Tangodurians

Tango is less about dancing a set sequence of steps. It is at its core a feeling. Your body is the orchestra and the music is the conductor. That is what sets apart the good from the truly good. There's tango, and then there's TANGO. I shut my eyes today, and trusted.

"You've got to get the fundamentals down, because otherwise the fancy stuff is not going to work." — Randy Pausch ( The Last Lecture ) 

Okay, honestly, leaders should not need to tell me to cross my legs. They should LEAD me into it. I mean, honestly. Of course i technically know how to do an ocho cortado. Of course, i technically know how to do a sacada. Of course i technically know how to do a molinete. But seriously man, if you give me crappy leads to work on, how the hell am i supposed to know that you're leading me into a different step than what i'm performing? Yes we've learned it in class together, but the fact still remains, if your body is telling me to do something else, then dude, that's what i'm going to do. If you're trying to lead me into an ocho cortado and can't get my legs to cross, then maybe, just MAYBE, you're doing it wrong. Ever thought of that? I swear, sometimes men take things too technically that they forget to observe how the body reacts to these tiny changes that they make. I have this one dude basically opening up his embrace, tossing me to his side, neg

There is a malay song that goes as follows: "Andai dipisah lagu dan irama, Lemah tiada berjiwa, hampa" Which basically means, music and rhythm, if separated, leads to a disappointing, soulless (read:dispassionate) endeavor. Last Saturday, at my now 5th Milonga ever, I tried really hard to focus less on my footwork and more on the music. I absorbed the music and tried to just really feel the movements my partner led me into, perhaps getting a gist of his interpretation of the song. I have come to realize that the joys that i experience in tango relates more to how these little beats in each song gives way to tiny little rock steps or provide room for an abbreviated ocho cortado amidst the normal walks we take more often than not. yes, a fancy gancho or a boleo, when appropriate, takes my tango soul to a new level of euphoria, but those tiny improvisations, when executed to near perfect timing to the music makes my tanda magical. It differentiates just dancing for the s

Possibly the best milonga ever ever. Hah, F, are you satisfied I dragged you along now =)? It gets easier as you know more people, just because dancing with familiar faces is something you automatically do. Managed a first time dance with Orang Musik who was teaching me how to step to the Milonga music, fun stuff! Very relaxed, wasn't awkward laughing at the bumper cars simulation our knees seemed to be doing. I noticed something, previously with the other dances I was skimming the floor but with the Milonga I realized I had to react to the music, which meant bop, bop, bop, quick feet, light steps and go with the flow. Orang musik commented, once I had translated the thought into action, that I was moving much better after and he was able to swing me around and change the momentum and direction. Definitely a +. Had the most amazing tanda ever! ever ever ever! with orang rambut putih. God, it was amazing, I've never done such fancy stuff in close embrace and been able to do

I went into starbucks for a green tea latte and ended up getting a Tango CD. Slightly obsessed no? This kinda sums it all up for me ...You feel an urge? Touch its pain, wrap yourself around it. Don't put on airs. What you seem must be what you are, and what you are is a mess, honey, but that's okay, as long as you wear it inside...Time is flowing backward and forward into the vortex. From the rooms come a warm air and a choked melody of syncopated gasps. Something throbs...It always had you in mind, your habits, your twitches, the tiny blood vessels bursting inside you when you hide what you feel...It's all a game. You're going to play it too, you're going to dance with the tiger. Don't worry, your life is in danger. Remember your instructions. Listen up. And suffer, motherfucker, this is the tango... ~Piazzolla Tango was a dance for the displaced, the melancholic strains of the Bandoneón would wind down cobblestone paths as people danced to forget the

Little snippets of music float around that I feel I've definitely danced to before. I was just listening to Piazzolla's Libertango wondering why it sounded so familiar and I slowly started to connect the dots. Heard it at Practica with the live band and it was also in Jenny Smith's video for some English program. Plus I think they've played it at practica before too. It's funny coz it took me so long to hunt down the neotango song that was on during Somer Surgit's class and I'm about 85% sure it's "Borges y Paraguay" by Bajofondo. Attempting to put all the years of piano and music listening skills to play. (It's not surprising I passed my theory by about 1 point and scored lowest for aural in Piano, I cannot listen to music to save my life). Tango is as much about the music as it is about the actual movements. Certain pieces move you and speak to you to move in certain ways. That's what you call musicality.