Tangodurians

Tango has meant different things to me at different stages of my life. Stage 0 - September 2009 "Tango as a differentiator" Expectation: It started out as a notion of difference - "I do the Tangooo" I'd drawl - red lipstick, long flamenco looking swishy dresses with ruffles and leave everything else to the imagination of my listener. Passion, fire, attitude, dominance. Reality: Tango is subtle, a conversation not manifested beyond the surface. Yes, red lipstick, no, not long dresses unless you want to rip it and trip yourself up. Yes, passion and attitude but quiet confidence prized above all. A meeting of equals, an intellectual conversation at its most developed state. Stage 1 - September - December 2009 "Tango as a dance" Expectation: Quick footwork, steps, technicality, sequences, stomping across the floor Reality: I am walking backwards in flipflops - wtf am I doing. Of course I can walk, ok I can't walk with someone blocking my...

I've been mulling over a couple of topics in my head recently as the list of things to explore keeps growing and growing. It's not like these topics have not been covered before by any other Tango blogger, rather, I'd like to think this is an interpretation which best suits me, much like understanding math equation or concepts... The recent one revolves around why I want to improve. Certainly, as we progress in this dance, do we believe we reach a 'plateau', whether this be limited by our physicality, our understanding, or expectations, or judgement against one another. As a follower, my moves are limited in the sense of a structure and phrasing to what the lead is suggesting and obviously if the dictionary which the lead is reading from is only this big, so will I be mirroring it, no matter how nice my own collection, stability, axis, or stretch may be. So yes, the maturity of a community does determine how far we can reach both individually and as a collect...

"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 pas...

To go forward you go back, to go left, you go right. Yes, sounds a lot like mumbo jumbo but its mumbo jumbo that works. Newton's 3rd law never came so much into play like it does with this level of teaching. CC 6 years ago loved new age stuff, seeked alternative tandas and poo-pooed MATC's stringent DJ-ing codes and way of teaching. Little would I know that this dichotomy continues and permeates through most of the world, especially in these surrounding areas, these surrounding countries. Re-discovering that taste buds have changed and much as like nuevo has become incorporated in some of the stuff we do, so has my taste veered back to danceable, dramatic but still traditional (read 1950's) music. Eeps. Tips to take away: - Embrace by sending out the chest, seeking for the other person's heart, everything should be led by the chest. Everything. - The arms then become a comfort blanket, changing and ebbing with the flow, but the heart is always connected. This ...

It has been a while since I have managed to bring myself back toward elements of beginning stages. Back to the days in tiled Union lobbies with an exasperated ponytailed guy telling me to shut my eyes and just feel. To stop fighting the lead and to surrender. What does it mean to be a good dancer? I sometimes think we are so caught up within this dance that we do not utilise everything else outside of it to inform our progress. Metaphors and imagery resonate so much stronger than describing a step ever will. What does it mean to be a good speaker then? Is it necessary to be Oprah before we deem ourselves worthy of the title? Hardly! Then why is it that we expect to dance like Rojas, like Hurtado, or any other headlining name? Maybe because Tango is so accessible, so fundamental in nature, like walking, that we believe we can partake in it, and expect to at a very high level. Truth is, it really does require training, it requires years of dedication much like ballet, gymnastic, yog...

Been putting on the hat of a leader over this past week and enjoying it even more. Yeah I have no idea how to do giros or sacadas, and don't talk about ganchos either, but what I've figured is that as long as musicality is there, as long as connection exists, both parties enjoy it. This has made me wonder about something though-I always thought that leaders were having all the fun at the start-in the sense that the steps that are taken in this dance are dependent on the leaders to have trained and learnt them-as a follower you can follow even if you don't know much about what you are doing, as long as the leader does. All the classes then seem to be about the leader's steps. But then I've also come to realise that, as a leader, you are expected to craft the dance to understand the steps through the viewpoint of the lady, and maybe this is where many teachers don't emphasize enough. That every step you take, you have to realise what signals you are giving ou...

This years tango fest was...curious, in the sense that it was a funny mix of people who were not from the region and decided to show up, as well as quite lacking in regional representation. But above all, it was kinda fun, and yet again I find myself miles away from the seriously nervous dancer I was 3 years back and even quite recently last year. I don't know what it is but I've found my feet I guess? This grounding that I need to not be nervous and to interpret the music and not care about what everyone else around me is thinking. Eons ago wise words were shared with me on the dance floor of Vitosh Guesthouse by J. "Don't bother with them, they're all too concerned with themselves anyway". Some things come back from the past and hit you hard when you realise exactly what was meant. Had a couple of dream tandas, beautiful waltzes where my partner exclaimed "you're flying!" and proceeded to try and lift a very panicked me. If I could respond...

Tango progress happens for me in fits and starts. It's like I suddenly get a breakthrough to another level, then I plateau for ages before suddenly finding and shaping and varying how I do certain basic steps and all the times always working on making my walks like a cruiseliner cutting through waves-bladelike and never bobbing. What I'm finding more often though is this idea of catching energies. Of taking the signal given and pushing the energy through from the receiving end (upper torso) into the expressive end (legs most of the time). Looking back at the start, I can barely remember what it was like to suffer through the basics-like how ochos were super impossible and even now, doing a solo ocho remains a very hard thing to do, what with weight balance and a movement that is designed to do everything to try and throw you off balance. It's this flow, this ease of having music and movement come into one whole package that makes the best dancers so beautiful to look a...

Besides, most of us come to tango after having had a largely intellectual education. We live in our heads and our computers, not our bodies.   We try to process intellectually what is happening to us. This is not effective when learning movement. Your body works in ways you cannot fully fathom, let alone fully control by your mind. Do you control your digestion? Do you activate your heartbeat? Do you consciously push the blood through your veins? In your brain there are more neural connections than there are stars in our galaxy, and this is a fact, not a figure of speech. Are you controlling them? Or are they controlling you?  Stiffness in a dancer is often the result of his or her conscious mind trying to understand and control every movement BEFORE it happens, which is simply not possible. Your mind is not running the show, it only helps you to understand the intention and the mechanics of the movement. This is why leaders implore their followers: “Please stop thinking!...

Much like any other discipline, once you get past the nitty-gritty of technical details and get to expand beyond worrying whether you're going to step on the other persons foot, you get into the real meat of it. Musicality, feeling, sense, intuition. The essence of Tango, the intent, these things are told to us over and over again from the start, disassociate, strenghten your core, stretch! All these are not steps, but they are way more important than a dictionary of moves, because all this, creates the most magical feeling even within the simple walk. The angle of your foot, the power and precise distance of a side step, the weight change and landing in time to the music. Sends shivers up my spine when done well. It's an art, in the manner of a canvas, paint and a painter. Only thing is that the brush strokes are invisible and so is the paint for that matter, oh and there's more than 1 painter-you, your partner, the music, the floor-. Beautiful mess.  

“ And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music.”     -Friedrich Nietzsche Yes, you, my tall skinny actor friend, I shall restart my use of pseudonyms from now on ;), this is a continuation of my thoughts on this topic that encapsulates this dance that we've chosen to torture ourselves with. This topic came up twice tonight, once at the 5pm meetup and yet again at the 9pm meetup by two different sets of people. What is this elusive 'entrega'? How can I entrega when I'm trying to be musical, to have my own axis, to not be heavy! ¡Maldito sea! es imposible! IMHO, I guess entraga is this, it is me telling you to move to the right, but giving no indication of HOW far to move. It is me telling you one thing, but indicating something else with my body language. It is me...almost being confused, and how about you? It is you telling me one thing, leading me to believe one thing, yet in your heart, preserving your own ...