Melting pot
It was only after I had finished writing about the “Hsueh-tze Effect” that I started thinking: “hey, we actually had quite a mixture of professions attending the workshop!”
Firstly, health care. On the day of the workshops, if you had a headache or other assorted ailments, never fear, for we have an in-house doctor on hand. Never mind that she may be struggling with following you while on the dancefloor, you are in safe hands! Or, sore backs, anyone? Well, you get not one but two physios to the rescue! Note that massage service may require prior booking…
Elegance from simplicity
I have enjoyed reading Deby’s blog – an American expat living in Buenos Aires – since discovering it a few months ago. She seems to be able to provide both an insider and an outsider’s point of view of how Tango is perceived and danced in Buenos Aires, very much the “Mecca” for many students of Tango.
While the following may sound over-simplified, I like Deby’s summary of the key elements in followers’ movements:
For me there are only 3 steps – the caminata (walk), the giro (turns) and the ocho… these 3 steps combined with posture, axis, become 40 different movements.
In Salon Tango… we feel the passion in our bodies from the music. The beauty is to be able to transmit it to our partners… This is pure passion. Not 50 million steps, and kicks, and twists, done as fast as possible.
Bravo!
Please read her original piece here, where she also has some interesting remarks regarding the Villa Urquiza style of dancing.
One year on
It’s been almost a year since the self-financed IXI Danza opened its doors. Fortunately despite some difficulties in the beginning and the continuing lack of publicity “muscles”, it is heartening to see that a positive influence has been created.
Opened during a period when there was a clear risk of mass departure of dancers (mainly in the advanced-beginners and intermediate categories) from the community due to a lack of regular events, IXI Danza has played a pivotal role in the stabilising of the situation and, somewhat surprisingly, to its subsequent growth.
The implications are clear:
- for the die-hard dancers, to be able to dance in a community that is experiencing a rebirth;
- for Tango businesses, a potential market of dancers which can be tapped into.
Quantity vs quality
Recently there has been a discussion on Tango-L about different approaches for expansion of a Tango community. The author of the original post contended that, in general, organizers were over-emphasizing on the numbers and not paying enough attention to grooming “good” dancers. However, after following the threads of discussion, it seems that quite a few people (both for and against the argument) are from reasonably established communities where participation rate is no longer a critical issue.
On the other hand, the situation is rather different in Singapore. The Tango community in Singapore is still small and relatively young on the growth curve even after 6 years. There is no doubt in my mind that increasing the participation rate is still the most important task.