1932 Why I dance tango.
Date: Wed, 29 Oct 2003 16:27:43 -0500
From: David Allen <dsaj@MINDSPRING.COM>
Subject: Why I dance tango.
Due to comments I recieved dancing in Portland from numerous different tangueras and some conversations with some tangueros I decided I wanted =
to share why I dance tango and why I believe it is the greatest dance ever created. As a caveat I am in no way purporting myself to be some =
great tango dancer who knows it all. These are my feelings about why I dance. I have been dancing close to 6 years and go to various tango =
festivals around the US and Buenos Aires frequently.
The most numerous tanguera comment I recieved, "It is so refreshing to dance with a leader who dances on and to the music and who I feel is =
taking care of me on the dance floor". The quote is not an exact quote, I combined the two comments I recieved numerous times. After a few of =
these comments I began observing more closely when I was not dancing and I was surprised at the percentage of leaders who obviously were dancing =
the steps they knew oblivous to the music and what the dance floor was giving them. When I had been dancing for about 7 months I had the =
pleasure of meeting and taking lessons from Cacho Dante. In a milonga, as I watched ladies leave his embrace and dance with almost glazed over =
eyes, I decided to ask them why they enjoyed the dance with Cacho and why they were lining up for more. These are the three reasons I =
recieved. When in his embrace they felt totally taken care of and safe. They felt like the they were the only woman on the dance floor and =
thirdly what he asked them to do in the dance was crystal clear. Then and there I decided those were my goals in tang and Cacho became my =
"hero". I quickly learned tango is about QUALITY not quantity. Therefore, in all my lessons, practicing, privates I began working on =
posture, lead, technique, relaxation, etc. All my feed back from followers I dance with tells me I was right to listen to what they told =
me. For the past 6 months I have been working on how my feet contact the floor. Its getting there and still not yet. The more relaxed my =
feet and toes into the floor the clearer my lead. Still in my infancy in this dance, only 6 years, I know the simpler and clearer the better =
for the follower and they do keep coming back to dance with me.
I was having a conversation with a few leaders who had asked my why I enjoyed dancing tango and the ladies seemed to enjoy dancing with me. I =
began explaining the connection, the sharing of energies, heart to heart, in other words, the silent conversation between two people. As I =
was looking at the guys I realized very quickly that a number of them had no clue what I was talking about. I played with that with other =
leaders for the rest of the weekend and was surprised again at how many truthfully had no clue of what I call the "sweetness" of tango. It is =
the real reason I keep dancing tango and why I have such an addiction to it. People ask me what I mean by an addiction and I usually say if I go =
more than 3 or 4 days without dancing tango I get the DTs or withdrawal symptoms like on a drug. Joking of course and yet, not really. When I =
have the dance I am looking for is when the partner I am dancing with gives me more than her body. She talks to me from within through her =
body. It comes mostly from followers who have become comfortable in the dance so that they can let go and just dance, but not always. Little =
surprises happen all the time. One of the best dances I have had was with a lady who had only been dancing 3 months. She talked to me like =
she had been dancing for years. We dance together whenever we see each other and it has only gotton better. The old milongueros will tell you, =
"90% of tango is what you don't see".
What I have learned in my short tango life as a leader (I did also learn to follow, great benefit as a leader). Dance on the music and to the =
music with feeling. Pugliese, Calo, Biagi, D'Arienzo, Rodriquez have different rhythms. Tangos, vals, milonga are different. Let the music =
talk to you and dance what it says to you. The leaders number one priority. Give your follower the best dance you can give her. Don't =
dance above her, dance with her and make her feel like the bell of the ball for the 2.5 to 3 minutes of the dance. If you do tango will =
become a soul satisfying experience and the followers will seek you out.
Many blessings and happy feet.
David
Date: Wed, 29 Oct 2003 13:46:24 -0800
From: Carlos Rojas <Crojas@HACIENDACDC.ORG>
Subject: Re: Why I dance tango.
David,
Great post, thank you for sharing. I don't think I had the pleasure of
meeting in person while you were in Portland, I hope to meet you next
year.
" The leaders number one priority. Give your follower the best dance
you can give her"
To me this is the essence of tango.
Abrazos
Carlos Rojas
Portland, OR
-----Original Message-----
Sent: Wednesday, October 29, 2003 1:28 PM
To: TANGO-L@MITVMA.MIT.EDU
Subject: [TANGO-L] Why I dance tango.
Due to comments I recieved dancing in Portland from numerous different
tangueras and some conversations with some tangueros I decided I wanted
to share why I dance tango and why I believe it is the greatest dance
ever created. As a caveat I am in no way purporting myself to be some
great tango dancer who knows it all. These are my feelings about why I
dance. I have been dancing close to 6 years and go to various tango
festivals around the US and Buenos Aires frequently.
The most numerous tanguera comment I recieved, "It is so refreshing to
dance with a leader who dances on and to the music and who I feel is
taking care of me on the dance floor". The quote is not an exact quote,
I combined the two comments I recieved numerous times. After a few of
these comments I began observing more closely when I was not dancing and
I was surprised at the percentage of leaders who obviously were dancing
the steps they knew oblivous to the music and what the dance floor was
giving them. When I had been dancing for about 7 months I had the
pleasure of meeting and taking lessons from Cacho Dante. In a milonga,
as I watched ladies leave his embrace and dance with almost glazed over
eyes, I decided to ask them why they enjoyed the dance with Cacho and
why they were lining up for more. These are the three reasons I
recieved. When in his embrace they felt totally taken care of and safe.
They felt like the they were the only woman on the dance floor and
thirdly what he asked them to do in the dance was crystal clear. Then
and there I decided those were my goals in tang and Cacho became my
"hero". I quickly learned tango is about QUALITY not quantity.
Therefore, in all my lessons, practicing, privates I began working on
posture, lead, technique, relaxation, etc. All my feed back from
followers I dance with tells me I was right to listen to what they told
me. For the past 6 months I have been working on how my feet contact
the floor. Its getting there and still not yet. The more relaxed my
feet and toes into the floor the clearer my lead. Still in my infancy
in this dance, only 6 years, I know the simpler and clearer the better
for the follower and they do keep coming back to dance with me.
I was having a conversation with a few leaders who had asked my why I
enjoyed dancing tango and the ladies seemed to enjoy dancing with me. I
began explaining the connection, the sharing of energies, heart to
heart, in other words, the silent conversation between two people. As I
was looking at the guys I realized very quickly that a number of them
had no clue what I was talking about. I played with that with other
leaders for the rest of the weekend and was surprised again at how many
truthfully had no clue of what I call the "sweetness" of tango. It is
the real reason I keep dancing tango and why I have such an addiction to
it. People ask me what I mean by an addiction and I usually say if I go
more than 3 or 4 days without dancing tango I get the DTs or withdrawal
symptoms like on a drug. Joking of course and yet, not really. When I
have the dance I am looking for is when the partner I am dancing with
gives me more than her body. She talks to me from within through her
body. It comes mostly from followers who have become comfortable in the
dance so that they can let go and just dance, but not always. Little
surprises happen all the time. One of the best dances I have had was
with a lady who had only been dancing 3 months. She talked to me like
she had been dancing for years. We dance together whenever we see each
other and it has only gotton better. The old milongueros will tell you,
"90% of tango is what you don't see".
What I have learned in my short tango life as a leader (I did also learn
to follow, great benefit as a leader). Dance on the music and to the
music with feeling. Pugliese, Calo, Biagi, D'Arienzo, Rodriquez have
different rhythms. Tangos, vals, milonga are different. Let the music
talk to you and dance what it says to you. The leaders number one
priority. Give your follower the best dance you can give her. Don't
dance above her, dance with her and make her feel like the bell of the
ball for the 2.5 to 3 minutes of the dance. If you do tango will
become a soul satisfying experience and the followers will seek you out.
Many blessings and happy feet.
David
Date: Wed, 29 Oct 2003 14:21:53 -0800
From: Trini or Sean - PATangoS <patangos@YAHOO.COM>
Subject: Re: Why I dance tango.
--- David Allen <dsaj@MINDSPRING.COM> wrote:
> These are the three reasons I recieved. When
> in his embrace they felt totally taken care of and
> safe. They felt like the they were the only woman
> on the dance floor and thirdly what he asked them to
> do in the dance was crystal clear. Then and there I
> decided those were my goals in tang and Cacho became
> my "hero". I quickly learned tango is about QUALITY
> not quantity.
Thank you for sharing that. I just started teaching a
beginners class this past Sunday and decided to try
giving the leaders the opportunity to make the
follower feel safe in the dance, really making a deal
out of it. I was surprised at the response (having
recently had some new students uncomfortable with the
close-embrace). Smiles all around and applause for
having such a good time.
Even though all they knew was how to walk and
rock-step, these new leaders were quite proud of how
they treated the ladies. And the ladies appreciated
their efforts.
Trini of Pittsburgh
=====
PATangoS - Pittsburgh Argentine Tango Society
Our Mission: To make Argentine Tango Pittsburgh's most popular social dance.
https://www.pitt.edu/~mcph/PATangoWeb.htm
Exclusive Video Premiere - Britney Spears
Date: Thu, 30 Oct 2003 08:42:36 -0000
From: Alex <alejandro.delmonte@NTLWORLD.COM>
Subject: Re: Why I dance tango.
David wrote:
"I began observing more closely when I was not dancing and I was surprised at the percentage of leaders who obviously were dancing the =
steps they knew oblivous to the music and what the dance floor was giving them."
-------------------------
Way to go, David, at last a post that doesn't put me to sleep! Totally agree with you. Focus on the embrace, the walk, and dancing on the =
b***** beat! It doesn't cease to amaze me how many 'leaders' dance out of the beat, so obsessed they are with 'cutting and pasting' the figures =
they know into anything and everything as a 'proof' that they are in the know. Yeah, right.
I also have to say that many a teacher is responsible for this too, since most only teach figures, not to walk on the beat (that has been my =
experience, anyway). Vicious circle: but many students only want to learn figures, so the teachers give them what they want because a) they =
don't know any better either (false teachers) or b) they do know, but they'll make more money as if they didn't, and give the customer what =
the customer wants, not what he/she needs.
I've run across many teachers and always felt dissatisfied. Intuitively I knew I was looking for something else. My present teacher (bless her) =
says that in tango "less is more". Ahem, blessed he who can find a true teacher, someone able to destil the essence of the art only for its own =
sake.
Best, Alejandro from London, UK.
Date: Thu, 30 Oct 2003 10:48:41 -0700
From: Tom Stermitz <Stermitz@RAGTIME.ORG>
Subject: Re: Why I dance tango.
>David wrote:
>
>"I began observing more closely when I was not dancing and I was
>surprised at the percentage of leaders who obviously were dancing
>the steps they knew oblivous to the music and what the dance floor
>was giving them."
>
>
>Way to go, David, at last a post that doesn't put me to sleep!
>Totally agree with you. Focus on the embrace, the walk, and dancing
>on the b***** beat! It doesn't cease to amaze me how many 'leaders'
>dance out of the beat, so obsessed they are with 'cutting and
>pasting' the figures they know into anything and everything as a
>'proof' that they are in the know. Yeah, right.
>...
>Best, Alejandro from London, UK.
It isn't just the beat, although thank god if they have at least that piece!
It is easy, but not inevitable, to teach almost any guy to be on the
beat using a mix of milongas, D'Arienzo (clear, staccato rhythm),
Fresedo (clear, steady beat), Waltzes (clear phrases and slow walking
beat).
Dancing on the music means much more than that...Tango music has
phrasing, breath and release, dynamics and rests, just like speaking
has commas, periods and accented syllables.
The hazard of learning by long sequences or figures is that the
vocabulary is so complicated that people dance tango in a wooden
fashion like one long run on sentence with no pauses or periods in
one uninterrupted sequence of unrelated pieces so that any one
watching can't figure out if the music is on or off or whether it is
a waltz or a tango let alone allowing the poor woman to follow it
with any enjoyment
Sort of like that last paragraph.
--
Tom Stermitz
https://www.tango.org/
stermitz@tango.org
303-388-2560
Date: Fri, 31 Oct 2003 00:54:23 -0000
From: Alex <alejandro.delmonte@NTLWORLD.COM>
Subject: Re: Why I dance tango.
Tom wrote:
> It isn't just the beat, although thank god if they have at least that
piece!
>
> It is easy, but not inevitable, to teach almost any guy to be on the
> beat using a mix of milongas, D'Arienzo (clear, staccato rhythm),
> Fresedo (clear, steady beat), Waltzes (clear phrases and slow walking
> beat).
>
> Dancing on the music means much more than that...Tango music has
> phrasing, breath and release, dynamics and rests, just like speaking
> has commas, periods and accented syllables.
--
Well, Tom, I agree with you but... It isn't just the beat, but it starts
with the beat. A house is not just the bricks, but without the bricks you
have no house whatsoever, no matter what else you may have. As I see it,
anyway...
Cordially, Alex in London, UK.
Date: Fri, 31 Oct 2003 00:20:47 -0500
From: Sergio <cachafaz@ADELPHIA.NET>
Subject: Why I dance tango
Dance is one of the most primitive forms of art. It expresses our life
experiences and our personality in movements of our body.
Tango Argentino facilitates our emotional, social and physical integration.
It increases self-esteem, improves relationships, broadens the possibilities
of movement, favors introspection and it is effective in managing stress and
depression.
Its music is a mixture of melancholy, emotional altitude, transcendental
expression, anxiety, anger and frustration, it wraps you as it floats in
the air with a beauty that moves the heart and shakes the soul.
Its lyrics are poems, the brush of a painter leaving on the canvas images of
the city, the neighborhood, the street where you grew up, played, loved, and
suffered. Mother, friends, lovers, cafes, cabarets, horse races, triumphs,
failures, frustrations, peace and turmoil are the matter from which they are
shaped.
Tango does not require any preconception, you have a different experience
with each partner, you learn more about yourself through the transient
association with the other dancers. It refers to two human beings, wrapped
by a music full of passion. Two entities that are introspected but fused in
one. One could say that the dancing couple is a creature with two heads,
four arms, four legs and only one heart.
The invitation to dance is an invisible connection , a silent dialog of eyes
and gestures.
I meet my partner on the dancing floor, stand in front of her. I offer my
left hand and receive her right with a smile;
place my right hand around her back, I bend slightly my knees and take a
deep breath as I stretch my chest upwards.
I cradle her in my arms for a moment as I feel the changes of weight of her
body...I concentrate in the beat, let the music invade my body and my heart
and start dancing my emotions, my joys, my sadness, my hopes and my
frustrations. I feel free, I feel my life, I float in the air and glide
away. When the music stops I hold her in my arms for a few extra moments,
I contemplate her dreamy eyes full with gratitude, I smile and then
walk her back to her sit.
That is the reason I dance tango.
Date: Fri, 31 Oct 2003 09:14:20 -0800
From: Carlos Rojas <Crojas@HACIENDACDC.ORG>
Subject: Re: Why I dance tango
Sergio wrote:
"I meet my partner on the dancing floor, stand in front of her. I offer
my left hand and receive her right with a smile; place my right hand
around her back, I bend slightly my knees and take a deep breath as I
stretch my chest upwards. I cradle her in my arms for a moment as I feel
the changes of weight of her body...I concentrate in the beat, let the
music invade my body and my heart and start dancing my emotions, my
joys, my sadness, my hopes and my frustrations. I feel free, I feel my
life, I float in the air and glide away. When the music stops I hold her
in my arms for a few extra moments, I contemplate her dreamy eyes full
with gratitude, I smile and then walk her back to her sit."
Sergio, I wish I was a follower, I will love to be in your arms (just
kidding). This too is the reason why I dance. Thank you
Carlos Rojas
Portland, OR
-----Original Message-----
Sent: Thursday, October 30, 2003 9:21 PM
To: TANGO-L@MITVMA.MIT.EDU
Subject: [TANGO-L] Why I dance tango
Dance is one of the most primitive forms of art. It expresses our life
experiences and our personality in movements of our body.
Tango Argentino facilitates our emotional, social and physical
integration.
It increases self-esteem, improves relationships, broadens the
possibilities
of movement, favors introspection and it is effective in managing stress
and
depression.
Its music is a mixture of melancholy, emotional altitude, transcendental
expression, anxiety, anger and frustration, it wraps you as it floats
in
the air with a beauty that moves the heart and shakes the soul.
Its lyrics are poems, the brush of a painter leaving on the canvas
images of
the city, the neighborhood, the street where you grew up, played, loved,
and
suffered. Mother, friends, lovers, cafes, cabarets, horse races,
triumphs,
failures, frustrations, peace and turmoil are the matter from which they
are
shaped.
Tango does not require any preconception, you have a different
experience
with each partner, you learn more about yourself through the transient
association with the other dancers. It refers to two human beings,
wrapped
by a music full of passion. Two entities that are introspected but fused
in
one. One could say that the dancing couple is a creature with two heads,
four arms, four legs and only one heart.
The invitation to dance is an invisible connection , a silent dialog of
eyes
and gestures.
I meet my partner on the dancing floor, stand in front of her. I offer
my
left hand and receive her right with a smile;
place my right hand around her back, I bend slightly my knees and take a
deep breath as I stretch my chest upwards.
I cradle her in my arms for a moment as I feel the changes of weight of
her
body...I concentrate in the beat, let the music invade my body and my
heart
and start dancing my emotions, my joys, my sadness, my hopes and my
frustrations. I feel free, I feel my life, I float in the air and glide
away. When the music stops I hold her in my arms for a few extra
moments,
I contemplate her dreamy eyes full with gratitude, I smile and then
walk her back to her sit.
That is the reason I dance tango.
Date: Fri, 31 Oct 2003 11:05:22 -0700
From: Huck Kennedy <huck@ENSMTP1.EAS.ASU.EDU>
Subject: Re: Why I dance tango.
Tom Stermitz writes:
> It isn't just the beat, although thank god if they have
> at least that piece!
>
> It is easy, but not inevitable, to teach almost any guy
> to be on the beat using a mix of milongas, D'Arienzo (clear,
> staccato rhythm), Fresedo (clear, steady beat), Waltzes
> (clear phrases and slow walking beat).
I'm glad you said *almost*! And that applies
to both genders.
> Dancing on the music means much more than that...Tango music
> has phrasing, breath and release, dynamics and rests, just
> like speaking has commas, periods and accented syllables.
Indeed it does, Tom, for a good dancer like
yourself, but I do agree with Alex that you first
have to prove you can simply dance on the beat
before progressing to what you describe (not that
that contradicts anything you're saying).
What I'm getting at is that there are some
guys out there who don't dance on the beat because
they can't, and they try to masquerade that fact
behind some phony notion that they are "way too
creative to just dance on the beat."
When Ezequiel and Milena say in a tango class
that simply dancing on the beat is boring, that
is one thing. When some clown who couldn't dance
on the beat with metronome headphones taped onto
his head parrots what they say as rationalization,
it's quite another!
Huck
