2340  New topic (Part 2)

Date: Sat, 27 Mar 2004 00:20:55 -0800
From: Ricardo Tanturi <tanturi999@YAHOO.COM>
Subject: Re: New topic (Part 2)

Ilene,

To answer your last question, in my opinion - no, tango can't
ever be "too simple".

For me, tango is about "hearing" the music, establishing and
maintaining a connection with my partner, and interpreting
or expressing what I hear and feel in the music, to and with my
partner.
You don't need advanced moves for that, and they _can_ get in the way.

Several people mentioned that a good leader will adjust his lead
to the abilities of the follower. What I am getting to is that
for me (and I think many others), it is an enjoyable challenge to
make an interesting and pleasurable tango using only fairly simple
step and a very clear lead. Dancing with a real beginner, I think
the main thing is to give the follower a sense of _dancing_ and
connection with the music using the simple steps that she knows - to
help her relax and enjoy the dance without worrying about
steps, "figures", and mistakes.

With someone such as you've described yourself, who wants to use
some of the more "advanced" stuff that she's learned, there's also
the challenge of exploring what she can do without talking about it,
leading new stuff in such a way that it isn't a disaster if she
doesn't follow perfectly. (And by the way, I think the thing about
talking on the dance floor is that you're supposed to be focused
on the music and the connection enough that you don't chatter with
your partner - not that you have to be totally mute. Occasional
comments and questions are OK, just not so many.) Other ways I
try to make the dancing interesting using fairly simple steps are
to play with the rhythm, size of steps, and the overall feeling
of the dance.

So, my advice (my humble opinion!) is not to worry much about a really
good dancer getting frustrated (or bored) with your inability to
follow certain leads. Yes, some dancers, especially intermediates,
do get caught up with what I think is an excessive interest in
fancy moves. But a "really good dancer" should be able to find
many things in dancing with you to interest him. And he may be more
interested in connecting with you as a dancer, your personality,
your soul, to worry about your ability to dance fancy steps.

(Disclaimer: I guess my writing style is a bit pedantic, but I
don't consider myself an authority and I'm definitely not a
"really good dancer". I have been dancing enough to have
learned some things about tango from good teachers, and to
have formed some strong opinions, of course. I'm trying to share
my experiences and opinions as a contribution, rather than
dictate to anyone else.)

Regards, "Ricardo"

--- Ilene Marder <imhmedia@ULSTER.NET> wrote:

> OK.Just to get back to the topic of tango ---
> Was wondering about the etiquette on this matter concerning beginning
> dancers-
>
> You've been dancing a few months- can make your way around the floor
> without tripping or looking too ridiculous, sometimes you even look
> like
> you know what you're doing. You've experienced "the zone" and look
> for
> good dancers to partner with because you know one of the best ways to
> learn is to dance "up", with someone more experienced. But the moves
> you've been learning- all those seemingly necessary steps and
> figures
> that make tango, tango, are not second nature yet.
> Now you're at a milonga and a really good dancer is looking your
> way
> wanting to dance.
> Do you tell the prospective partner that you're a beginner -or just
> leap
> into it and hope he/she doesn't get too frustrated when you get
> caught
> up in a step or don't respond to certain leads?
> The general experience seems to be that if you say you are a
> beginner,
> the experienced dancer will often keep it_ too_ simple, rather than
> leading into basic figures which you may already know and are looking
> forward to dance.
> I suppose the beginner can recite the moves that they can do..but
> does
> that put a damper on the dance?
> What would the more experienced dancer prefer in this case?
> Also, can a tango ever be too simple?
> Just wondering what your thoughts are....
> thanks~
>
>
>
>
>
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