Argentine Tango has two different aspects; social dance and show dance.
Most Tango songs have serious atmosphere (either dramatic or romantic). The music generally deals with serious emotions, too. Passion, love, lost love, lament, nostalgia, regret, complaints, etc etc.
Of course there are some exceptions. Happy, lighthearted Tango songs do exist (check out Biagi or Rodriguez). Yet, they are rarer, and pose challenge to some social dancers.
But I am not intending to talk about the songs today. I am going to talk about comedic style of show Tango dance. See this video for an example.
Los Guardiola: "El Choclo" (2013)
A branch of show dance presents comical side of the dance. Some Show dancers choose to present the dance in a comedic way.
Comedy is no easier than serious. Probably comedy is even more difficult than commonplace serious. It takes serious dance skills just to be credible on stage. In addition, to perform comedy, they have to know what "regular" serious dances look like, then add here or tweak there to be funny.
In fact, dance itself is hardly comedic. What makes a comedy is the preexisting context and an act that veers away from our expectation.
I like their mindset that chooses to use the high dance skills in comedic ways.
Why do I like the mindset? Probably because they are more audience-minding. They have to know the expectation of the audience, work with it, and show something that defies our expectations, ........to entertain the audience.
In other words, I find comedians (good ones) having more professional mindset; mindset as an entertainer rather than an artist (whose main focus tends to be the art itself).
Comedy, Parody, Satire, Humor....all have a place in the culture. They add depth and fun. We all need some laughter.
[Disclaimer: The YouTube video and the image are not mine. All rights belong to the original]
