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Lagu dan Irama

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 sake of dancing with an actual, soulful 3-minute immersion of what is tango to my otherwise messy repertoire of separate tango techniques.

Next milonga, I will try to always keep my form perfect, and perhaps try to develop my own style of movements i.e listening to how my body really moves instead of trying to emulate more advanced dancers in my classes.

Joy.
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