Noctural Tango

Tango, for the most part, takes place under the mysterious and seductive cover of night. Dance floors are dimly lit. Daylight is rarely seen except on its way out during afternoon milongas, or on our way home from all night dancing.

Full moons, often accused of causing strange behaviors, may also be the cause of all the strangeness that occurs at milongas. To help us navigate this extra-charged time of the month... I send you here. You will never more have to wonder if or when it's a full moon.

The World's Best Tango Teacher

It is only normal to want to find the BEST teacher for your newfound passion. How do you even start? Do you choose the most famous name you hear uttered in reverence at milongas and festivals? Or do you choose by style? Or age group? Or by the way they perform? Or whether they are, in fact, AUTHENTIC Argentines from, you know, Argentina?

I personally do not believe there is any one or logical way to choose a good teacher. Like everything in life, you have to find what works for you. Enjoying someone's performance style is no guarantee that they can impart the knowledge they clearly hold on a cellular level. And what do they teach? Steps? Concepts? Adornments? Philosophies? And do any of these things really teach you to "dance"? The bottom line is that there are no guarantees that you will learn from any given teacher. What works for one person does not for another. And anyway, we all have different lessons to learn. I believe it is important to remember the concept of "the master in disguise".

My own formation as a tango dancer has been rather unique and unconventional. For the first three years that I danced, I never took a single class. I learned just from dancing with as many people as I could. I have the great fortune of having excellent body awareness, so I was able to detect problems with my posture, balance, etc., and then correct them. I was also extremely fortunate to dance with a sensational partner who was able to provide me with exacting feedback which was useful for my personal progress. Thus, I learned backwards: dance first, technique later.

When it became clear that I got the dancing part down, but needed some technique, I took an occasional class. Private classes were fabulous ego massages: I was wonderful, terrific, gifted, a natural. They'd point out a slightly twisted foot or an arm held too high. Period. As for group classes, as most follows know, they are mostly an exercise in frustration, since they tend to focus exclusively on the lead, with a conciliatory comment thrown in for the follow's benefit. Of all the group classes I ever had (even with visiting Tango dignitaries, etc.), I only gleaned one brilliant insight.

Interestingly, it had nothing to do with technique. Maestro Copes wanted to try a step with me which my partner was struggling with, and I got all nervous about dancing with "the legend". We took a couple of steps and he laughingly said to Alicia "I'm twice her age and she's all out of breath". Then he fixed me with that look and said "Relax!". In that moment I had one of those momentous revelations, that any mistakes I was making were directly related to this tension and nervousness. I further realized that it was the lead's responsibility to let me know what I needed to do. If I didn't understand, I simply had to wait until the lead was made clear.

But do Tango's best lessons come from "professional" tango teachers? On my first trip to Buenos Aires, after a couple of wonderful tandas with one lovely gentleman, he politely asked if he might offer a comment on my dancing. I am always open to feedback from those whose dancing I admire. He simply said "try to loosen your waist more". Those six words completely transformed the way I danced Tango. The change was so dramatic that everyone I danced with back home thought I'd spent months taking classes from the masters. On my second trip to BA, another dead-on observation from a tanda partner corrected a pivoting issue nobody else had mentioned.

These candid, private observations have proven to be far more valuable to my growth as a dancer than any class feedback I have ever received.

The source of knowledge and understanding is different for everyone. Anyone can hang up a shingle - and many do, even after 3 lessons! Learning, like praying, can take place both in a structured, specialized setting, or unexpected yet inspiring places. Which is why there are masterful dancers who never took a class, yet total klutzes who've studied with every Tango luminary alive. When people compliment me on my dancing, the are not referring to the steps I'm doing, but the ability I have to blend myself to them. I did not gain this ability from a class.

No matter who we choose to study from, every single element will be different from one partner to another. And that brings me to the topic of this post. Tango is not about the steps, but about putting your feelings into motion, giving up the self to be the communion of two. The best teacher is the one from whom you learn to do that.

No matter what their "credentials".

Happy Winter Solstice

This stunning photo is from one of my favorite sites. Here is their explanation of the picture:

"Today the Solstice occurs at 0608 Universal Time, the Sun reaching its southernmost declination in planet Earth's sky. The December Solstice marks the beginning of winter in the northern hemisphere and summer in the south. This striking composite image follows the Sun's path through the December Solstice day of 2005 in a beautiful blue sky, looking down the Tyrrhenian Sea coast from Santa Severa toward Fiumicino, Italy. The view covers about 115 degrees in 43 separate, well-planned exposures from sunrise to sunset.

...and to All, Many Abrazos

As the year winds down, and I contemplate (with extravagant joy) the end of all my treatments, I am filled with gratitude and relief. Despite the very large and challenging boulder that tried to mow us down this year, I also have many things for which to be grateful.

Aside from all the love and support I have received from those immediately around me, my family of blogueros and blogueras around the world have surely contributed to the energetic healing that has brought me thus far, practically unscathed. Except for a few scars - which are mostly visible to a very select few - and a punky little 'do, I look no different. Yet I am transformed within in so many wonderful and positive ways.

Thank you all for the almost 4,000 visits I have received in the 11 months I've been typing my thoughts into the 'sphere! I find that astonishing! Thank you for talking me off the ledge of abrazo-lessness, and helping me find the strength to get out there and finally hug someone. Ok, several someones. As I continue to become stronger (and stay awake past 9 pm), I am certain that I will again be enjoying my Tango with far more regularity and endurance.

Alex wanted to know about our Tango fantasies a while back. I posted mine. But I also have a hope. Or a wish. That someday, somehow, it would be possible to meet and dance with all of you.

May all your wishes and fantasies come true, at least those having to do with Tango :-) And may the New Year bring you more joy than you can imagine.

Tango Will Live On

One final post regarding the Buenos Aires Tango Festival "scandal" that has been burning up the blogosphere.

"Pagina 12" has an article covering Monday's press conference at Cafe Tortoni. The salient points are as follows:

• The festival will take place but from August 15th to the 23rd, instead of February 22nd to March 3rd.
• The festival will immediately precede the World Tango festival, at the request of the milonga union (they have a union??!!), since that time period typically lacks tourist activity, which they wish to increase.
• Emphasis will be placed on local talent (musicians, singers, and of course, dancers).
• Tangodata will continue online.
  

The authorities claim to have never considered canceling the event, just incorporating changes to make it better. The hope is that by combining both Tango festivals in August, they will create for Buenos Aires what Carnival is for Rio de Janeiro.

The Look of Tango Bliss

More Info on the Supended BA Tango Festival

The Monday meeting mentioned in my last post on this subject was apparently to notify everyone of who will now be in charge of what. The Tango festival itself is scheduled to take place February 22 to March 2, 2008.

The email stresses the fact that it was not only Tango festival that was taken over by the government, but the jazz festival, the Buenos Aires international festival, and independent film festival.

Fashion Fusion Fotos

Ok all you patient peeps. For those of you who care about this sort of thing, here are a couple of pictures of me strutting my stuff and dancing in a vintage, pink fringe dress. Please note velvet cloche (Nuit!), and sparkly silver shoes.

Outlawing Tango ? Take 2

This is a follow-up to my previous post. I am paraphrasing the update Tanguillo posted, since it is in Spanish. But you can go there to read the information directly, if you speak Spanish.

Apparently, the cancellation is the result of that time-honored tradition: a change of power. The new Chief of the Government of the City has installed his cronies in the positions that decide what festival gets done where, by who, etc. It seems that this replacement was done in the most insidious and disrespectful manner, dismantling and evicting the previous organization from the premises it had occupied for the past 10 years - and giving them 48 hours to do so.

It would seem, from what I read, that an International Tango Festival will be taking place at Café Tortoni on Monday the 17th, at 3 pm. That's all it says. Which leaves me wondering just what sort of international Tango festival takes place on one Monday afternoon? Which they have an entire weekend to plan?...

My heart is heavy and sad. I grew up in Mexico and this is soooo familiar. It is the main reason that I do not share the dream of "moving to Buenos Aires".

Outlawing Tango?

For those of us recently revolted by news that hugging is now illegal, and having serious concerns about the sanity of our country...

An email is currently making the rounds announcing that the 2008 Buenos Aires Tango Festival has been suspended by the government of the city. The announcement was made December 11 - International Tango Day.

The email does not specify the reasons for the cancellation, nor does it mention it being being taken over by another organization. It does say that it was canceled without the government speaking to any of the organizers about what would take place, where, and who would be involved, artistically speaking. If anyone has any further information - notably, those living in Buenos Aires - please post information about this ridiculous absurdness.

What's next? Shutting down milongas???!!!!

I do believe this trumps the hugging scandal...

The Three Stages of Tango

In spite of the amazing diversity of people bitten by the tango bug, reading the scores of blogs about their experiences reveals something interesting. While each individual's journey has it's own flavor, with assorted twists and turns, we all basically appear to experience the same three phases.

1. Obsession
Rather self-explanatory... Our lives are transformed into a breathing, eating, dreaming muchness of tango. The lists describing the signs we are "tango junkies" abound all over cyberspace: entire wardrobes are donated to charity to make way for attire that can double for tango-wear; we no longer buy shoes that cannot also be used to dance (because you never know when they're going to play a tango in the parking lot); on the street, we watch the feet of approaching strangers - in case they might be potential tango partners and we can break out into spontaneous dance (since we're already wearing appropriate clothes and shoes and listening to Tango on our iPods); shopping carts become tango partners; we change directions with an enrosque; we turn into proselytizers and blithely abandon non-tango friends.

We all believe Tango can help achieve world peace.

This obsession phase can last from a couple of years to a lifetime. The lifers make EVERY life decision - work, play, mates, home town - with Tango as their main consideration. The fear of those in this phase is that this exhilarating, breathless, life-affirming feeling will disappear if we blink or turn away from Tango to do anything else - like work.

2. Disenchantment
Just when the world couldn't get any better, it takes a sudden, very unexpected nosedive into disenchantment, which most often coincides with Returning From Our First Trip to Buenos Aires (although it can also happen just before we decide to go to BA). This phase is just as intense as Obsession, but mercifully, doesn't last nearly as long. However, it can be so depressing that some cannot survive it and leave Tango. Sometimes for good.

During this phase, we believe we have arrived at a knowledgeable level of tango, having dominated the hand/eye/foot/ear coordination, matters of axis and musicality, great feet, and perfect posture.

And nobody else has.

Ok. Maybe just that one person who never looks at us anyway. There isn't even anyone worth watching (except perhaps that same person - and they're always dancing with someone not nearly as good as us). The connection that originally seduced us has gone on hiatus. The DJs have not blippin' clue what constitutes danceable music. We've been to Buenos Aires and are now seriously considering moving there because it is the ONLY place that ANYONE knows how to dance.

3. Contentment
If we are fortunate enough to traverse the Gloom of Disenchantment, we may arrive at the peace of Contentment. This phase is characterized by an understanding and an acceptance that Tango is a deeply personal thing which will never be experienced the same way by two people. And this understanding allows us to be more generous about the way others dance. We discover the thing about Tango that nurtures us personally, and are able to extract it from almost every Tango encounter, making it possible to "connect" with more partners. We can forgive the sins of others, even if they are not brilliant, visiting, tango masters because we know they are not the only ones that can take us "there".

Tango ceases being an obsession, and becomes our sustenance.

When You are Born with a Gift

If you watch the Today Show, you may have seen this amazing 7-year-old boy. Can you believe his phrasing? His range?!

Or, if you are like me, and are a YouTube Tango Surfing Addict..., you may have come across this incredible little girl. (Move over Geraldine...) Please note her incredible musicality. Kudos to her dad as well, for the skill in leading such a diminutive partner. Maybe she's a midget?

For someone like me, who still doesn't know what she wants to be when she grows up, I wonder what it must be like to be born with such a clear path laid out before you. Of course, this doesn't mean that those born with such an evident Yellow Brick Road choose to stay on it. In fact, I can certainly envision having a gift and it being a limiting factor in your life choices.

But to have the possibility of that kind of focus, paired with the skill... well, one can only dream.

The Twin Towers of Tango

In perusing several of my fave Tango blogs, I suddenly had a connect-the-dots revelation. It many not be original (I've yet to do any research on my epiphany), but I thought I'd share it here. Perhaps you have come across this thought elsewhere, and I'd be very grateful for your pointing me in that direction.

So, enough with the introductory drum roll. The "twin towers" of Tango to which I refer are Rudolph Valentino and Carlos Gardel. Ok. Now that you have stopped snickering and slapping your knee, allow me to elucidate.

First, what do I mean by Twin Towers? I mean that I believe these two individuals may have created the perfect storm which lead to the global awareness of Tango, and eventually to its current popularity.

Prior to the early 1900s, Tango was virtually unknown to the rest of the planet beyond Argentina, and in fact, beyond Buenos Aires. There is currently a LOT of debate as to what the actual origins of Tango really are, and how it eventually went on to become the musical and cultural phenomenon of the present. But that is for others to debate, and I would severely digress (and be totally out of my depth) to pursue that particular branch of discourse.

So I will confine myself to my hypothesis. In examining their lives, there are many similarities, not least of which was their "dark, handsome" looks:



Valentino, however, was taller (5'10") and thiner (unknown weight) compared to our portly porteño (±200 lbs), who was also rather short (5'8").

They were roughly the same age: Valentino was born in 1895, Gardel in 1890. Each was born in Europe (Valentino in Italy, Gardel in France), emigrated to another country (Valentino to the US, Gardel to Argentina), and both died tragically, and at a very young age (Valentino was 31 when he died, Gardel 45).

By the early '20s, Tango had already made its way to both the US and Europe, and was enjoying a small, if fervent following. Valentino had been in the US for a few years, struggling to make a living doing a wide variety of menial jobs. He even worked as a taxi dancer, wowing them with his tango moves! But it was in 1921 that his life - and eventually all of ours - changed dramatically when he was cast in The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and danced a steamy tango that took the country by storm, and set imaginations and desires on fire (even if the style of the dancing at that time would elicit groans from today's cognizanti). Ok, his dashing good looks may have also contributed to the frenzy. However, that movie may single-handedly have saved the tango from obscurity, and eventually exported it beyond the US borders.

During that same time, back in Paris, Francisco Canaro had already established a significant beach head for Tango with his Argentine orchestra. In spite of having to wear gaucho costumes while playing (as per their contract), they had extremely appreciative audiences - most notably the approximately 4,000 Argentine expats. But Parisians were also beginning to enjoy the sounds of the bandoneón. By the time Gardel arrived in 1928, Paris - surely fueled by the wave caused by the Horesemen phenomenon - was really ready for Tango.

His first appearance was for a three month contract at cabaret La Florida in Montmartre - a sell-out sensation that led to his recording a record that sold 70,000 copies in just a few months. And the rest, as we all know, is history.

I believe Valentino's cinematic tango lay the foundation for Tango, The Dance, and may very well have paved the way for the success of Gardel's Tango, The Music. Together, the work of these two men set the stage for Tango, The Sensation. Though there were many other great Tango singers, dancers, and musicians at that time, with each making priceless contributions to the Tango, it was these two whose fame and enormous charisma provided the catalyst for its international recognition, making them, in my mind, the Twin Towers of Tango.

'Tis the Season...

Note from the author: the technology for embedding videos has not been perfected, causing embedded videos to hop around and get out of order. I have reposted with links instead.

A bit - alright, completely - off-topic.

In 2005, Carson Williams from Ohio hooked his Christmas lights to his computer, paired them with Wizards in Winter by Trans Siberian Orchestra, and effectively threw down the "Top This" gauntlet in the Christmas Light Decoration Competition. He has created a monster, although it remains unclear as to why this particular song seems to feature so prominently in that electrical arena...

**WARNING: VIEWING OF THESE VIDEOS MAY LEAD TO STRONG AVERSION FOR "WIZARDS IN WINTER" AND/OR MUSICALLY SYNCHRONIZED CHRISTMAS LIGHTS**

If you were one of the handful of folks hiding under a rock at the time, here is (a portion of) the original, incredible light show (which lasted over 7 minutes...).

If you go to YouTube and type in "Christmas Lights", you'll be watching blinking lights until the New Year. But that would severely cut into your Tango Time, so here is just a sampling of the insanity. Enjoy!

Frisco Christmas Lights - synched to TSO, of course (for you TB :-)

Angels We Have Heard on High - synched to, um, Angels We Have Heard on High...

Carol of the Bells

And one final TSO...

Happy Blinking Holidays to One and All!!!

And Now, Some Provocative Thinking

For some time now, I've been pestered by a theory that I'm trying to prove. Although since it regards human behavior, perhaps it is not so much to prove it as as it to determine whether my observation powers have any merit.

Several posts on blogs around the 'sphere have partially alluded to my theory, with a lot cyberspace being devoted to issues of "style", most notably whether or not anyone NOT an Argentine can ever dance like one.

Which brings me to my theory (which I began researching earlier this year through a survey, the findings of which will eventually be part of a novel). Briefly, my theory postulates that each culture influences the way its people do things. In this case, that thing is dancing Tango. And if I am right, then, generally speaking, it should be possible to identify the home country of the tanguero/a by the way they dance.

Granted, this is a generalization, a fanciful, fun theory, and not meant to be any sort of scholarly study. But if the argument is that only an Argentine can dance like an Argentine, it implies that there is an Argentine way of dancing, which further implies that there is a Chinese way of dancing, and a Euorpean way, and so on.

So I would like to find out if there is any merit to my meanderings. If I am right, each culture/country produces certain general traits in its Tango dancers, which affects their dancing in specific ways.

That having been said, here are my findings thus far:

• Europe - these dancers tend to be very rhythmic and innovative, preferring evolution to tradition, but can also be clinical.
  
• Asia (a) - dancers from countries such as China and Japan tend to be very technical and precise, if somewhat intellectual.
  
• Asia (b) - dancers from countries such as Russia and Romania are more exuberant and playful, if less technical.
  
• USA - dancers from the US tend to value complexity of steps over technicality and connection.
  
• Latin America - these dancers are intuitive and connected, but less technical.
  

My thoughts - clearly still sketchy - concern general stylistic nuances and tendencies of dancers from a certain place, and not the quality or proficiency of their dancing. There are great dancers in every country. It is also possible that these dance qualities apply to people from specific cultures, even if they live in a different country.

It would be wonderful to hear back from people of different countries as to whether there is any merit to my observations, or would like to add their own observations.

Musicality and Total Improvisation

I read a very interesting post over at Alex, Tango, Fuego, and he makes a very interesting comment:

"I know I have difficulty being "musical" to a song I have never heard before. I had this problem in the early months of my tango - I didn't know what was coming next. This problem was solved by listening to tango music almost exclusively for over two years now."

First, he refers to "musicality", which is the topic of a lot of discussion. Many would describe it - basically - as the ability to use movements appropriate to the rhythm and intent of the music. However, it is not enough that we follow the rhythm of the song for me to consider the dancing "musical".

I would further add that the movements must also reflect (and express) the dynamic of the sound: soaring, to gentle and tender romantic adagios; staccato, snappy syncopated passages, etc. In addition, there is a mood component to the music: sometimes it is very playful, other times very tragic. Our movements should likewise reflect these elements.

The second part of the comment referred to improvisation. His thoughts would suggest (at least to me) that there are at least two different levels of what I would call "improvisation": 1) stone cold improvisation, and 2) "prepared" improvisation.

The former assumes you are thrown into the arena without a clue as to what is to come, only to be greeted by a song you've never heard, but are able to be musical with it.

The latter requires that you listen to every song ever recorded in order to gain "familiarity" with it and be able to "anticipate" what is coming so that you can make better step choices to complement the music.

Let's examine the definition of "improvisation":

Improvise (verb): to compose and perform or deliver without previous preparation.

Becoming familiar with music is a type of preparation, is it not? Thus, to truly improvise, we must achieve a level of competence that allows us to select movements appropriate to the sounds, transmit them to our partner, and execute them in a manner consistent with the rhythm, dynamics, and mood of the music as we listen to it - even if for the the very first time.

Although this is extraordinarily difficult to do, and is the mark of a true tango virtuoso, I also believe that this ability is not restricted to the gifted few. Many good dancers can improvise AND be musical with songs they've never heard, because every piece of music has a structure. If listened to actively, the music will provide clear clues as to what comes next musically, giving us an indication of where the tempo will go, when the "bridge" or "adagio" will start and end, etc., allowing us to truly improvise to our heart's content.

The only true requirement is for both partners to be completely in the moment and listen, not only to each other, but to the music.