What are you currently 'working on' in A.T.?-Vol.II

We got a whole new Tango scene suddenly with people from out-of-town heading it up! One young woman with 12 yrs experience is giving class at $3.50 a class and is just interested in covering her travel expenses to get here. Anyway, I got to dance a couple of tandas with her and I let it all hang out...all over the place...no inhibitions and she seemed to really like it...of course afterwards, she mentioned a couple things to work on. But I am stoked to have such a great dancer pay some attention to my dance. And to be able to push the envelope like never before!!
I'm still experiencing dificulties with the Giro and so I will re read the excellent thread on starting them and add a post if all my questions are not answered... at last, I have a future in this dance...and I have a couple of new practice partners, too!
 
Mario7 said:
We got a whole new Tango scene suddenly with people from out-of-town heading it up! One young woman with 12 yrs experience is giving class at $3.50 a class and is just interested in covering her travel expenses to get here. Anyway, I got to dance a couple of tandas with her and I let it all hang out...all over the place...no inhibitions and she seemed to really like it...of course afterwards, she mentioned a couple things to work on. But I am stoked to have such a great dancer pay some attention to my dance. And to be able to push the envelope like never before!!
I'm still experiencing dificulties with the Giro and so I will re read the excellent thread on starting them and add a post if all my questions are not answered... at last, I have a future in this dance...and I have a couple of new practice partners, too!
Click to expand...

Wow! $3.50 per class? That's EXCELLENT! I pay more than that for a practica! Congrats on finding a tango "home" and some peeps to keep you progressing. :D
 
First real lesson in a while. Back to the basics... walking, musical interpretation, and maintaining perfect connection all the way through rotational movements. My teacher picked a variation on the ocho cortado with a much higher rotation than the usual one to illustrate some of these concepts. It was a harder than I thought... guess it goes to show you can't get stuck doing things one way or you don't improve.
 
More walking. Seems to go in cycles. I pick up more and more walking techniques, until eventually my teacher tells me to forget everything and start back at the beginning with how I walk on the street. Then we start building back up.

Arg. So frustrating.
 
next step?

Difficult to start, and difficult to explain (especially in a different language) I am working on a different self-concept. And it wasn´t my idea. You know I had a lot of privates with Karin Solana Brennan (a former ballerina and really blessed tango teacher). She said, you are NO beginner any more, but so often you dance so as if: mistakes, laxity, sudden additonal repair, non-attention, hesitancy... would cloud all my progress. And indeed, I dont take it that seriously sometimes, for I dont want to be a priest or representative on the dance floor. Already to many dancers below my level tend to that sort of self-staging. I want Tango to be playful and unsophisticated. Do I bear a different responsibility, now? What is different for an artist. What are his mental properties? What makes a real good tango dancer besides technique and musicality? What am I lacking? I am a little bit confused, just now??
 
opendoor said:
Difficult to start, and difficult to explain (especially in a different language) I am working on a different self-concept. And it wasn´t my idea. You know I had a lot of privates with Karin Solana Brennan (a former ballerina and really blessed tango teacher). She said, you are NO beginner any more, but so often you dance so as if: mistakes, laxity, sudden additonal repair, non-attention, hesitancy... would cloud all my progress. And indeed, I dont take it that seriously sometimes, for I dont want to be a priest or representative on the dance floor. Already to many dancers below my level tend to that sort of self-staging. I want Tango to be playful and unsophisticated. Do I bear a different responsibility, now? What is different for an artist. What are his mental properties? What makes a real good tango dancer besides technique and musicality? What am I lacking? I am a little bit confused, just now??
Click to expand...

As a next step, I would recommend that (I think) it is time for you to just "Let go, and let things happen!"
 
Kinda hard to know where to start.

I want Tango to be playful and unsophisticated.
Click to expand...

Well, then let it be just that.
Unfortunately, I think you will find, as I did, that many people want tango to be serious. I found myself apologizing to women for both of us having fun. How sad is that? Maybe it was just me, but when I would watch other people dance, I wouldn't exactly think of the word "fun".
Different people want different things from the dance. and it can be difficult to find people that want the same thing as you do.

What makes a real good tango dancer besides technique and musicality?
Click to expand...
I often wondered what other people thought of my tango. Many people watching smiled. Some women smiled. Some just ended up looking annoyed. (I usually "pick up speed", or "push the envelope" if things are going well in a tanda. It is often not appreciated.)
Other than the judgements of my partners and maybe again partners, I haven't really subjected myself to the judgements of others since I stopped taking lessons. There it seemed finally that teachers just had different ways of doing things and you could go on and on taking lessons and not get better.... just recreated maybe.
This until I took my West Coast Swing lessons with Blair.
Where do you want to go with your dancing?
Have you reached that point where you don't seem to be learning anything?
If I had a regular partner, or took lessons again, I could learn new tricks and get "better". Maybe? What I've found over the years is that the vast majority of people come and go at pretty high rate. Teachers change what they teach.
Only the basics last over the long term, it seems. (and even there there are problems) And if that isn't enough to sustain your interest...
 
Colgadas. They still go against every tango instinct in my body. :D But they are starting to make sense. And even be fun.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Dance Ads

Advertise on Dance Forums Reach dancers, teachers, studios, event organizers, and dance-friendly brands. View ad options
Back
Top