Thinking instead of dancing…
Here is the lastest El Tangauta, with interview of Andrea and Javier, my most influential teachers. (it requires a simple registration) You could read the whole interview from the PDF. I strongly recommend it if you are interested in learning tango, regardless if you like their style or not. Note that, both learned how to dance tango from young age at milongas, then turned into professional later.
Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot and dancing much less.
I have been pondering how to not dance, how to erase the last memories of those movements that I had been learning all these years, how to resist the urge to dance to my usual self when the music is very inspiring, how to reduce the movement so that each movement makes sense, how to do less…
Instead of how to do it, Why do it?
Instead of moving to the beats and the notes of the music, I am trying to find the energy in the music and expand and contract accordingly. Breathing through the whole dance and breathe to movement, like in a yoga practice.
Levantarse, abrir los ojos, sentir la tierra, respirar, dar un paso, correr, saltar, caerse, para detenerse y continuar, y volver a parar, soñar, volar, enloquecer, amar, y sólo vibrar… en paz.- Cecilia Garcia.
Each maestro(a) has added something into my understanding of tango, from their own perspective. I am anxious to see what my upcoming trip to BsAs will bring.
Thanks for this! I just registered…
I found it upsetting that although the article talks a lot about Javier and Andrea’s past it does not mention the name of Geraldine. I can only wonder whose influence let to this. It is disappointing. Those who cannot accept the past and those ruled by pride cannot be true teachers of tango for me.
Why should Geraldine be mentioned? It was an interview about Andrea and Javier.
Because the article talks about Javier’s tango past and Geraldine is a fundamental part of his tango past.
I actually didn’t like this article much. There must be so many things that people who have understood the essence of tango could tell us. But this article like many others only scratches the surface, there is so little depth to it. Indeed, why talk about the past at all, there are more interesting things to talk about. But my point is, talking about Javier’s tango past without the mention of Geraldine seems like a deliberate omission.
Some time ago I attended a talk by an amazing dancer who saw the real tango of the 1940s and what he said sent shivers down my spine. This article didn’t.
If the magazine puts everything in one issue, it will be out of business very soon.
I think that breathing is a great thing to become conscious of..please be sure to report back any experiences with this!
I remember hearing about a beginners class where the men were told only to move when they feel compelled by the music…the women loved it.
Why doesn’t the cover photo show them in the embrace they would use to dance? Does Javier always dance with a flying finger and his hand higher than his head? Doesn’t he embrace Andrea in the dance?
Photos speak a thousand words. Many will see the cover photo and try to imitate it in their social dancing.
I am confused about the meaning of ‘pulling hips back’. I read the original post by MIM but it didn’t help. Can someone explain please in more detail if we are to debate this? I have looked at my posture which I believe to be more or less what TP describes and this is what I find. If I just go up on my toes (as in high heels) without thinking about tango posture, I feel my hips pulling backwards and the curvature of the back increasing. However, as I assume my tango posture I tighten through the abdominal muscles and the effect of this I think is to slightly pull the hips forward and to reduce the curvature. At the same time I rotate the shoulders and project my chest forward. I have tried to ‘pull my hips back’ the way I understand it but I felt my back was not happy. So followers beware, if your otherwise healthy back hurts after dancing, you’re doing something wrong.
One thing I am reluctant to do on this blog is to talk about technique in specific. Different descriptions causes different interpretations. A friend of mine did tell me after reading my post that her teacher did teach “sticking the butt out”. It helps to “keep a perfect balance, as it goes directly together with concentrating on the Achilles!” And her teacher is a classic trained ballet dancer before tango.
And you are right. if you feel your back not happy, then there is something wrong. The posture should make one feel naturally comfortable. That’s why there is technique to be learned.