What the hey???
- Thread starter Mario7
- Start date
larrynla
Member
mistakes can be good
All good advice. I want to second bastet's, and maybe emphasize the point.
Classes and practicas are for learning the details of how to dance better. But at milongas you need to forget about improving, or even doing everything right. You need to focus on having fun.
Having fun is as much a skill as any of the lower-level skills, and a lot of people (not just beginners) forget that. Look around at milongas. See all the people who are frowning, trying to be perfect, trying to look good feel good dance good be good - who may be feeling utterly wretched because they just made a tiny little mistake which perhaps not even their partner noticed?
They might have danced tango for decades, and have all the world worshipping them. But if they're not having fun most of the time at milongas they are utter, utter failures in the widest sense. They are poorer dancers than the rankest beginner who is dancing, adjusting to the inevitable mistakes, enjoying being with someone they like, listening to music they love.
Speaking of mistakes, the best way to look at them, I think, is that if they are not catastrophic they are opportunities to learn how to survive them and still have a safe and happy time. And sometimes when you recover from a mistake you learn a new better way of doing something.
Laer Carroll - ShapechangerTales.com
All good advice. I want to second bastet's, and maybe emphasize the point.
Classes and practicas are for learning the details of how to dance better. But at milongas you need to forget about improving, or even doing everything right. You need to focus on having fun.
Having fun is as much a skill as any of the lower-level skills, and a lot of people (not just beginners) forget that. Look around at milongas. See all the people who are frowning, trying to be perfect, trying to look good feel good dance good be good - who may be feeling utterly wretched because they just made a tiny little mistake which perhaps not even their partner noticed?
They might have danced tango for decades, and have all the world worshipping them. But if they're not having fun most of the time at milongas they are utter, utter failures in the widest sense. They are poorer dancers than the rankest beginner who is dancing, adjusting to the inevitable mistakes, enjoying being with someone they like, listening to music they love.
Speaking of mistakes, the best way to look at them, I think, is that if they are not catastrophic they are opportunities to learn how to survive them and still have a safe and happy time. And sometimes when you recover from a mistake you learn a new better way of doing something.
Laer Carroll - ShapechangerTales.com
My only advice is to work on being strong in your own axis: focus on having a strong connection with the floor, keep your knees and ankles slightly soft, take care over your foot placement, keep your core muscles strong and lead from your centre. Shortening your steps slightly can help, so you are never operating at the limit of your balance when you commence the lead for a movement. (As an aside, a number of dancers that I respect greatly extol the virtues of Tai Chi as a method of developing strength of axis. Sadly, at the moment I don't have the time to try it myself.)
Sometimes, just sometimes, I feel as if my axis is so strong that nothing my partner, or anyone else, could do would threaten it. It's a wonderful feeling but only lasts for a few moments at a time - hopefully, as I dance and practice, it will become the norm. For the time being, when I'm dancing with someone "wobbly" I will focus on being strong in my axis and it seems to help a lot
Sometimes, just sometimes, I feel as if my axis is so strong that nothing my partner, or anyone else, could do would threaten it. It's a wonderful feeling but only lasts for a few moments at a time - hopefully, as I dance and practice, it will become the norm. For the time being, when I'm dancing with someone "wobbly" I will focus on being strong in my axis and it seems to help a lot