Close My Eyes and Dance

October 21, 2010, 12:51 am
Filed under: tango

I have been doing Argentine tango since July and it has become one of those activities that I just HAVE to do at least once per week. A fellow milonguera who is a PhD student in psychology herself calls this weekly tango activity her “tango fix.” A common usage of this phrase is,

“I NEED MY TANGO FIX!”

I am beginning to feel that I NEED Argentine Tango myself.

A month ago, I asked my fellow milongueras, what else I need to learn to improve my techniques, as I feel that at that point I don’t feel that I am learning as much in classes. I seem to have reached a flat portion of the learning curve, unable to proceed up.

A person told me I should learn how to establish the “connection.” Argentine Tango is about the “connection” (hence it is different from your stiff ballroom tango). I should, for example, learn to relax my arm. Enjoy the music. Worry less about all the fancy moves and embellishments (which is what I am all about). Close your eyes, enjoy the music, they said. I do observe that the pictures taken in most milongas show people dancing with their eyes closed, intensely.

I could not close my eyes. To me, Argentine Tango is about techniques, and fancy moves.

But ever since the quarter began, and the classes reverted back to welcoming all these people who are quite beginner (see how snobbish I quickly get), I have been busy myself and always felt tired when I drag myself to my Tango fix. So at some point, I closed my eyes when I dance.

It’s been wonderful, and an altogether different dancing experience than with my eyes open. With my eyes close, I grow relaxed and immerse myself totally in the music. The music that transports the scene into 1920s Argentina.

And so, I am closing my eyes.