Tangodurians

The more I learn things about this dance the more I do find myself getting frustrated. Yes I can move better, yes I can hold my own weight, yes I can do about 99% of moves but can I do it in a way that is beautiful, inspiring, musical, effortless? Likely not. The body is the tool, we receive the energy and direction through the chest, telling us: - Speed - Time - Direction - Force which translates from top to toe. Energy received up top, sends down all the way to the toes and that is why you never look at the feet, because it will tell you nothing. Everything is a movement generated from the chest. Everything. And yet again you hear, disassociate, disassociate, disassociate. Truly, this is the core of it, because if you can't do that, then everything will be reactionary and lag, rather than being complementary and together. Privates with Ariadna & Fernando, truly one of the first great couples that I encountered by hearsay in 2010 and then again with lessons in 2011....

Moría en los rayos de sol  la niebla de un día sin luz.  Y luego en la tarde serena  huyeron mi angustia y mi pena The fog of a dark day Died in the rays of the sun And then in the calm evening My anguish and my sorrows fled. Soñaba aquella tarde con tus besos  Sentíame feliz con tu regreso.  Y al verte de nuevo ante mí  Cantaba en mis sueños así:  Una vez, sólo te vi una vez  Y te amé, sólo bastó una vez.  Hoy no sé si me faltará tu cariño  ¡Ay de mí, que estoy solo sin ti! I dreamed that evening of your kisses I felt happy that you’d returned. And on seeing you before me once again I sang like this in my dreams: “One time, I saw you only one time, and I loved you, one time was enough. Now I don’t know if I’ll ever get enough of your affection Woe is me! How alone I am without you!” Sólo tú me sabes comprender  Siempre tú, para poder vencer.  Nunca más, yo te lo juro vida mía  Nunca más po...

Was having an interesting conversation the other day about being critical. Someone was entirely shocked when she got pulled aside by a lead and got a thorough 'lesson' on following. I'm sorry, until you spent more time following than leading do you have a right to criticise someone for your perception of them not 'pivoting' their hips enough to chase your stupid chest around a molinete. Gosh. Especially when I know that follow, and she's a marvelously fine follow the way she is.... Which got me thinking again of what it means to be in someone's shoes. Especially being a lead and crossing over the roles. I think some criticism may be justified, such as if the follow is being heavy, or if they really are not holding their own weight, but that should really be the crux of it. Don't say that you can do a step better than I can, and if I can't read a complex move, then don't try it. I think this sums it up quite well really. "I welcome co...