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I wonder how
many of you reading this have experienced the roller-coaster
ride of tango emotions? I can go from a euphoric high to the
pit of a low in the space of a few dances. Recently I wrote a
note to myself alongside shopping lists and other aides memoires,
"learn to cope with tango emotions"!
I know I am not
alone in this phenomenen as I often hear feedback from dancers
during lessons. I have noticed in particular a stage in a followers
development when they are especially vulnerable to (unfair) criticism
from their dance partners. I believe that there is a point in
a follower's development when they are able to relax and focus
on the smallest and most subtle of leads, but are unable to distinguish
a good lead from a bodyblip (a movement that seems to be a lead
but was caused by being off-axis or poor style by their leader).
A follower in this stage of development will accept a bodyblip
as a lead and respond to it leaving the leader wondering what
happened or at worst, reprimanding their follower for their 'mistake'.
I had the privilege
of teaching a private lesson to a wonderful dancer in Barcelona
at the Tangoneta Festival. I have known this dancer for over
a year and know how well she can dance, and yet she came to the
lesson full of frustration having lost all her confidence.
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To cut a long
story short, we had a beautiful dance, full of expression and
sharing, and I said quite honestly that I would be happy dancing
the whole evening with her. I spent the rest of the lesson on
sharing simple observations and giving her the space to regain
her confidence and presence on the dance floor.
But there is
more. Unbeknown to her, I too had started the lesson thinking
'what the hell am I doing here' and 'I really am going to have
to get back to a proper job' because I had lost my way along
this path less trod. During the lesson, something beautiful happened
to both of us - I realised that empowering people to express
themselves creatively in dance makes me happy and fulfilled,
and she found that her own beauty and elegance was not lost,
just misplaced.
The argentinians
have a saying: "Si ja estamos en el baile, asi que bailemos!"
which roughly translated means "we are on the dance floor,
so lets dance!"
This article is declared open
source and free from copyright by its author Steve Morrall, 2005.
Please attribute extracts to to the author using this webpage
as the source. If you have an experience
of tango as a dance, social interaction, confrontation, reconciliation,
or enlightenment that you would like to share, please email Steve
at the address shown below. Thanks
Email Tango UK with comments.
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