[Tango-L] Tango is mystery, not work

[Bruno Afonso]

On 7/31/07, Nina Pesochinsky <nina at earthnet.net> wrote:

> Tango is very, very simple.  I guess we have to get through all the
> complexities and engineering challenges first before we can see this
> simplicity.

Nina,

I will refrain from commenting the "interesting" part before. But the
last quote is interesting. You are basically saying you have to
practice/dance a lot and make a huge effort to understand tango's
simplicity. This simply means that it is in fact not simple. If it
was, everyone could easily do it, and that doesn't happen as anyone
that has tried it knows. Yes, it takes practice as anything in life.

You are roughly saying that quantum physics is really easy after you
have done a PhD on it. Doesn't make much sense does it? :-)

Tango is not easy at any level. But this is exactly what drives
passionate persons to it, to be able to learn a bit every time you
dance and immensely enjoy it as you master it more and more.

Sun Tzu's Art of War was important to teach guidelines and provide
insight into warfare. And I doubt anyone with a brain will claim
warfare to be a simple subject. The few that thought so didn't live to
tell anyone about it. We don't have a Sun Tzu's book of Tango, but we
have teachers to help us guide us in our path through tango. These
teachers can help us from a purely aestetically point of view or from
a more rational one, like the science of having a fit body and mind to
dance.

This idea of anyone being enlightened by tango gods is naive to me,
but I accept that it may be true to some. Yet, their floorcraft has
eluded my observation to believe in them. There is no brilliant
athlete that didn't work hard independently of how gifted it was to
start with. And there will never be a great tango dancer that didn't
work hard: mentally and physically.

my 2 cents.
b


>
> Best regards to all,
>
> Nina
>
> Quoting Igor Polk <ipolk at virtuar.com>:
>
> > Jeff: "War is work, not mystery"  -- old Spartan saying
> >
> > Yes.
> > I am not against practicing at all, but..
> >
> > Tango is mystery, not work.
> >
> > Igor Polk
> >
> > PS. Practicing what makes a mistery mistery might be much more productive
> > for tango not to speak much more pleasant. Unless you are a sportsman.
> >
> > The problem is and it is much more difficult. Effective practice is possible
> > only for advanced dancers - they know what to practice and how. But
> > beginners need it most. So someone should make a set of excersizes to help
> > them, but not suppress creativity, inventiveness, sensitivity, reaction,
> > keeping the eyes open, freshness of the mind, and so on. Practicing the same
> > move especially with a partner may block all these things especially for
> > talented beginners and intermediates. Or may not. It all depends how it is
> > put.
> >
> > I do not see this issue was addressed before. I do not have an answer, but I
> > know about the problem, so I'd like you to see it too.
> >
> > Practicing often, if not always in the current state of affairs, especially
> > group practice, is about subdiction people to a certain style more than
> > about anything else.
> >
> > So effective tango practice may be conducted only by a teacher who knows
> > variety of tango styles, who is a great dancer himself, who is very
> > sensitive, creative. Other wise I'd advise students to come to many teachers
> > with the variety of tango practices.
> >
> > Igor Polk
> > PS
> > One more comparison between war and art of dance. In war one seeks the final
> > result. When enemy is destroyed, then it comes time for pleasure. In the art
> > - it is evey millisecond of acting that we seek pleasure in.
> >
> > Regarding marial arts, the notion is spreading that martial arts teachers do
> > not actually teach students the art of war. They are carried away with
> > something else.
> >
> > What else could it be? A pleasure in the duel, in every millisecond of it -
> > enjoying spirit and movement. "Look what a great kick I did!". What they are
> > doing is nothing but DANCING.
> >
> >
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> >
>
>
>
>
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-- 
Bruno Afonso
http://brunoafonso.com (personal, mostly portuguese)
http://openwetware.org/wiki/User:BrunoAfonso (Professional, english)