[Tango-L] Atlanta Tango Festival Video

[Michael]

Since Miles posted videos, it's time to express my thanks to the organizers, Alan and Angel, for a wonderful festival. They care very much about making it great and listen carefully to feedback.

After last year's festival, I wrote on Tango L that the ballroom was too dark and cabeceo was just about impossible to use. On top of that, very few people seemed to use it. At this festival, Barbara Durr taught a class on milonga etiquette about cabeceo and that LINE of dance also means LANE of dance. Alan has a cute expression that sums it up "You're not just dancing with your partner. You're dancing with everybody else at the milonga." Unfortunately, that message fell on deaf ears as some couples wanted to go NOWHERE and do some fancy, elaborate figure that took up too much space (crossed over into the next lane) or too much time.

Fortunately, Robert Hauck and Barbara taught a class "Viceversa reversals and mirror images." The class dealt with check steps (I call them rock steps) to use when stuck behind non moving traffic.

Where cabeceo didn't work for me, I used Plan B, which I should have used last year. I told women in the hallway and at classes I wanted to dance with them. I got to everybody except two, which is better than coming home complaining there were a lot of women I didn't dance with. I remember telling one I couldn't get her attention, even though she was sitting at a table closest to the floor. She only looked out into the floor and not around her to see if anybody wanted to dance with her. Like the flight crew says on the plane "Your closest exit might be behind you." At a milonga, the closest person who wants to dance with you could be BEHIND you.

One man wanted a woman so badly, he sat in a chair in front of her and just starred at her. When she finished talking to her friends, she turned around, saw his gaze, and screamed. Well, he got to dance with her. I was going to try that with Hillary, but somebody sat in that chair and my chance was lost. Well, there's next year.

Congratulations again to Angel and Alan.

Michael Ditkoff
Washington, DC
I had such a good time, I forgot I haven't filed my taxes yet.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "m i l e s" <tangobliss at gmail.com>
Subject: [Tango-L] Atlanta Tango Festival Video


Hi,

Here's the end result of *MY* Atlanta Tango Festival experience...

http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=996E01128CEEB12E

Miles.