where the magic happens.
Sometimes, in order to experience deep connection, we must learn to slow down; in speed, that deep connection doesn't exist, another type of connection does. There are moments when slowness allows for a special type of connection. That moment becomes so profound that the connection of three — the couple and the music — makes you feel something so intense that you can’t even take a step, and you must stop to feel and process the emotion, letting it pass through your body. This creates the pause.
But not all tangos are danced this way; these moments are exceptional. A special predisposition is needed, which depends on many factors, beyond just a good dancing level, and the moment, stage of life you're in, the sky must be on your side... the stars, the moments, and the people need to align.
There are also degrees of connection. We can say that, in the end, we will always be connected in some percentage and in some way.
Expressing and connecting can then lead us to many possibilities. Many times, we will be playing and creating, and this is no less valid than the deep connection. It fills us with joy, enthusiasm, and energy. For this reason, I believe that Discépolo's phrase doesn’t capture everything that tango really is because tango is what YOU EXPRESS when you perceive it in a certain way... and this is mutable... So tango is everything you can feel and then express.
That’s why I always say there are tangos for playing and creating, and others for embracing and feeling. It all depends on the moment, on YOUR moment and something more... the music... the orchestra.
It’s not the same thing to express with a tango by Juan D’Arienzo with Alberto Echagüe’s voice as it is with a tango by Osvaldo Pugliese with Roberto Chanel’s voice...
So remember, we are ONE with the tango we dance, ONE with the person we embrace, ONE with the moment we live, but everything changes, everything transforms, and the essential energy that gives life to your dance is not always the same. There are tangos for playing and creating, and others for embracing and feeling.
Here, I’m sharing two tangos for you to listen to one after the other and see what it brings up, what emotions it awakens in you.
Listen to them again another day and you will probably feel different. If it awakens the same emotions, it’s because they are rooted in you and are already part of your way of feeling. However, you will see that despite your feeling, the orchestra transmits its feeling, and that will generate an emotion that will be more for playing and creating or for embracing and feeling.
El Tango es una historia (Pugliese-Chanel)
El nene del Abasto (D'Arienzo - Echagüe)
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