[Tango-L] Breaking the "paso basico."

'Mash mashdot at toshine.net
Tue Feb 12 11:43:10 EST 2008


On Tue, Feb 12, 2008 at 08:20:55AM -0700, Tom Stermitz wrote:
> Also, I've found that beginners confidence improves tremendously when  
> they "feel" that the movements make sense. This increases retention.
> 
> Longer sequences force the dancers into more intellectual or merely  
> rote relationship with dance. When the leader doesn't feel like he is  
> DANCING, he is more likely to quit.

Exactamente!

You are completely right. For someone like myself who has always danced because of how the music moves me and not because how the dance moves me makes learning tango horrendous at times. It is very rare that I just feel like I am dancing Tango, Milonga YES, that is why I love it. 

The problem with Tango that I see is that for some reason there is this pressure to know how to do steps and that if you don't do the steps correctly then you let down your partner and those watching. If somone asked me what my least favourite thing to do right now is, it would be to go to a milonga. Practica, fine, perfect even as everyone is just mucking about and enjoying themselves. Milonga, no thank you it feels like I am going to a job interview. 

The confidence is not so much in how many different moves I know, I don't care about that. What I care about is being able to feel the movements, feel the walk and enjoy it. I have to say I am struggling to do this and when I struggle I panic and when I panic I go into automatic. Thus the side step step cross step side.

To sum everything up, Tango has yet to become a dance for me and I am trying to find out why.

Thanks for all your comments and replies I do appreciate it.

'Mash
London,UK


 

 



 



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