[Tango-L] ENDEMIC PROBLEM

[astrid]

> I am still very interested in hearing your (and any other woman's)
personal experience in tango growth, from your first tango experience to
now.

My God, I would have to write a book. Anyway. One Sunday in May 1999 I went
to see Forever Tango. I had seen a few tango shows before, but nothing like
this. After Gavito and the seemingly almost unconscious Marcela swooning in
his arms danced to "Evaristo Carriego" , the intermission came, and I said
to my tangoloving companion : "I don't just want to sit here and watch any
longer, I want to dance this myself." And I started leafing through the pile
of flyers I had been giving at the entrance, and among all the announcements
of coming attractions there was one flyer from a school for Argentine tango,
that had teachers from Argentina. And it said, they were looking for
students...
The next evening I went to teach a lesson at a company and when I arrived
they told me,they were too busy that night, the lesson was canceled. So I
walked out of the building, free time on my hands, and inside the subway
station I called the studio, and asked if I could come over and watch a
lesson...
The Japanese manager there told me, they had one lesson for beginners and
one for intermediates. And since only the intermediate one fit into my
schedule, I should take a few privadas and catch up. And I was given the
choice between Juan and a certain "Leon-sensei". I liked "Leon" much better,
he was much nicer and much more humane than the cold and withdrawn handsome
Juan. But I was too shy to say so, and first dutifully tried a lesson with
Juan as they had recommended. I brought over my only tacky tango collection
cd I had bought in my ignorance, and asked him, which songs I should dance
to and asked for homework. Juan showed me another step which later turned
out to be the salida, and I went home and practised, walking around my
living room. Then, next time,  I announced, that I wanted to dance with
"Leon". After one lesson I was hooked. This man made me feel a kind of
happiness I had rarely experienced before. I had done plenty of dancing, but
always by myself, and in my own style, in discocs, clubs, moonlight
parties...and had for years dreamed of being to able to do this together
with a man, but noone would ever really fit his body to mine, and join me in
my sexy movements without selfconsciousness.
"Leon" however, was perfect in the way he moved. He spent and hours and
hours teaching me how to walk, how to ocho, circled the room with me making
me walk with him, inside and outside, and taught me that after I crossed my
feet, any step might follow,maybe an ocho, maybe something else. To tracks
of crummy, scratchy old music played at low volume, so the thinwalled
neighbourhood would not complain. I loved him with a silent gratitude I did
not experience in any other relationships which were much less platonic than
this one..... I kept bringing my "Tango"-movie soundtrack in my handbag but
was always too shy to suggest he play it.
One day he started teaching me the giro, and told me to watch his chest, and
follow the direction it moved. He had a beautiful chest, muscular, wide and
inviting, trained from four years of Kung Fu.
One day he tired of the clumsy way I pivoted, and he looked around the
studio searchingly, picked up an md-case, and squeezed it between my heels,
and told me not to drop it, when I pivoted in all four directions, looking
at the four walls of the room,initiating the movement with my torso.

Every time I reached a plateau, he pushed me really hard, and sometimes I
walked down the road crying after the lesson, so frustrated was I with
myself. But I trusted him, and always broke through yet another wall soon
after that.
After six months he told me he, his one year contract was almost over and he
would go back to BsAs. After my last privada with him, I ran into the
toilet, turned the key in the lock and broke down in tears. Who would teach
me now? He had created a world between us, he had given me the most
beautiful gift. He had made me into a dancer, something I had always wanted
to be, since I was sixteen...
They called him Leon, because that was the easiest to pronouce. His real
name was actually Ezeqiel Farfaro de Leon.
I have never seen him again, except in movies with Milena Plebs who chose
him as her new partner when he came back to Argentina.