Found this “new” interview of Javier and Andrea. It is in Italian. But with the help of  Google translator (down the pdf and then have Google translate the file from your saved copy) and my still limited Italian (been to Italy six times. ), I enjoy reading it.

It covers the beginning of J&A’s partnership, their usual and consistent views of tango… which is always inspiring.

Excerpt:

Andrea: Un messaggio per le donne: si permettano di ritrovare il posto che una volta avevano. Una Volta la donna era la ” dea della milonga”. Oggi le donne vengono maltratte con violenza e ridono come se fosse divertente e questa cosa non l’ho mai capita. Ritrovate il posto che avevate una volta…

Have a read.

During the Milonga III class of the STS festival on Sunday, Javier Rodriguez, being obviously critical of Sydney (or maybe Australian) general floor craft & salon tango etiquette gave all present a serious dressing down, illustrated with his typically humorous impersonations. The gist of his message is as follows: On the dance floor, men (leaders) are actually all dancing together, even if they are at a distance from each other. They look out for each other, each man keeping his eye essentially only on the man in front of him so as to maintain that intervening space. They are a sort of team. In between the men, naturally, are the women/dance partners. Now a man is never permitted to touch another man, because in so doing, he gives the other the right to ‘touch’ him back, with maybe disastrous consequences. However, as we have evolved somewhat, knives and firearms are luckily no longer common on the dance floor. It is simply the rule: You do not touch another man/couple. Accidents/mistakes can happen. Never say sorry! Laugh at what has happened and make sure you do not repeat it. However, there is something which one must take on to the dance floor which can prevent such occurrences, and that is attitude. One must never be apologetic or explain it was your fault, as this mindset attracts just these encounters. If one enters the dance floor with assurance and poise, you will not collide or attract collisions. Part of this attitude is one’s confident stance and correct embrace. It acts as an energy field and as a protective defence mechanism, the man’s well-placed elbows also providing a strong physical barrier and deterrent. When the man (leader) is looking forward, it is his partner’s duty to watch what is happening behind them. She must have her head positioned so that she can see either side of the man’s. If the man is directing them backwards in such a way that they might collide with the couple behind, she should signal her partner with pressure of her hand on his back. If, however, they are stationary and the couple behind is advancing in such a way that a collision is likely, the women has the right to extend her hand to the rear to physically stop them making bodily contact. Couples must follow the line of dance around the outside of the floor. It is not permitted to overtake another couple on the inside. It happens now and again that one couple is slow or having problems with the dance and can hold up the line of dancers behind them. It is the responsibility of the leader of the slow couple to be sensitive to the situation and enter into the centre of the dance floor, thus providing a gap in the line of dance. The couple behind is now permitted to overtake the previous couple by continuing on the outside line of dance. However, it can happen that the slow couple’s leader is insensitive to the situation and does not make way for those behind. What is the leader of the couple behind to do, as he cannot touch him or tell him vocally to move out of the way? Javier’s suggestion is for him to click his fingers – rather like using your car horn in traffic! ——————————————————————————————- Hopefully these suggestions of Señor Rodriguez will have a positive effect on our floorcraft and make for a more pleasant atmosphere at our milongas where we find all too many couples, both advanced and inexperienced, being misdirected in all directions, and provoking contact and collisions that we could well do without.

As I always say, before you people criticize Javier and Andrea, take a lesson or two from them.

” Dancing with women like them is something different. It is not because they weigh 80 Kilos. They don’t weigh 80 Kilos… they ARE 80 kilos… of tango.”— from this documentary.

The first time I danced with a woman who had been dancing for over ten years, I freaked out. She was so different from the other women with whom I had been used to dance. Those women were light on their feet; they were effortless to dance with and they followed me well. But her, despite her average size body, she felt like a giant statue. I didn’t know how to move her, let alone dancing with her. I couldn’t say that I had enjoyed our dance.

Throughout the years, I had danced with many women who have been dancing for over ten to twenty years. They all have a common character: solidly heavy. I couldn’t figure out how, sometimes a petite woman, who weighs less than 100lbs and whom I could pick up with one arm, feel so heavy. After all, I was a three year blackbelt who could flip a guy who was about 50lbs heavier than me and mount him on the his back for two minutes. I felt weak, lack of strength, and therefore nervous, when I embraced them.

A man is like a column…

Andrea told me when I had my first private classes with them. For a few years, when I danced with these experienced women, I still felt wobbly and not grounded.

It was not until recently, when I started to focus dancing with my dantian and moved with my axis, that I realized the reason these experienced woman were felt heavy before was because they danced with their whole body and they were grounded. Less experienced women who haven’t found their own axises are dancing only with part of their body. The movement of a limp feels light, the movement of a body feels heavy.

When I first watched the video on youtube, I didn’t understand what Javier meant: how could a little old lady have 80kilos of tango in her? I guess I understand it now.

Javier and Andrea encourages and inspires me to find myself and the freedom to express it in my tango, to enjoy dancing and not be absorbed into calculating how many degrees my hips should be moving; to understand not how to make an adorno, but why I am adorning; to be selfish, yet giving; to be submissive, yet active.

On the contrary to some foreigners’ view, Javier and Andrea have been promoting nothing but the spirit of traditional tango. For every negative voice, I could probably find five more positive comments. Then again, it doesn’t matter how others think despite their lack of first hand experience or on pure imagination. The most important thing, for me, is that every time I learn from them, I discover something more profound; my understanding of tango is deeper…

Perfection does exist. I exclaimed.

I know what you mean. He smiled. But… before you know what’s right, you must know what’s wrong.

I almost bowed to him.