[Tango-L] women leading

[andrea]

thank you for ur thoughts, jackie:

>
> i have found that as a follower there are definitely, for lack of a
> better word, "masculine" qualities in my role and i also feel
> "feminine" qualities when i lead... so for me, it feels easy to make
> the transition with a slight adjustment.  it's very zen the
> conversation of tango.  the give and take...  the message...  maybe
> my asianess makes me more comfortable with this concept.  :-)


i am a very downtown tanguera and a buddhist and a former modern  
dancer and a radical feminist and am 52 yrs old.

all that said, it was a challenge for me to learn to follow, to  
trully let go in my mind as well as my body, and finally after many  
trips to buenos aires and obssessive class taking -which i have  
burned out on as a follower, i have started learning to lead.

it is partly wanting to drive, part wanting to interpret music that  
moves me (often in a direction very different from my leaders), and a  
very practical desire to dance to some of my favorite songs when  
there arent enough or any willing leaders present. i also get to  
enjoy doing something with my women tango friends.

i am loving the challenge and learning more about being a follower as  
well. when i was a modern dancer we always learned everything on the  
right side as well as on the left side...in order to know a movement  
fully.

it seems a natural progression to me to reverse "sides" rather than  
seeing them as gender qualities. as a very heterosexual woman i lead  
in most areas of my life and dont consider that as "male", its just  
me being a person leading. as a voice committed to tolerance and  
acceptance on this list, as well out there on the milonga floor ,i  
would love to see  many more 'side' changes.

perhaps a buddhist perception of a lead just being a lead w/o any  
other story attached to it, two PEOPLE dancing, is a better way to  
explain it.

andrea