Tango Vals: On Viennese Waltz and Argentine Tango
Soft, fluid, and tender — the Tango Vals is one of the three principal forms of Argentine Tango.
When we dance to it, it’s impossible to deny that it is incredibly rich and deliciously filled with subtleties that make us immediately sway to the beat.
Anne from Tango Space describes it “Like a big caramel ice cream, with toffee on the top, and cream, and chocolate chips, and extra cherry sauce.”
Unfortunately,
people tend to overlook the subtleties and depth of Tango Vals.
Not many understand how different its music and dance are from the tango, so they make the mistake of dancing to it like the tango. Does that mean the lavishness of Tango Vals is lost on them?
When we walk the path of Tango Vals, we explore its dreamy qualities, learn what sets it apart from other music and dance, and discover how to embody it.
Most importantly, we learn how this dance transpired; it’s rooted in the Viennese Waltz, but its roots also extend back to England!
The Rise of the Waltz: The English Waltz
Smooth, rise and fall, and step, slide, step in 3/4 time. It is impossible not to feel the grace and elegance of the waltz.
“Waltz” is derived from the old German word “walzen,” which means “to roll, turn,” or “to glide.”
Photo from Dancers’ Notes
The dance was born out of folk dances popular in the 16th century: the Weller, the Contradanse, and the Volta. The first waltz came out of the suburbs of Vienna in the early 17th century, in the ballrooms of the Hapsburg court.
In the beginning, waltzing was considered scandalous.
It was seen as highly erotic because couples danced so close together and often moved quickly around the room. On 16 July 1816, an editorial in London Times stated:
“We remarked with pain that the indecent foreign dance called the waltz was introduced (we believe for the first time) at the English court on Friday last… It is quite sufficient to cast one's eyes on the voluptuous intertwining of the limbs and close compressure on the bodies in their dance, to see that it is indeed far removed from the modest reserve which has hitherto been considered distinctive of English females.
So long as this obscene display was confined to prostitutes and adulteresses, we did not think it deserving of notice; but now that it is attempted to be forced on the respectable classes of society by the civil examples of their superiors, we feel it a duty to warn every parent against exposing his daughter to so fatal a contagion.”
This was days after the English Waltz was played at a ball by the Prince Regent in London.
Even 50 years later, many magazines continued to disapprove of the waltz, calling it the “wicked dance.”
Despite the scandal, the waltz became increasingly popular in Europe. By 1814, Vienna had embraced the waltz wholeheartedly.
The Slow Waltz
In the mid-1800s, the waltz was also introduced into the United States.
At that time, the standard tempo was still speedy and quite demanding to the average dancer. Before long, composers started writing much slower music.
Eventually, the waltz style "Boston" evolved. It had slower turns and longer gliding. The Boston Waltz slowly vanished, but it developed into a slower waltz.
Throughout the 20th century, the English refined these movements. They codified the technique into the competitive international style, the Slow Waltz.
Viennese Waltz: The Ever So Scandalous Viennese Icon
The waltz was once the “Forbidden Dance,” until musicians Franz Schubert, Johann Strauss, and Johann Strauss II, recognized the waltz's quality and appeal.
Johann Strauss II was the “Waltz King,” and his music is still danced to this day in Viennese balls.
In 1867, he composed the “On the beautiful blue Danube” or “Danube Waltz,” which is one of the most iconic waltzes.
The Viennese Waltz quickly became a hit throughout Europe and was introduced to the ballrooms of America in the mid-19th century.
The Viennese Waltz is still danced today — though with a few changes to make it more accessible for amateurs. But why was it so scandalous?
The waltz was considered indecent because dancers held each other so close and moved quickly around the room.
Nevertheless, despite the opposition, the Viennese Waltz became the height of fashion. It was the must-have dance at all the Viennese balls and parties.
The bourgeoisie adopted it as a more liberal way of dancing, and it eventually became a symbol of their character: self-assured, emotional, free, and erotic.
Now, it is nothing less than a Viennese icon.
Waltzing to Viennese Time
The Viennese Waltz, while similar to the Slow Waltz, is considerably faster — at about 120-180 beats per minute as opposed to 84-96.
Because of its speed, it was often performed for show dance competitions. The Viennese Waltz consists of three main elements:
● The rise and fall action, which gives the Viennese Waltz its distinctive flowing quality
● The continuous turning action
● The rotary movement around the fixed central point created by the turning action
The Viennese Waltz is danced in 3/4 time, or what is commonly called “waltz time.”
The music is usually fast-paced with many turns. Because of that, it can be quite challenging for beginners. The Viennese Waltz is generally considered to be the fastest of all the ballroom waltzes.
How do we connect the Viennese Waltz with Tango Vals? Well, while Europe was in the midst of its Viennese Waltz craze, South America was busy dancing on its own. In Argentina, the people danced the tango.
The Argentine Tango
Born in the streets of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Montevideo, Uruguay, the Argentine Tango took over in the late 19th century.
Its roots lie in African candombe, Cuban habanera, waltzes, and polkas. Tango was a popular dance among European immigrants, formerly enslaved people, and the working and lower classes as they felt the nostalgia and melancholy of being far from home.
The tango is a very sensual dance, with a lot of body contact between the dancers. It is usually danced in pairs but can also be danced alone.
The Argentine Tango is a passionate dance that is often associated with love and romance.
The Tango of the Creoles
The working class Argentineans — often descendants of mixed Spanish and Afro backgrounds — were called "Creole" or (Criollo in Spanish).
They had lived in Argentina for so long, bringing dances and music from their native countries. One of these dances was the waltz; another was the tango.
Tango Criollo was the first form of tango, but the Creoles also grew up to the popular sounds of the waltz.
Since they had been living in Argentina for a long time, they adapted the waltz to their own taste and style.
In the middle of the 1800s, the Creole variation of the waltz was born: the Vals Criollo.
Where Vienna and Argentina Meet
The Vals Criollo continued to evolve, and so did Tango Criollo. Eventually, the latter morphed into tango itself around 1880. Once tango was firmly established in Buenos Aires, the tango musicians who had exposure to the waltz and the Vals Criollo incorporated it into their repertory.
By 1910, some composers wrote tango compositions in 3/4 time, giving birth to the Tango Vals.
Tango Vals: A Viennese Twist on an Argentine Classic
The Viennese Waltz is a fast and elegant dance that is often performed in ballrooms. On the other hand, the Argentine Tango is a slower and more sensual dance. The Tango Vals combines the best of both worlds.
The Tango Vals is a faster-paced version of the Viennese waltz, with a lot of turns and quick changes of direction that leave the dancers breathless.
Like the Viennese waltz, it is danced in 3/4 time but between 150 and 240 beats per minute. What sets the Tango Vals apart is its Argentine roots.
Tango Vals: Not the Viennese Waltz
People often mistake Vals Tango as Viennese Waltz because of their similar rhythm. Yes,
the Tango Vals is an evolution of the Viennese Waltz, but it uses the tertiary rhythm differently.
According to Tango Space, The Tango Vals sometimes changes and becomes syncopated.
“The time between the 1st and 2nd beats, or between the 2nd and 3rd beats shortens. The strong beat always comes at a regular rhythm and is always on one, but the 2nd and 3rd softer beats change. If the syncopation is between 1 and 2, then there is a suspension between 2 and 3. If the syncopation is between 2 and 3, then there is a suspension between 1 and 2. It is the same syncopation as is often used in tango and milonga temas, but on a tertiary rhythm.”
Hearing the syncopation makes dancing more exciting and erotic than a regular tertiary rhythm.
The Tango Vals is almost exactly the same as that of the Viennese Waltz, but the difference is in the speed.
The latter is much slower, allowing dancers to make a step on each beat unit.
Tango Vals only allows a step on the first accentuated beat in each bar.
The base tempo of Tango Vals has the step only on the accentuated beat. After the double tempo combines with a step on the second beat, an additional step is made on the second beat of every second bar. Lastly, in the double tempo with a step on the third beat, a step is made on the third accent of every second bar.
Tango Vals: Dancing With History
Catching the beat of a Tango Vals music requires focus, understanding of the qualities of the dance, and of course, practice.
When you watch a couple take to the dance floor and place their hands in the Viennese hold, it is easy to think that you can predict and feel their every move.
But then fast-paced music plays. You wait for them to take the first step on the first beat, but instead, they take it on another beat you cannot catch. They glide across the dance floor, swirl, and turn with unexpected steps in between. That is when you realize that the Tango Vals is immensely sophisticated and wild, yet still precise.
For beginners, Tango Vals is a complex dance to catch on to. It might seem like the steps are out of beat, making them look wrong or out of place. However, listen to the music and find the underlying pulse. You will be able to understand how the dancers are moving in time with the music.
Watching dancers perform the Tango Vals is like watching a story being told through music and movement.
There is a strong sense of connection between the dancers, who seem to be completely in sync with each other. You will see that the steps you thought were unexpected and out of beat were actually subtleties that make the dance richer and more interesting.
The Tango Vals is a beautiful dance that tells a story of its own. Every step, every glide, and every spin represent a part of history: how the Viennese waltz made a controversial change in the world of dance, how Argentinean immigrants coped with their longing, and how music and dance continue to evolve.
Just like any other dance, you have to feel the music of Tango Vals.
When you already have a deeper understanding of it, you can uphold the technicality and the tradition that this dance entails. When the time comes to dance, let your body follow the rhythm instead of your mind trying to predict it.
Dancing the Tango Vals is like dancing with history; its richness is unending.