Why do days only have 24 hours?

Sorry for those of you, regular tangologuers who have had nothing to read in the last week. My exams are coming at an extraordinary pace and the tango event I am organising is consuming all my remaining time! Well, now that I mentioned it, for those of you who live in this side of the Ocean, check it out, it may interest you! ;o)


TANGO SPA
Warwickshire Tango Festival v1.0
Royal Leamington Spa
20th-22nd June 2008

Soak yourself in tango!

private scenarios

Let's think about the following scenario.

A woman goes in a practice studio. The setting is empty, the floor is wooden and shiny, there is a huge mirror covering one wall and there are holding poles around the room. A very fit Young Woman is standing at the far corner, changing shoes. Woman A approaches Young Woman, in a scouting manner, looking around slowly and with embarrashment. There is awkwardness in the air, the two women look at each other, they measure each other's presence in the room. Woman A is off base. Young Woman asks the question:
"What do you want to learn today?"

****

The scenario could go on and on and a great story could be written, but I'd rather stop here: at the moment before the beginning of a private class. It's the moment when a feel like a rookie again. Standing next to a good dancer, whose technique and movement I've been admiring, I suddenly feel too small and inexperienced. In a moment's time, in my head, I question my skill and my ability and I'm at a loss: What can she teach me today? Which moves, which decorations, what secrets, what movement? There is a sea of knowledge out there and I have to narrow it down to one thing. What can be taught in an hour?

I want to say - "take my body and transform my movement. I want to move like you for just one hour." (I don't want to freak Young Woman out - I don't say this out loud).

Of course, soon after a decision is made; Woman A replies "I have trouble doing this feagure" or "I love the way you do boleos, please tell me what's wrong with mine" or "show me how to do A or B". For me what is practiced is not as much as practicing next to a dancer whose style I admire, seeing how she moves and learning from that.

Yesterday I had a private class with Nayla Vacca at the event we organised at the Uni of Birmingham. I could spend 3 hours talking about all the new things I learnt in an hour with her. But what counts more, for me, is that after the class, when I started dancing in the milonga, I felt more plastic, like there was no tension in my body obscuring my movement. In the milonga I didn't practice what we did in class, yet my dancing has been affected already.

What do you get out of private classes?

Good teaching

Leandro Palou and Romina Godoy

I took a workshop with them last December in Bailongo! and the only thing I knew about Leandro was that he had been a partner of Andrea Missé and that he was the dancer in the Haagen Dazs Dolce de Leche advert. I knew nothing about Romina.
It took me only a few minutes to become a fan of these two. They're precision with technique allied to a fabulous musicality and search for perfection was evident from the first minute and I bonded with their teaching style right from the start.
Hopefully, I'll have more classes with them very soon. For those of you who are kicking around London and are looking for good tuition they are in central London (but beware as they will be touring - again - with tangox2).
Here it is a video that Supantheress shot after one of the workshops when they did a completely improvised demonstration (he wanted to put another music to do the demo but couldn't find it) of what they taught us (the movement is the one from 0:50 to 1:05, with variations). The orchestra is "Enrique Rodriguez" and the title of the music is "No te quiero mas"

The wrong message

This is probably true to most people reading this but I feel really really uncomfortable when I am dancing with someone and I feel that she is not enjoying the dance. It happened to me this sunday. From the start of the tanda, I felt she was bored, unchallenged, waiting for the end of the tanda, just wishing it ended. Needless to say that I went back to my seat (after escorting her to her seat) with a low moral... The milonga went past and I was just dragging myself on the dancefloor. Then I had a dance with someone I love to dance with and my energy came back to me - we danced three tandas. I had a few more dances that brought my self confidence up. Towards the very end of the milonga, when there were only a handful of people on the floor she was seating and I gathered courage and thought, "I'm going to make up for it". I cabeceoed her. When I went to meet her she told me "I thought you would never ask me for another tanda! The previous one was great!"
Does this happen to you very often?

MOVES

"Moves"
a.k.a. It-Which-Must-Not-Be-Encouraged

The thing that tango intellects & enthusiasts seem to despise talking about.

What is it that this word repels many of us?

> You are right, I would rather dance with people who have connection with me than with those who just want to try reckless moves.

> You are right, I would rather dance with people who have musicality than with those who just want to try reckless moves.

> You are right, I would rather dance with people who put emotion into their dance than with those who just want to try reckless moves.

> You are right, I would rather dance with people who have the right techniques and do what they know properly than with those who just want to try reckless moves.

But I want MORE! I want to have dynamic fun!

Is there anything wrong with wanting to dance with those who try moves that are new, adventurous, ambitious, creative and playful (of course they have to be considerate of their surrounding and safety)?

Is there anything wrong in wanting to learn "moves" for a change? To pursue those quirky yet elegant "moves"? Are techniques, musicality and connection the only things I am allowed to cultivate?

Am I greedy?

Am I shallow?

Am I not a proper tanguera?

Should I be condemned, persecuted and exiled to the planet of exhibitionists, salseros and acrobatics?

Give me your verdict.

Tango, Porto de Honra

Why is Port called Port? Supposedly, Port can only be called to the fortified wine whose grapes have been grown in the Douro Valley (in the northwest of Portugal) and whose wines have been stored in Porto, the city at the end of the river Douro.
Anyway, I have wrote a wee chronicle about SOME of the tango that goes on over there. But we all might be glad to know that that there is real tango being danced there.
Porto de Honra means Port of honour, and when in a group people raise their glasses to drink they drink to their honour.
Today it's the start of a wonderful chapter in Porto (and northern Portugal's) tango scene. I just thought I could drop a line here, just in case you're around the area...

The healing powers of tango help Parkinson sufferers!

It's not an anecdotal report, it's not a beautiful life story, it's pure science, but it's music to my ears!
According to a study published in a scientific journal, tango improved balanced, mobility and obvioulsy, quality of life in Parkinson's disease sufferers.
The authors compared the effects of Argentine tango dance classes to exercise classes on functional mobility in 19 patients with Parkinson's disease. The participants in the dance program showed significant improvement in several standard tests for patients with Parkinson's disease - the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UP-DRS) and the Berg Balance Scale.
The study is going to be continued for further assessments and, if it proves that tango is better than standard exercises it's another challenge for tango teachers. Only they MUST be prepared!

Thanks to Fishnets and Fedoras for bringing this report to my attention

Argentine Milonga - The New Salsa

I am not claiming it, it's written in this dance school's website! Some people shouldn't be allowed a computer in front of them!
To teach tango, first, understand what tango is. Then perfect. Then devise a way of teaching it. Then teach it. Some people forget to do the first. What happens? Tango Lego happens.