Since Thanksgiving I have either been traveling out of town or hanging out with family (or both), which means that I did not get to get work done. Not only did I not get work done, but I also didn’t get to do the kind of activities that I do to relax myself. These disruptions to my usual life, while pleasant, have slowly accumulated into an undercurrent of stress that one day explodes in my face.
That one day, is about Monday.
Yesterday, I finally get my Tango fix (not since Thanksgiving). When I entered the room, my usual tiny-Asian-female partner greeted me enthusiastically with “ANNA!!!!!!”. All the familiar faces of dancing friends. As I tangoed around the room with C and N and R to the old-time-black-and-white-movie kind of movie, I felt at home, and calmed.
What’s the point of this post? Just to say here that I am DETERMINED to be back.
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.
Filed under: tango
I need to congratulate myself for being committed enough to an extra-curricular activity to such a degree that I am actually ascending to the Intermediate/Advance level! This past weekend I was immersed in an intensive 2-day several hours Tango workshop from 2 visiting instructors from Argentina.
Scenes from True Lies and Scent of a Woman no longer impresses me, and now I am onto appreciating the following (and I actually have learned more than 60% of the moves in the below clip, albeit of course I execute them in a much less elegant fashion):
Tonight was another great night of Tango for me. I went to the Summer Dance outdoor milonga in downtown Chicago. The venue was almost next to Millennium Park, and there was a life band, comprised of 2 violins, a bandoneon, a bass, and a piano.
THE MUSIC WAS PHENOMENAL. Dancing on that lighted outdoor dance floor with the live band on stage was such a different and wonderful experience.
When I got there, the whole place was already crowded. A lot of people were just bystanders. Somehow whenever there is tango activity a lot of tourists would standby and watch and take pictures. Similar situation here. The new thing for me here is that I know several of my tango friends are already dancing, and I know that if I find them, I will be dancing as well — I also was wearing a tango shoes. This marked me as an “insider” — in other words, NOT a tourist or bystander.
And immediately when I was there, I danced with Pat, a classmate — swirling around the dancefloor, people taking pictures….when there is a huge crowd looking on, somehow it creates this stronger adrenaline rush to …”perform”…and when you do the embellishments, somehow I felt slightly more graceful. (To think that a month ago I was dancing like a piece of shit) After that, I danced with Nina, and then Richard, and then Curtiss, and then Mike, and then a random guy, and then was approached by a completely drunk guy whom I said no to, and then with Tim.
It is so nice to be among friends + wonderful music. And that bandoneon is simply heavenly. THE MUSIC WAS AMAZING.
