A lot of people say that tango is an addiction and in a post some months ago I wrote about the variety of embraces that maybe makes it addictive as a dance.
Recently, I was reading the book “Atomic habits” and in one of the chapters, the author was referring to how the food industry are experimenting for years to find the right attributes of a product to make it as pleasurable as possible. They are trying to find the right saltiness, crunch, sweetness, etc. to pleasure as many different tastes as possible. One of the crucial factors for a product being pleasurable and addictive is the amount of contrast and variety in its texture. I remember for example how a French friend of mine was describing the crunch of a macaroon in contrast with the smoothness of its interior and how she loves this combination when her favorite patisserie gets it right.
How does all this apply to Tango? Well… listen to the variety in its different orchestras and even in the sounds within a single song. Smooth violins contrast the rough and sudden bursts of bandoneons and playful pianos and violin pizzicatos bridging the melodic phrases of the singer. Each one takes the spotlight for some seconds and passes it to the next so that you don’t know what to expect next. It’s like a perfect macaroon!…
So how can you resist the variety and contrast of textures and flavors in a song like tonight’s Goodnight Tango which I believe is one of the many examples of a perfect macaroon-tango!
PS. Credits for the perfect macaroon description go to Géraldine
Leave a Reply