[Tango-L] Comment on the post "How do you decide who to dance with?"

[Trini y Sean (PATangoS)]

--- On Tue, 3/31/09, Amaury de Siqueira <amaurycdsf at yahoo.com> wrote:

> Tango is a social activity which I construed to mean that
> we are operating in a social environment... for me to be
> social is not to have a critical list of prerequisites
> guiding who I dance or not with.  To be social is to leave
> one's professional and emotional baggages out of the
> door and enter a space willing to try... willing to make
> mistakes and above all willing to live.

> Amaury


I think you miscontrue the reasons why some of us choose partners the way we do.  It's not about levels.  It's about making the best of a social activity.  I don't dance to Biagi with a beginner for a simple reason - I'd be to "wild" for him to handle.  Same with many alternative pieces and other music.  Chances are good that he'd only realize that he's a beginner and that he has a lot more to learn.  But that's not what I would want him to think.  I'd want him to feel good about his dance.  Isn't that what a social activity is supposed to be about?

When I first accepted a Pugliese tanda with one particular student, he afterwards recounted an episode about year or so earlier when he had asked me to dance Pugliese and I declined.  He was a bit relieved when I had said no because he wasn't sure about dancing it with me.  I'm glad I said no then, too, because it would not have been a good dance and I did not want to give him a bad dance.  So when we finally danced Pugliese together, we both had a wonderful tanda and a memory that we'll both look fondly on for years to come.

If you choose not to be too particular about your partners, then great.  Whatever works.  Sorry that you'll be leaving the list.

Trini de Pittsburgh