Malambo (dance)

Malambo soloist.

The malambo is a folk dance from Argentina that is attributed to the original peoples of the Pampas and Patagonia regions.

Choreography

A series of these combined movements is called «mudanza» or «zapateo», and the conjunction of these constitutes the malambo itself.

There are no rules for performing a stomp. Each of the combinations of the basic movements is unique and depends on the originality of the gaucho that executes it. You can vary the order, the position, the coordination with the music and the posture of the body, since although it is a dance constituted almost exclusively by the movements of the feet and the legs, the posture of the body is very important, both for the purposes of balance as of image.

The stomps are separated from each other by a foot strike called «repique» that contains a fast and particular sound that indicates the end of one stomp and the beginning of another.

Each stomp is performed with "go" and "return", which means that when a stomp is over it must be repeated again but with the particularity that this time each strike will be made with a different foot than the first time. It is also said to make the tapping with the left foot and then with the right foot.

In the Pampas region of Argentina, they used to tie a large knife (facón) to each leg and while they made the movements, they produced rhythmic blows between the clashes of the knives. They also danced in a square or between four lighted candles, which illuminated the movements and created the commitment not to put them out or knock them over. Another variant for the bravest gauchos was to stick their facones into the ground with half a blade outside and stamp around them, which meant great danger: many ended up with large wounds on their feet, since at that time the footwear was the boot of colt a kind of sheath of leather (hard and thin leather) that wrapped the foot, and left the toes in the air. The dancer's merit was greater if he faced the match without removing his spurs.

Types

Although the malambo in Argentina was born in the Pampean plain, it quickly spread to the entire territory, which at that time included the Banda Oriental (present-day Uruguay and the western third of Río Grande do Sul), where the gauchos of the campaign adopted it.

Due to the geographical, population, cultural and social diversity of Argentina, the malambo underwent modifications adapting to the area where it arrived. In this way, two great types of malambo were born: the norteño and the southern. As their names indicate, each one corresponds to the north and south of the country respectively.

The characteristic note of each of these malambos is constituted by the music, by the clothing and by the appearance of the movers:

• According to the music: the Malambo Norteño has a faster music and a different guitar scratch, unlike the malambo sureño that has a slightly slower music. However, over time this difference has almost disappeared.

• According to the garment: in the southern zone -lanura- were used potro boots, made with the leather of the previous leg of a horse or donkey, without soles; a Chiripá - rectangular fabric stuck between the legs and attached to the waist by a belt or rastra-; a brushed brief - a long straight-cut trouser with ends in embroidery, or jackets. In the north area due to the rocky features of the ground, the pot boots were replaced by boots of vacuno leather with soles on the sole of the feet; due to the mount that abounds, the chiripá and the calzoncillo were cast off because they were easily hooked on the branches, replacing them by bombshells - wide and long buttons that were used

• According to the moves: as a result of the clothing, the southern moves differ from the northern ones at one point: the way to glue on the ground, the force and the way a basic blow is made. The northern moves at the naked eye have much more "force" than the southern ones due to the shoes - in the south the boots of the pot had no sole and were very thin - so the foot is settled with more force and with more brutality and frenetism. Shake in these moves the foot movements. In the southern moves instead, due to the nakedness of the feet, the blows are not usually so brutal, in appearance; the movements of the legs abound instead. The rest are different.

• Because of these differences, the technique to apply will be different depending on one or another style. In the northern Malambo we work more the resistance of the feet and knees, which are under a very large pressure due to the blows and movements. In the Southern Malambo the resistance must be found in the thighs and calves, since the moves require a constant contraction of the muscle; they resemble the movement of a robot, but in a frenetic way.

Classification

Although the malambo was born as a competition between two people, it can be performed in the following ways:

• Solista de malambo: a single person runs an entire single malambo, estimated at a time of two to three minutes. At the end, another person executes his own.

• Malambo set: a group of people performs a single complete malambo. The number of participants can vary from three people onwards. The time usually lasts between three and four minutes. The malambo is done in a group, that is, the moves are made at the same time and in the same way by the whole group. At the end of the malambo, another group makes its own.

• Combination of malambo: it is similar to the Malambo set, with the difference that the moves are not executed in the same way by all the members of the group, but that the inventiveness of the group is left free to create figures and positions. This type of malambo is of recent development.

• Malambo counterpoint: it is the way the malambo was born. It consists of a person making a single move, with back and forth, and when he finishes he expects his opponent to make another move. Win the gaucho that kicked better. This takes into account the quality of the move, the correct execution of the movements, the posture and the strength.

• Quartet counterpoint: is a combination between the malambo counterpoint and the Malambo combined set. Two groups of four people each face, hence their name "quartet counterpoint", and each group executes a move at a time until the best wins. This type of malambo is of recent appearance.

Of all these types, the most popular are the last two, since the competitive level is pushed to the maximum. For example, if the competition is tough and there is a tie, a "counterpoint with a bottle" is carried out in which each person (or group) stamps around an empty bottle, with a light weight on its bottom, until someone makes it. fall. The one who kept the bottle in its place or who showed off the most when doing the removals around it wins. This type of tiebreaker is also of recent birth.

Music

The first musical version of the malambo was published by Ventura Lynch in 1883.

The essence of malambo music is a rhythmic scheme of six units per measure.

In the beginning, the instrument typically used for the malambo was -and still is- the guitar. When expanding through Argentina and Uruguay, the malambo incorporated other instruments depending on the region. In the Argentine north, the bass drum, a percussion instrument, was incorporated; in the Litoral area the "bellows" (bandoneon or accordion) is very popular; In the Chaco and Cuyo area the violin is highly esteemed. Currently the differences of regions are hardly taken into account, generalizing the use of instruments throughout the country, including others such as the quena and the flute.

Regarding the guitar, the criollo strumming can use the classic point at times but generally obtains its sound from its special way of plucking, which alternates with strumming according to the taste of the musician.

A classic way of playing is by placing the closed hand on the strings, the fist is applied to the string not to the fingertip but to the reverse of the fingernail the first phalanx, and the application varies from full sliding, from the front to the Profile.

However, this form is not the only one: music of zambas, chacareras, and gatos is used to give greater diversity to the monotonous music of the malambo.

News

The malambo has survived to our times and has no intention of disappearing. It is practiced in countless Argentine folk dance competitions at festivals and other events. Since in its movements it tends to be a martial art that can evolve as such, just as capoeira has evolved.

Thanks to the competitions, the malambo has become professional, developing real techniques for training and carrying out removals. Professional jugglers train their body like any other athlete, since certain movements cannot be performed without previous experience, being aware of the dangers of tears, tendon problems, menisci, muscle fatigue, etc.

The most representative and traditional competition is held annually at the “National Malambo Festival”, in Laborde, province of Córdoba. The malambo also crossed the borders and is still practiced in some areas of Uruguay. The malambo essentially, in which a solo performer, with his feet on the smallest surface, does a series of small cycles of movements called removals; that is to say, it deals, then, with an individual dance, the main and most widespread in Argentina in its gender.