Random phrases
Something that came up in a conversation a few days ago.
During the dance, don’t allow yourself to become “mentally out of breath”.
Not exactly dance-related or specific to Tango, but I will let you chew on that…
When you stumble… make it part of the dance.
Essence of a good milonga
I have been kind of neglecting this blog recently.
Although I had already shared some thoughts in the past on this topic, see “Tone of the milonga” and “Authentic milonga experience”, it was thoroughly enjoyable to read a fellow blogger’s (Debbi of
Guest Post: Buenos Aires Milongas
Frankly, apart from the comments on performances at milongas in Buenos Aires (I encountered only 3 milongas having performances in the month I was in Buenos Aires, two pre-announced, and one impromptu as far as I could tell?), I couldn’t agree more. A great milonga requires a good organiser who looks after his guests and provides excellent dancing music.
Making errors
Tango, having its root as a social dance, is not a “hard” science. What I mean is that there is usually more than one way to skin a cat, so to speak. What I have come to realise is that aside from a few “highly recommended” principles that one should observe – regardless of what style you subscribe to – very few things are cast in stone. In fact, many aspects of how to dance are still subject to modifications due to one’s physique (height, width, etc.), personality and perhaps even cultural upbringing.
For the purely technical angle of looking at learning/improving, I believe it is through making errors, or even, from time to time, choosing a path that may ultimately turn out to be sub-optimal, that we really get to appreciate the benefits of the “recommended” way. Implications during practica time? Don’t be afraid to make mistakes but to stare them in the face instead, just so that you can truly appreciate benefits of correct technique, not just because a teacher has said so. In the spirit of exploration and hopefully enjoyment, I believe there will be enlightenment at the end of the road. 😉
Knowing your music
While Pugliese has been my favourite for many years, from time to time I have felt inadequate in doing justice to the beautiful music and hesitate to ask people to dance when a tanda comes up. These days, I like to recall the words (paraphrased) of two teachers I took classes in the past whenever I dance to Pugliese and, of course, feel “free”!
Ney Melo: “Stay put until you can feel the music ‘bursting’ through and the sensation to take a step becomes overwhelming…”
Hsueh-tze Lee: “Play with the melody and slide into the next position instead of doing it in a hurry.”
Here’s an excellent example of dancing to Pugliese from the recently concluded Seoul Tango Festival. Not a dramatic piece like La Yumba, or Gallo Ciego, and with very simple (well, relatively speaking… 🙂 ) footwork but for me the most beautiful part is the mutual inter-play with the music. Need I say more!