4154  How to dance milonga?

Date: Tue, 18 Apr 2006 15:05:50 -0500
From: Zoltan Hidvegi <tango-l@HZOLI.COM>
Subject: How to dance milonga?

Talking about the milonga, there are some questions I've been wandering
for a while. I'm sure everyone have experienced that they can connect
and dance well with some partner but not with others, and this difference
mostly does not depend on the experience level of the partners. For me,
this phenomenon is greatly amplified when dancing milonga. There are
some ladies with whom dancing milonga is so much fun that I never want to
stop, yet there are others that I just cannot connect with. Both
categories include very good dancers, teachers etc.

For me, a good milonga feels almost effortless free movement to the
music. The best followers can follow very stubble quick moves so well,
that really makes me wonder how they do it. Some of the moves are so
fast, that you'd think followers have to anticipate to follow, yet they
clearly follow what's lead. But maybe there is more, because I can also
feel the rhythm of the movement of the woman I'm dancing with, and good
followers often have their own body rhythm interpreting the music.
Perhaps the leader also use that feedback to lead, which inspires or
invites the leader to do certain steps. This usually requires a very
close embrace. During these great milongas, I often find myself
connecting and leading with my whole body, often with lots of hip
movements.

But unfortunately there are followers I am just unable to connect in
milonga. One of them, who is a beautiful dancer mostly dancing nuevo
style, she is also a teacher, stage performer, and very experienced
dancer told me that I dance milonga too much like a latin dance, moving
my hips too much, which prevents the clear lead from the chest. There
was an other follower who've thought that too much hip movement from a
man is not masculine. I have danced some latin dances before tango,
where I was drilled to move my hips, and milonga feels too much like a
latin dance, and I have a hard time to unlearn the hip movements, and I'm
not even sure if I should unlearn it.

There are followers who are tense. Some of them can still follow milonga
traspie, but the dance is more tiring for both of us, and it does not
feel as playful. Some followers have asked me to slow down, and they are
right, I sometimes get carried away.

And there are followers, mostly less experienced dancers who I have very
hard time dancing milonga. Problems include rushing the music,
anticipating, being too tense etc. Too many of these usually causes me
to question my abilities and thinking of giving up dancing milonga
altogether.

So what is the right way to dance milonga (traspie)? How can someone
learn that? Many followers have asked me where have I learned to
dance milonga, and I have a hard time answering. I do not recall any
really great milonga classes I've attended. I think one has to feel
the rhythm and dance it. There are places in the music where it feels
that you must use traspie. Just let go your inhibitions and dance.
But how can you teach that in the class? Also, clearly there is a
required technique which one must learn, but there is something more
you need.

-Zoltan

Date: Tue, 18 Apr 2006 15:00:09 -0700
From: Fred Herman & Mary Menz <fred.herman@SBCGLOBAL.NET>
Subject: Fwd: [TANGO-L] How to dance milonga?

>Date: Tue, 18 Apr 2006 15:05:50 -0500
>Reply-To: Zoltan Hidvegi <tango-l@HZOLI.COM>
>Sender: Discussion of Any Aspect of the Argentine Tango
><TANGO-L@MITVMA.MIT.EDU>
>From: Zoltan Hidvegi <tango-l@HZOLI.COM>
>Subject: [TANGO-L] How to dance milonga?
>To: TANGO-L@MITVMA.MIT.EDU
>
>Talking about the milonga, there are some questions I've been wandering
>for a while. I'm sure everyone have experienced that they can connect
>and dance well with some partner but not with others, and this difference
>mostly does not depend on the experience level of the partners. For me,
>this phenomenon is greatly amplified when dancing milonga. There are
>some ladies with whom dancing milonga is so much fun that I never want to
>stop, yet there are others that I just cannot connect with. Both
>categories include very good dancers, teachers etc.
>

I have had the same experience, and remember a great vals tanda with
a stranger in Portland. My response to his comment on how well we
danced together was that he hears the music the same way I do. really
believe it has to do with how each of you hears the music. I really
believe it has to do with how each of you hears the music. I really
believe it's a matter of how each of you hears the music.
Mary

Date: Tue, 18 Apr 2006 21:06:29 -0700
From: Derik Rawson <rawsonweb@YAHOO.COM>
Subject: Re: How to dance milonga? Find a musician who can follow the music.!

Dear Zoltan:

--- Zoltan Hidvegi <tango-l@HZOLI.COM> wrote:

"There are some ladies with whom dancing milonga is so
much fun that I never want to stop, yet there are
others that I just cannot connect with. Both
categories include very good dancers, teachers etc."

Zoltan...

Its the music! It is not the perfect dance step. If
necessary a couple has to know how to scarifice the
dance step to stay on the beat.

Many dance teachers who are not musicians, go for the
perfect step and miss the beat. That is why I always
try to dance with musicians instead of so called great
dancers. When a girl sings to me while we are dancing,
I know that she is the right girl for me...lol.

In Paris, while we were watching the French dance
tango in Paris at at Bistro Latin, a famous Argentine
dancer said to me once:

"Derik, they are all dancing each step absolutely
perfectly, but....NOT TO THE MUSIC!"

PS- I like to dance milonga and tango within the same
piece of music, and do it with someone who can follow
the changes in the rythme. The Color Tango Orchestra
often does wonderful changes from tango to milonga and
back to tango again within the same music. I find
that few people can follow the changes in rythme, but
the ones can do it are the really great dancers.
Zoltan, if you stay with the musicians who know how to
follow the music you will be OK. Also, for milongas
dance faster than you can think...lol. My opinion.

Derik
d.rawson@rawsonweb.com


--- Zoltan Hidvegi <tango-l@HZOLI.COM> wrote:

> Talking about the milonga, there are some questions
> I've been wandering
> for a while. I'm sure everyone have experienced
> that they can connect
> and dance well with some partner but not with
> others, and this difference
> mostly does not depend on the experience level of
> the partners. For me,
> this phenomenon is greatly amplified when dancing
> milonga. There are
> some ladies with whom dancing milonga is so much fun
> that I never want to
> stop, yet there are others that I just cannot
> connect with. Both
> categories include very good dancers, teachers etc.
>
> For me, a good milonga feels almost effortless free
> movement to the
> music. The best followers can follow very stubble
> quick moves so well,
> that really makes me wonder how they do it. Some of
> the moves are so
> fast, that you'd think followers have to anticipate
> to follow, yet they
> clearly follow what's lead. But maybe there is
> more, because I can also
> feel the rhythm of the movement of the woman I'm
> dancing with, and good
> followers often have their own body rhythm
> interpreting the music.
> Perhaps the leader also use that feedback to lead,
> which inspires or
> invites the leader to do certain steps. This
> usually requires a very
> close embrace. During these great milongas, I often
> find myself
> connecting and leading with my whole body, often
> with lots of hip
> movements.
>
> But unfortunately there are followers I am just
> unable to connect in
> milonga. One of them, who is a beautiful dancer
> mostly dancing nuevo
> style, she is also a teacher, stage performer, and
> very experienced
> dancer told me that I dance milonga too much like a
> latin dance, moving
> my hips too much, which prevents the clear lead from
> the chest. There
> was an other follower who've thought that too much
> hip movement from a
> man is not masculine. I have danced some latin
> dances before tango,
> where I was drilled to move my hips, and milonga
> feels too much like a
> latin dance, and I have a hard time to unlearn the
> hip movements, and I'm
> not even sure if I should unlearn it.
>
> There are followers who are tense. Some of them can
> still follow milonga
> traspie, but the dance is more tiring for both of
> us, and it does not
> feel as playful. Some followers have asked me to
> slow down, and they are
> right, I sometimes get carried away.
>
> And there are followers, mostly less experienced
> dancers who I have very
> hard time dancing milonga. Problems include rushing
> the music,
> anticipating, being too tense etc. Too many of
> these usually causes me
> to question my abilities and thinking of giving up
> dancing milonga
> altogether.
>
> So what is the right way to dance milonga (traspie)?
> How can someone
> learn that? Many followers have asked me where have
> I learned to
> dance milonga, and I have a hard time answering. I
> do not recall any
> really great milonga classes I've attended. I think
> one has to feel
> the rhythm and dance it. There are places in the
> music where it feels
> that you must use traspie. Just let go your
> inhibitions and dance.
> But how can you teach that in the class? Also,
> clearly there is a
> required technique which one must learn, but there
> is something more
> you need.
>
> -Zoltan
>
>

Derik Rawson
d.rawson@rawsonweb.com
https://www.rawsonweb.com
713-522-0888 USA Landline Direct to Portable Cell Phone
281-754-4315 USA Landline Voice/Fax
d.rawson@cal.berkeley.edu
d.rawson@haas.alum.berkeley.edu
rawsonweb@yahoo.com
Europe/Asia
rawsonweb@compuserve.com
Paris, France