Primal

"Why do we close our eyes when we pray, cry, kiss, dream, (dance)? Because the most beautiful things in life are not seen but felt only by heart."

Going back to basics often allows me to discover the elements of very simple things which make up this dance. Coming back to this with slightly more experience eyes, allows for greater appreciation and understanding of these elements and how they enrich the dance. Shutting my eyes started out as the only path through which I could somewhat follow what was happening, or allow someone else to takeover my movements. 

Nowadays, shutting my eyes allows me to pick the minute vibrations of someone's intent, like a snake which slithers out of its hole at the un-felt tremors of an inevitable earthquake. The sensations that get picked up now pass through the filter of conscious Tango knowledge so that from the outside, visually, it looks like no cue was given for the movement that just occurred, as though a mental note was passed through the airwaves to reach the followers ears and cascaded down into an interpretation of a body movement when paired with the followers own interpretation of the music. 

The physical act of shutting my eyes also allows me a respite from this world, entering another dimension where physical senses take over the mental processes of registering through the eyes. In effect, almost reaching a level which meditation and any of the other arts are also channels to. 

As we refine our dance, requiring less and less impetus and less and less energy for us to understand where to move, what to do, conversations that change from a yell to a whisper indiscernible among the crowded dance floor are likened to the straight finger banging of a keyboard with little dynamic variation of a beginner pianist transforming into the professional painting with melody and rhythm and phrasing.

This. This is the essence which we refine as we move on, but just as it is indiscernible visually, is it close to impossible to teach. We can only use other mediums to deliver the message, through words rather than physical examples. This is the lesson that cannot be written down into a description, categorised into the simplicity of a tag - beginners/intermediate/advanced. No. This is the shared life force and movement, of conversations without words, but just intent, direction, confidence and breathing. 

The satisfaction of the dance moves from a lead trying to make a follower do a sequence of steps, to a lead trying to suggest to the follower where they should move with equal energy and intention- all within real time. 

What the "muggles" of the Tango World see through virgin eyes is this transmission of energy, and this undoubtedly is the inexplicable hook which keeps all of us on this drug of a dance.