Suffering in Tango

'... look to suffer too much in the dance. Putting too much thought into technicalities, how to move, how to step, how to do this figure exactly, how to do exactly what this teacher said, what that teacher said, trying so hard to copy exactly how every teacher moved.'"

Excerpt from Crossroad

I have been reading some blogs and realized quite a few people out there are talking about the technical aspects of tango down to the specific bones. I tried to follow the detail descriptions. Two paragraphs later I was overwhelmed by the amount of anatomy in the writing: how one's pelvis should be placed in this movement, the degree of hip movement for that movement. For a moment, I thought I was reading a medical journal rather than a tango post.

I try to image how one dances while being conscious about one's shoulder, pelvis and feet. I can't do that, thinking about my body and dancing to the music at the same time. I used to HATE teachers counting step. I still can't associate 1234568 to the beat of the music. Maybe it is just ME who has never taken a class on Music. (Mind you, I am often told that I have great musicality.:)) And who invented this way to teach tango?

At my pre-intermediate classes, the Argentine teacher taught embrace as imagining yourself holding a bady, the American one a round cylinder. For some reason, when my American said that, I had the image of a steel pool in my arm, and i had shivers.

At a workshop on sacada that I attended a year ago, this young American taught about forming the triangle and stepping in 45 degree. At the moment, I thought I was back to college studying Mechanics 101 again.

"Soy, Voy" Javier taught me how to do a sacada: with intention and just go. He showed me, I followed; Andrea's leg was flying. No 45 degree, no triangle, no thinking, just go.

"When they (the Argentine) embrace, man or woman regardless, they don't tear their hair out trying to obsess in technicalities, posture, figures or the teachings of tango teachers."

"Instead they indulge in the shared embrace, listen to the music, to the singing, let the body move naturally and have fun; be happy together! They just want to enjoy the music, enjoy the partner and dance!"

"Why agonize over a perfect side step, or a perfectly led giro? As long as you don't throw each other off balance, and two of you get from point A to point B together, let whatever happen in between happen!" Javier dismissed with a wave of his hand.

Remember, tango for most of us is a social dance. It is not a rocket science, nor a fine art. Teachers, please teach tango as what it is. And dancers, let your body go, enjoy the music and the embrace of your partner. Enjoy tango.