[Tango-L] Gustavo & Giselle, Brian Dunn and Deb Sclar's Boulder Encuentro

[Nussbaum, Martin]

Brian Dunn wrote:  "Here in Boulder, we're finishing up two weeks worth
of working with Gustavo
Naveira and Giselle Anne, learning from them, sitting with tears in our
eyes
watching them dance, listening to their music choices as DJ's, and
sharing
the social dance floor with them to live tango music."

Dear List,  Brian and Deb, Gustavo and Giselle: 

Let me preface what I am about to say by affirming that I have no
financial connection either with Dance of the Heart in Boulder Co,  or
to Gustavo Naveira and Giselle Anne  "G/G". The only reason I am writing
this is to convey my sincere gratitude to Brian Dunn, Deb Sclar, Gustavo
Naveira, and Giselle Anne,  for providing two weeks of tango bliss and
inspiration  I will never forget.  

It is really difficult to put into words how extraordinary this program
was, from the organization of events, the quality of the venues, the
combination of instruction and social dance opportunities, plus some
time to hike the gorgeous Rockies,  the sincere good nature of the
hosts, Brian and Deb, the genuine open friendliness of the dancers of
the Boulder and Denver area, (miraculously, every cabaceo I sent out was
accepted! Colorado followers, rock on! ) and most of all, the incredible
quality of the teaching of G/G.   In my humble opinion, G/G are the best
in the world at what they do, which is to convey the essence of tango,
the structure of the dance, the beauty and quality of the movements, the
passion, the theory, musicality, rhythm, phrasing; Gustavo and Giselle
give you the total package, with their full heart and soul.  They open
your eyes to the possiblities in Tango, they give you the tools, and
then it is up to you to practice, and use those tools to create you own
personal interpretation and style.    

Yes, they deserve deification,  or whatever accolade you can think of,
including Buddha, the path to tango enlightenment.  True, they may not
have the only path, but it is the most clearly marked trail this tango
hiker has ever experienced.   I have only been dancing for 9 years, but
I have had the good fortune to experience many different talented
teachers, here in the US as well as in BA,  each having unique
strengths.  This is subjective of course,  and what impresses me may not
impress others on this list.    For example, just to name one other
inspiring teacher,  Gavito was unique in his conveyance of passion, for
me he had  the "heart" of tango.  Gustavo has, in addition to  the
passion, the Mind, the living brains of tango.  I do not easily use the
word "genius".  But here the word is warranted.    His analysis of how,
why, when, and where things work or dont work,  look elegant or not, fit
the music or not, communicate with your partner or not,  is simply on
the highest level.   The performances of G/G at two of the milongas were
amazing, after a full day of exhausting workshops at mile high Boulder
altitude they delivered four dynamic, sublime, moving,  dance numbers
per night that, like you guys,  brought tears to my eyes as well, which
took me by surprise, that has not happened to me before during a tango
performance.  If you really love tango, if it touches you at your core,
how could you not cry during that experience?   You knew you were
witnessing world  class partnership movement in musicality, artistry
that you might never be lucky enough to see again. 

Brian, I really don't think you should take seriously any of the
simplistic negative comments from anyone on the list, either they are
playing devils advocate for purposes of debate or attention, or they
have never attended a full G/G seminar week,  so they are ignorant on
the subject.   In any event, perhaps it is not a good idea for me to
tell the world how incredible G/G are, as I am happy to keep them a
"secret" for those of us who treasure such a resource, so we don't have
to fight for a slot in their seminars :-).   
I beg you to repeat the encuentro at least once a year!

Love, 
Martin Nussbaum