[Tango-L] tango schizophrenia

[Tango For Her]

Martin>How does one move past mimicking influential
icons and into the realm of developing a unique
personal style in tango,

I believe the question was: "How do you create your
own style?"

I had my various private lessons and I studied from
videos.  But, what really shaped me was 3 different
sets of private lessons, all with a focus and all from
different teachers and all in close embrace.

(1) The first set taught me to be dynamic.  Lessons
included: 

- She was my paint brush and the canvas my floor.
(Sorry, all!  But, to this day, I still use it when I
feel like I am dancing a bit heavy and it works
wonders ... and, by the way, my partner is a
red-blooded woman whom I treat like a woman, not a
paint brush.)  

- Another was to picture someone in the community who
dances large and dynamic and dance like him.  (After
that one, she told me it's the best dance she ever had
with me.)  

-In another, she told me, "You're afraid to touch me. 
You're afraid to hold me.  etc. (That broke me of a
bit of my shyness.)

- etc

After this set, followers commented that they had
never been so balanced.

(2) The second set taught me about tortion and dancing
like Chicho.  He also refused to let me resolve
(finish) any patterns.  For example, I couldn't go to
the cross.  After that series, there were no more
patterns, unless you call turns patterns. At any point
in the dance, there was only the side, back and front
steps and the pivots and what I chose to do with them.


After that set, women commented that my lead was so
much fun. 

(3) At the beginning of the third set, I told the
teacher that all I wanted to do was to be able to walk
to the music and have it be her best dance ever.  She
was a master at tweaking the smallest things.  

After that set, I was truly leading soft, passionate
tango.

After each of those sets, everyone noticed big
changes.  After each one, I was told that I had
something unique that noone else had.  So, MY advise
is to seek those "body mechanics", as I call them, and
know that they have a distinctive theme in mind for
your lessons.  

If your partners don't see a huge change after your
set, consider trying a different teacher.  

Also, consider that if you are being taught in open
embrace, or with a partner, that you aren't getting
the biggest bang for your buck.  

If you want your style to emerge, put your chest on
the chest of a very, very, very good teacher and cough
up the bucks.  

There are a slew of teachers out there.  The trick is
to sort them out.  

And, by the way, the teachers that build the biggest
communities, or have the most success in class, are
not necessarily the best for privates.  They might be,
but not necessarily.  

Good luck!









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