[Tango-L] Now that I?m here in BsAs

[Kace]

Caroline Polack wrote:
> The portenos, they hold you in close till you are forehead to 
> forehead, cheek to
> cheek, chest to chest, and with all those connection points, itºs 
> almost impossible
> to make a mistake, for when you follow their leads, you do so not with 
> thought
> but with instinct, like breathing ....... How I wish I could bring 
> over the entire
> tango community from back home to this place so they could learn to 
> dance the
> Argentine way so that I can selfishly have the same experience in 
> Montreal as I do here. 
Hi Caroline

I love your description and I have to agree with almost everything you 
said about BsAs,
only it was from a leader's point of view.  It is amazing to dance with 
Portenas, with their
natural musicality and relaxness, and my trips have opened my eyes to 
the meanings
of "real dancing".

I know you are just sharing your euphoria and not arguing a point, so 
feel free not to
agree with my opinion below.

To me, dancing tango (in the broad sense), and going to BsAs to dance, 
are slightly
different animals: one is akin to learning to swim, and the other is 
going to the beach
to swim. 

If the distinction is not clearly made, it is tempting to draw the kind 
of conclusions you
made and this could lead to a kind of chauvinism about Argentina and 
Argentinians
which has surfaced frequently on tango-l.

- I would argue dancing tango is a many faceted skill, like swimming.  Some
   people learn to swim to compete, some to survive, some to relax, and 
some to
   support another pursuit like diving or sailing.

- Going to the beach on the other hand has quite little to do with 
swimming.  It is
   more about the sun, the sand, the bikinis you wear, the friends you 
have with
   you and those you will meet.  It quite possible not to be greatly 
skilled in swimming
   yet still have a fun time on the beach. 

- Some people learn to swim by jumping into the water and using their 
instinct, but
   most people need instruction especially if they wish to reach a high 
potential.
  It is true most people living near the sea learn to swim naturally, 
without any
  structured training.  They swim "instinctively".  But we really cannot 
throw out
  every progress in the field of teaching swimming simply because they 
are not
  instinctive.

- Fancy steps are like all the extra swimming paraphernalia you buy and 
bring
  with you to a beach -- the underwater camera, the jet-ski, snorkels, 
floatation
  devices, etc.  You really don't need them and they are often a 
nuisance to other
  swimmers; but they are your toys and you are entitled to use them for 
your
  own objectives.

My biggest revelation after a number of trips to Argentina is that, while I
greatly worship the experience of dancing in an immersive environment
of excellent dancers, I also appreciate the depth that tango has 
acquired in
other arenas, like: the athletism of the nuevo dancers, the storytelling 
for
stage dancers, the showmanship of the street buskers.

One sustains the culture of tango, the others the art and skill of tango.

Kace
tangosingapore.com






If you want to reach your
t is best to learn it
correctly if you want to reach your potential.  This usually means 
learning from a
good teacher, with the right pedagogy, over a reasonable amount of time.