The Miami Tango Fantasy Festival 2007 steps off Memorial Day Weekend. Beginning with a Milonga, the term given to tango parties, this festival offers entertainment for those who want to watch, and lessons – with sixteen 90 minute classes offered per day – for those who want to learn. These classes cater to everyone from those with two proverbial left feet to those who dance at a performance level.

For those who want to simply sit back, relax, and be in awed, the Tango Professors – those doing the teaching – will perform in a Masters of Tango Show, which includes a dinner. And, of course, no Tango Fantasy would be complete without the romance. The festival is held in a place where romance can not escape: a luxury hotel with a breathtaking pool, a grand ballroom, and all-night Tango parties.

As for Tango itself, it may seem a little intimidating. For this reason, we offer you a quick course on the history of tango.

Tango comes from Buenos Aires, Argentina and Montevideo, Uruguay. It came to life with both dance styles and music styles (the musical styles are also called “the tango”). While initially called merely “the tango,” this dance ultimately evolved, branching out into different styles including the Ballroom Tango (also known as the American style), the Finnish Tango, the Chinese Tango, and, paying homage to its roots, the Argentine Tango and Uruguayan Tango. The Argentine Tango is believed by many to be the closest thing to the original.

The Tango has become popularized in American culture through the cinema as well as other sports. Specifically, synchronized swimming and ice skating have used many elements of tango in various routines. The Tango is also the feature of some weddings and dances.

On a emotional front, the Tango has become synonymous with romance, a language that transcends cultures. This has led to it being thought of as one of the most sensual, irresistible rituals a dancer can do.

When performing the tango, people typically dance to tango music. Three or four songs are often played concurrently, followed by a break that allows some dancers to clear the floor and others to enter.

One of its birthplaces, Tango’s popularity was compromised in 1960’s and 1970’s Buenos Aires when the military government enforced a ban on assemblies. Since the early 1990’s, however, the interest in Tango has been restored and presently, the dance continues to go on, tangoing across Argentina and everywhere else.

Andalusia. The golden period of flamenco music is considered between the periods of (1869-1910). During the period of 1910 to 1955 flamenco singing became easier with the combination of opera flamenco. The real renaissance in flamenco was started in 1955 with the rise of Antonio Mairena as a great artist. The flamenco music has the influence of Salsa, Bossa Nova, and Jazz etc.

The flamenco music is getting popularity all over the world because of its resemblance with the Jazz music. The soothing effect of this music is recently recognized. On our online store we provide a vide range of flamenco music.

Jazz music:

The roots of jazz music lies in American musical art form that developed around the initial times of 20th century in New Orleans. It’s basically a combination of variety of musical traditions including spirituals, hymns, hillbilly music blues and ragtime etc. The instruments used in marching bands and dance band music in the beginning of 20th century became the fundamental instruments of the jazz. Perhaps Jazz and Blues are two pillars of American music. With the introduction of the new music art, the Jazz music became popular as relaxation music for the whole world.

In the later half of 1970 and beginning of 1980s the Jazz music took a new turn with its fusion with the pop music generated a new form called smooth jazz. It is perhaps the most positive step in the history of Jazz music which made it popular all over the world. This can be considered as an era that was responsible for the origin of new age music that is more commercial form of music. Many new artists step up in this age and contributed a lot to the assets of the soothing music.

There are many famous artists of this great music who are popular all over the world. The new age singers are contributing to this great music style a lot. The most popular smooth Jazz artists are Nora Jones, Lious Armstrong, Ornette Coleman, John Coltrane, Amadas Estrellas, Enigma, Mark Callibery etc. mostly Nora Jones is very popular Jazz artist all over the world her tracks are known for the quality music along with the good composition.

SALSA FRESCA – This is an excellent CD “for those who love to dance salsa, not just listen to it.” This compilation CD have you grooving salsa style all night long. Its inviting rhythmic beats are particularly good for those who love to Mambo. This CD is even a keeper for non-dancers. A must have for your CD collection!

TONY VEGA GREATEST HITS – Tony Vegas has charm and Latin gentleman appeal that can be heard in his music. His musical style appeals to everyone. It is smoothe and romantic yet energetic and upbeat This is an unmatched collection of Tony Vega hits from 1989-1994. His songs are infused with romantic tones and sensuous Cuban Mambo and Puerto Rican Salsa style beats.

Rough Guide: Salsa Dance ~ various artists – A huge selection of musical compilations put out under the Rough Series. Rough Guide: Salsa Dance is one of the hotter Latin music themed albums to be released to date.

Rough Guide: Salsa Dance vol. 2 ~ various artists – An upbeat album that will have you dancing the instant you hear it! This album is sizzling HOT. You won’t stop dancing because the music is electrifying!

Ultra Mix: The Best of Salsa – This is a must-have CD for any salsa. Some say it’s best suited for listening, while others are convinced it’s one of the best compilation discs for salsa dancing. Go to your local music store of check it out online. You’ll be glad you did.

These CD selections are a great way to begin your salsa music collections. However, some other great tips to finding great salsa CDs is by listening to local radio shows that feature Latin American, Cuban and Afro beats. Most likely you’ll also be able to hear some salsa beats you’ve never heard before. Listening to these types of radio shows exposes you to the different sounds and usually makes mention of the artists that are being played. This will make your shopping experience so much easier.

Also consider checking out your local salsa dance bar or salsa dance studio. The DJ or dance instructor would be happy to tell you what albums and / or songs they are playing.

Check out your local music store or go online to find the above mentioned CDs. I guarantee your neighbors will be banging on your door wanting to know what it is you a re playing. These salsa CDs are that good!

About the Author:

Evan Margolin shares his passion for salsa through DanceSF, the premier salsa studio in the Bay Area, his Learn to Salsa DVDs (http://www.salsadancedvd.com) and http://SalsaCrazy.com, a comprehensive guide to salsa news and events in the Bay Area.
Article Tags: cd, dance, salsa

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Article published on April 24, 2007 at iSnare.com

Flamenco Guitar The Flamenco Guitar is very similar to the classical guitar. That is no surprise however, because flamenco music and classical music are very similar.

Both of the instruments are descendants from the lute. The normal flamenco guitar is made out of the Spanish woods cypress and spruce. Even though this guitar is similar to a normal classical guitar, it is also different. For example, the flamenco guitar weighs less and is smaller than a normal classical guitar. These features attribute to giving the flamenco guitar the sharp flamenco sound. Nearly all flamenco guitars come with a golpeador. The golpeador can be compared to a pick guard for classical guitar.

They both have the same purpose-to protect the guitar. Because flamenco music has many different guitar playing techniques, it is important to have the golpeador. For example, there are several ways to strum the guitar for flamenco. Strumming is an easy way to scratch the body of the guitar, so a golpeador is needed. Also, besides strumming, the guitar still has many different styles of being played. For example, in flamenco, the musicians often use their hands and fingers and tap the body of their guitar to create sounds to blend in with the flamenco music. The hand and finger taps serve as another reason why a golpeador is needed.

History and Origin of Flamenco Flamenco appeared for the first time in literature in the mid 1770s. During the Golden Age of Spain, flamenco started to get more and more popular. Flamenco started becoming common in the country’s music cafes. Also, around that time, the number of music cafes in Spain began to increase. As time progressed, flamenco began to get more and more serious. Other forms of flamenco started to generate, and many of them got deeper in meaning. During the early 1900s, flamenco singing started to get attention. Soon, full flamenco dances were taking place with the guitar, the singing, and the dancing. After 1915, many people started to have shows for flamenco, and musicians would play in front of a crowd at a theatre or another public place.

Popular Flamenco Guitarists Among the popular Flamenco Guitarists include: Juan Serrano, Vicente Amigo, Jesse Cook, Alex Fox, Gerhard Graf-Martinez, Oscar Herrero, Paco Peña, Ronald Radford, and many more.

Flamenco Today Today, flamenco is different than how it started. The dancers are mainly female, and they are showcased more. In the past, flamenco was more artistic, and the music and dance was the main focus. Now, flamenco usually consists of three parts. When there is multiple people dancing and the music is playing, the audience often joins in clapping. Today, the audience is also involved in flamenco.

"Music is your own experience, your thoughts and your wisdom. If you don’t live it, it won’t come out of your horn." - Charlie Parker

Introduction:

Perhaps nothing describes the musical forms of Flamenco and Tango better; more so for they are indeed the embodiment of the experiences, the thoughts and the wisdoms of the respective clans. And this is where The Bird had hit his most perfect note, unless the Flamenco and Tango musicians didn’t live the subject of their music, the world wouldn’t have experienced the melody that has, till now, swayed the hearts of the countless millions worldwide.

An account of the Yore:

We all agree that Flamenco is a musical form much older than Tango that first appeared only during the middle 1800’s in Cadiz, an ancient port city in southwestern Spain, it didn’t take much time for spreading over to Jerez, Triana and Málaga. Now, all those raising their eyebrows in a rather confused manner, for them, it is not the Argentine Tango that found shelter in the European ballrooms that we till now spoke about; Tango Flamenco is a different entity altogether, but nevertheless important to define the peripheries of the discussion. There are, however, contradictions; it’s the Tango-Tientos family that rules the roost in this regard, the most prominent one being regarding the innovators - it is still shrouded in mystery whether Enrique el Mellizo from Cádiz or Diego el Marrurro from Jerez innovated the Tientos, a derivative of slow-paced tango.

Isolations and Introspections:

If we have to draw the fine dividing line between Tango and Flamenco, the following facts are of great help:
* Tango shares the feelings of the participants whereas Flamenco only expresses.
* A flamenco dancer is always the center of attraction and leads the Cante (song) and the playing of the guitar. It is dark in its expressions though very much invigorating. In Tango, it’s all about sharing and communicating with the other performers and we can find a similarity with the call and response theory.
* Flamenco never allows the partners mutual touching; leading a gesture and following it is a matter of how well the suggestions are taken by the other performers.

Flamenco also relies heavily on the expression created by the arms and the hands. Tango, on the other hand doesn’t allow these except for poses like the Corte or Salida Americana.

But again, one cannot possibly deny the similarities that co-exist with the differences; the feel of the music (an old world Latin feel) comes first in this aspect; secondly, it’s the postures. Both put a special emphasis on the projection of the upper body both outward and forward - from shoulders down to the mid-stomach. However, if wants to know where these two art forms met, it is possibly the Cuban Habanera, but that’s a different story. For now, let us narrow down our perspective to a few essential points before we end this discussion - while a pulsating, steady and driving strum characterizes Tango, Flamenco’s expression is carved by lilts and paused strums elongating certain beats only to compensate by shortening the others to create that certain remote (nostalgic) feel.

About the Author

Mariah Clara is a singer, song writer, and dancer. Her tracks can be heard on http://www.ucombo.com/profile.php?username=MariahClara Ucombo is a site to share user-uploaded original music and discover raw talents.

Author Mariah Clara

Linear Style Salsa originated in America, and was mainly developed for the purpose of performing on stage. In Linear style, dancers stay aligned to the same line which makes it easier for viewers to watch. Linear Style is now fast gaining popularity around the world, with two main styles: LA Style and NY Style from Los Angeles and New York respectively.

Music:

Linear Style Salsa has exactly the same music as Cuban Salsa. The music is played in 4/4 with beats 4 and 8 representing a pause and the other beats representing steps. Claves, Congo or the tin drum are often used to mark the main beats of the music. The music is quite similar to Mambo.

Dance:

Linear Style Salsa has a 4/4 rythm. Unlike Cuban style of Salsa, Linear Style does not have a pause on the 4th and 8th beats. Instead, Linear style offers a "quick, quick, slow" stepping with the slow step taking up two beats of timing. Both dancers dance in a straight line, with most moves ending up with dancers swapping sides while still aligned to the same line. Linear Style salsa also features a lot of moves where the leaders "comb" themslves, or the followers.
Latinos NZ Popularity Scale: 6/10

Linear Style Salsa is fast gaining popularity in New Zealand. Having said that, most "salsers" in a Latin Club follow the Cuban style of dancing and the Linear Style is saved for performing on stage.

Get a bit of variation in your Salsa moves with LA and NY styles!

Due to the simple nature of a drum structure, the use of drum has been a worldwide phenomenon. The music, as the saying goes, is without any boundaries. And thus Latin drum that has its influences and origin from the Africa and the indigenous South America is popular around the world.

Recent years have seen the growth in the popularity of the Cuban music, and in turn it has brought a lifeline in the Latin form of music and also in the exposure of Latin drums. The Salsa and the Samba once again have gained popularity throughout the world. The globalization effect has increased the popularity of instruments like, congas, bongos and timbales.

Latin drums include the likes of Bongo, Cajon, Conga, and Timbales. If one considers the name of Latin drums and percussions then we will have a list including instruments as Agogos, Blocks, Bongos, Cabasas, Castanets, Congas, Cow Bells, Cuicas, Egg Shakers, Guiros, Maracas, Pandeiro, Single Reco, Kelly Shaker, Surdos, Tambourines, Tamborim, Timbales and Tubanos.

The above list certainly gives a lot of names to the ordinary drummer who is trying to create a custom drum set. However, such variety is one exciting element, for which drummers all over the world has tended to taken a liking for creating their custom drum kits. Drummers all over the world have been using drums from different parts of the globe. The collection, when played, can generate wonderful music.

Bongo generates the sound when being struck in the low and high pitch sound areas. It’s compact size and lightweight has made it one of the favorites among the Latin drums users.

Cajon is used to produce convincing sound and snare effect. Drummers use their hands or use rods and brushes to play this instrument. It, generally, needs a floor stand to keep on the ground.

Blocks are usually made of wood. The block comes in all three variations, viz. small, low and high pitch. Their size is small so it is quite convenient for the drummers to use their hands.

Cowbells come in pairs but it is on the preference of the drummer to use more than two in his collection. Two sticks also come in association with this piece of Latin drum.

Macaras are used to play with two hands in use. They provide style to the collection of the drummer.

To use such a wide range of Latin drums in his collection the drummer also needs to have a good knowledge on the pieces of hardware he uses. There are even more devices that a drummer can use in his already wide compilation of different drums and percussion devices.