FWF - Tango-Danceability of Music in European Perspective (Kendra Stepputat)

An increasing number of research projects, both around the world and from different academic disciplines, focus on tango argentino "music" or "dance". So far, none of these studies combines analytical approaches to both tango music and dance at the same time. A study of these basic elements and their interdependency is essential in order to gain a deeper understanding of the perception and development of a music-dance genre like the tango argentino. Therefore, this project specifically examines the interrelation of tango-specific musical parameters and movement repertoire, while investigating tango argentino as a translocal phenomenon in its European manifestations.

In tango communities everywhere, the question of “tango danceability of music” is discussed intensively. Some tango dancers even judge music outside the classic tango repertoire, so-called "non-tangos", as more danceable than some tango pieces, a fact that is reflected in the title of the project. Based on this ongoing discourse about the relationship between ‘danceability’ and ‘musicality’,we posed the following research question: "How do music and dance parameters, as well as socio-cultural aspects, influence the perception of tango danceability in European tango dancers?"

The project ended in 2019. Several publications with results and insights from the project are in preparation or in press.

Project Team: Kendra Stepputat, Mattia Scassellati, Christopher Dick

Official project website