[Tango-L] Tango is mystery, not work

[Nina Pesochinsky]

Bruno,

You are so complicated!:)
I never said tango was easy.  I said it was simple.
It's about the man-woman thing.  Every step and every technical 
detail is about that.

Nina


At 02:31 PM 7/31/2007, Bruno Afonso wrote:
>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)
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