[Tango-L] Brian and Jake Directional Notation Analysis

[Brian Dunn]

Dear List,

Andrea, you wrote:
>>>
i did communicate quite clearly what the dance is about for me and having
wasted my breath on you "step" guys for a long time on this list that i have
declined to read or participate in for ages..but there has to be a voice in
the wilderness of all this nonsense.
<<<   
Well, welcome back!  Speaking strictly for myself, I invite you to (continue
to) be the voice in the wilderness that you long for (with some caveats -
see end of message).

I'm not sure we've ever met, and (unless you recently lived in Minneapolis)
I seriously doubt we've ever danced.  Maybe I'm not as much of a "step guy"
as you think.my partner Deb will be in NYC in mid-December, maybe you can
ask her.;>

>>>
believe me, gavito would be rolling in his grave if he ever read what u guys
are yakking so obssessively (as well as competatively) about.
<<<   
Actually, I'm honored to be able to say that Gavito and I shared many an
interesting conversation on structural topics, God rest his tango soul.  

About competition - you say it like it's a dirty word.  You know, many
people feel that competition is a big part of what makes guys work hard to
become better leaders.  Many researchers feel that it's a deeply embedded
part of what makes most men different in many ways from most women. Like
everything competition can have its dark side. But when it works really
well, competition is a gift that guys give each other, and thank each other
for (see Meredith's message from awhile back).  Followers, focusing deeply
on manifesting their feminine side, often don't resonate as well with the
idea of competition, as your comment illustrates - but in my experience they
often seem to appreciate the competition's results. 

>>>
u are doing no one any good, except maybe ur internet providers. 
<<<   
Well, "we" seem to be helping each other, at least.  I accept that we
weren't helping you - but then, that's what the delete key is for, right?

>>>
dont u find it very interesting that there isnt any ongoing dialogue of this
sort ever by FOLLOWERS???!!!!
<<<   
When I think about it, I'm not surprised - I took one of our recent
Intensivos as a follower, under Luciana's guidance, and while it was one of
the hardest things I've ever done in tango, I didn't find myself thinking
about tango structure AT ALL during the entire four days.  

However, maybe you don't mean structure conversations, but contributions in
general by followers - here's a counterexample.   As I recall, there was a
heartbreakingly beautiful thread about following initiated and perpetuated
by Carole McCurdy, Hyla Dickinson, and others awhile back.but I grant you,
it's been awhile, and I think ALL of us bear responsibility for that.see
below.

>>>
and fyi, i can lead -
<<<   
Excellent, in all sincerity!  And you may find that, to the degree you
really want to improve your leading, eventually you will get (at least a
little) interested in structure topics like these.  And if you don't want
to, that is SO TOTALLY OK, right?  But do you think sneering at those who DO
find it useful is your main potential contribution to the list?

I found the recent sequence of messages by Keith, Sergio, and Jake to be a
breath of fresh air on Tango-L, from which I also had pretty much withdrawn,
perhaps for reasons analogous to your own.  All of us have a dark side, and
I imagine that those list members that Keith called "killers" have other
things to contribute to our forum in other "non-killer" ways.  But the
phenomenon Keith and Sergio so effectively described is real, and anyone who
despairs of all the shadow stuff on Tango-L has a choice: take our time and
energy elsewhere, or speak from our radiant side to dispel the shadow.
Everyone's choice is their own, no praise or blame either way.but if we
choose to stay and submit messages, I submit that "It is better to light one
candle than to curse the darkness".what do you think? 

All the best,
Brian Dunn
Dance of the Heart
Boulder, Colorado USA
www.danceoftheheart.com
"Building a Better World, One Tango at a Time"