Skip to main content

Intercropping Disciplines

Doing the recent lessons made me realize something which I've already voiced out. Tango does not give you the inherent tools to be good at Tango. It really doesn't. Showing me a nice ocho and no matter how many times I practice that Ocho, it will never be nice if I do not have good posture and balance. Also, on musicality, I am superbly thankful for a musical background so I can pick out a full beat from a half beat. Just saying.

This was inspired of course by the practice in which we had to stay on our tiptoes and continuously flick our free foot back and forth. Short of being a ballerina or a yoga master, I would be unable to do that for long without flailing all around the place. Which is why I say, you need more than Tango, to be GOOD at Tango. Of course people disagree with the concept, and that the fault lies with the fact tha the dance has just turned into yet another 'showy' discipline, that true milonguero essence is giving way to stage moves and broken embraces. I'm of the camp that thinks that this dance will evolve no matter how much people want it to remain the same as 'the good old days', and would be equally happy switching between music, steps and embraces if it makes me happy when I'm doing it.

What I have found is that doing more sports and strenghthening the core will be the only way I can hold my posture better and keep my stamina up for the dance. It's about being actively conscious of your body. Or maybe we should just screw it all and do what makes us happy, whether or not we actually look disastrous executing the move.

"Don't care about them, they're too worried about themselves anyway." JB~on being self conscious dancing during a milonga
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

My Tango Diaries: Lesson with Alejandro Gée and his partner, Joujou

My Tango Diaries: Lesson with Alejandro Gée and his partner, Joujou : From Alejandro Gée's studio - more pictures and info from his website here: http://tangoalejandrogee.com/ The Lesson with Alejan... 1.) Sink into the standing knee first instead of stepping/falling straight back into the back step. (I've heard that before - not sure why I can't seem to remember to do that.) According to Alejandro, basically the sequence would be: 1. Sink the weight into the floor through the standing leg (here’s where the knee bends slightly in order to be able to push the weight of the body back in the next step), while straight,   free leg extends backwards   caressing the floor with no weight on it and torso reaches towards the partner.   The standing hip is strong and grounded, the free hip is relaxed and opening backwards as a natural continuation of the leg. The knee is straight. 2.   Weight transfer: heel of the leg extended backwards goes into the floor and ...
2 comments
Read more

Simple

After the countless videos, watching the performances by passing Tango teachers, performances by stage Tango dancers, sitting and absorbing Milongas, the one couple that sticks in my mind has to be T and his fiance who met through Tango in Argentina. Their seamless blending, the fact that she didn't even need to be wearing shoes and their swapping of roles. Even though I was exposed to this early on the clueless beginnings of Tango, you could already appreciate the intimacy between the two. In hindsight after a bit more experience, it becomes even clearer that, that would be the ultimate Tango experience. It's like staring at something without the tools to understand it, then later when you come back with the tools in hand, it hits you, "ah hah!" that's what it is! It's like being told, "this will be useful in life later, trust me", and staring at math sets that have no correlation with your life, until later when you're facing a job assessme...
2 comments
Read more

Stages

It's funny how I often think of topics to write at moments where I have nothing to write them on, which results in me typing a one-liner in my sms column as a trigger which later when I go back to refer to tends to make absolutely no sense to me! But yes anyway, Tango stages! 1) You have entirely NO idea what the hell the dance is about and walking seems like the most impossible thing to do. You jump up and down inside when you finally manage 5 meters w/o crashing into each other and are elated when the instructor comes over and leads you in a way that you actually feel like you know what you doing. You go away completely and utterly motivated to want to know more. 2) Basics are handed to you, ochos! impossible things! Molinete's! wtf, my legs can do that....omg leader why are you a beginner too! 3)Sacadas and ganchos and all the other good stuff. Now we're talking. 4)After getting to know the community and everyone around (obviously Tango isn't just a dance, ...
Post a Comment
Read more