Tango Nuevo
Attended 2 workshops on Tango Nuevo in the past two days. While these 2 classes are not the only exposures – having also attended 2 similar classes by Gladys/Ricardo last September – I have had to this new evolutionary development in Tango, I feel I can appreciate a little bit more of the main concepts the second time around.
Up till now, the emphasis has been on the ‘hanging’ – colgadas – and how to enter into and exit from, by following the flow of energy in the embrace and between the partners.
Popularity: 8%
Leadership
The question of leader/follower in Tango has been on my mind recently. Issues like the ‘intention’, who initiates, leader following the follower, etc., become familiar and thankfully clearer concepts after a while.
At the same time, at the work place, leadership is also an important topic. However, and rather strangely in hindsight, up till now, have not really connected the two perspectives of leadership.
Popularity: 7%
Disparity
Start to get the feeling that the development of my Tango is somewhat lop-sided at the moment.
On the one hand, I am fairly comfortable and confident of my interpretation of music. However, from time to time, I feel frustrated that I can’t express how I feel inside through my movements. In other words, while the emotions may be appropriate, I am wary that I do not have the necessary vocabulary – movements, steps, leads – to do the music justice.
So, back to the drawing board for more intensive exercises, perhaps??
Popularity: 4%
Fear of the milonga – the dance
In recent weeks, there has been much talk on Tango-L list about dancing the milonga. A number of ‘leaders’ have expressed their reservations for not dancing the milonga*. The reasons cited range from complaining about the lack of emotions/feeling in the nature of milonga music itself, unable to connect with the partner due to the speed of music, difficulty to relate to emotionally, etc.
I must confess, I used to share some of these fears, in the past and perhaps even now too!? Personally, it is more of a (simple) case of unable to coordinate well with the music.
Popularity: 13%