Tango vs Waltz
Clare Briggs
Clare Briggs is a famous cartoonist who lived from 1875 to 1930. Poems by Wilbur Nesbitt.
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Doing a wiki walk, tango was cutting edge for the 1913 American social scene. American bands usually also sped it up compared to their Argentine/Rio de Plata counterparts. But also the word ‘tango’ was sometimes used to refer to other ‘One Step’ dances, in 2/4 or 4/4 time, many using various of ragtime tunes (which were near the peak of their popularity). Tango would in fact diminish a great deal in popularity in the next few years and being replaced by the foxtrot, which had a waltz origin (but changed the rhythm from 3/4 to also be 4/4).
And more importantly, less ‘sexiness’ than the various one step dances, which were giving the older generation the vapors. (and the ire was more on the Turkey Trot than the tango)Report
Argentine tango is still considered a very sexy dance. Even the waltz was considered really daring when it first appeared in the early 19th century because it allowed couples to be together in close embrace rather than the previous method of dancing, which is more what we would call square dancing but could be fancier or just about the level of square dancing. Argentine tango was able to keep up a lot of it’s mystique even as people abandoned partner dancing compared to the waltz or foxtrot.Report
When my wife-to-be and I began dating 45 years ago, we both worked at Bell Labs. The Labs was in the process of hiring 2,000 young engineers — ages 23-26 — and putting them out in the wilds of New Jersey at the Holmdel location. The Labs was generous in making money available to organize/equip almost any sort of club activity. (Who knew how many engineers were jugglers? They had a really fine collection of things to juggle.) We joined the lessons part of the ballroom dancing club.
Regular readers will recall that our kids and I put my wife in memory care earlier this year. Some sort of early-onset dementia, the odds favor Alzheimer’s, with severe memory impairment. One of the facility’s social functions is a gathering at the end of the month to celebrate all of the residents with birthdays that month. An eclectic collection of music. My wife has muscle memory for waltzing, but not for the foxtrot. And while she struggles putting sentences together, she can lead sing-along with pop hits from the late 60s to early 80s and not miss a word.Report
Yeah muscle memory and artistic memory seems a lot more durable- or perhaps persistent in a different way from other more intellectual memories and skills.
I’m so sorry you are having to endure this with your wife. My mind reels at the idea of facing it one day.Report