Bob's Blog

This Blog will follow my adventures - well holidays really. Hopefully you will want to tell me what you enjoyed in the countries I have visited and maybe recommend places to go.

Monday, February 27, 2017

Lessons from Tai Chi


Lessons from Tai Chi
Once again at Debbie Spencer's Tai Chi class we delved deep into the meaning of Tai Chi and how it can allow us to explore ourselves. Of course I drew parallels with tango. Superficially it could be said Tai Chi was just waving arms about and just as superficially, it could be said tango was just a series of steps, just a dance!
The real person that we are, is deep within what may be seen from the outside. We have layers of illusions, self delusion, expectations, maybe fear, that hide the real self. We need to shed these layers, move inward, remove tension and become the real person that we truly are, as we seek that awareness of self.
In Tai Chi we need to refine our movements, live in the moment and focus our minds on discovering true self.
In tango we can use the connection with our partner and complete abandonment to the music to understand ourselves. We shed those layers by giving ourselves to our partners as we mutually engage with the music and become honest.
For me dancing to so-called alternative music would reinforce illusions that exist of myself. The music can be lovely, the partner can be lovely, and we can pretend and dream. Maybe that is the way to escape from the world and oneself.
An understanding of the history and culture of tango - ideally obtained in Buenos Aires but gained or reinforced from the many books on the subject, will promote a desire to appreciate the music that developed as the dance developed in the Golden Age. Then those self delusions that cloud the self, can be stripped away. As a leader cherishing and protecting or as a follower giving yourself totally to your lead, there is no escaping who you really are! 
It can make a milonga a roller coaster ride of reality, a true life experience.

Friday, February 17, 2017

Cacho Dante - The Tango and Trapeze Acts

AccThe Tango and Trapeze Acts

by Cacho Dante, Milonguero de Buenos Aires
Thirty years ago, the tango wasn't a trapeze act. It didn't have choreographies, and the woman was not just a follower, she was to whom the tango was dedicated.Around that time, under the pressure of the dictatorship in Argentina, many milongueros stopped dancing. They were tired of getting picked up by the authorities every weekend to see if they had a police record.
Some milongueros went back to the neighborhood clubs where they had to dance with their neighbors, their cousins, the sisters of friends—all under the watchful eyes of mothers. It was an enormous bore.
The guys at that time had already surpassed the stage of steps. They had already passed through the filter: When they didn't really know how to dance, they did 20 steps; when the knew a bit more, they did 10; and when they really knew what they were doing, they danced five….but with real quality.
The rest they learned from the orchestras at the time: how to navigate the dance floor; how to lead the rhythm. They danced then to some of the best orchestras live every day, Osvaldo Pugliese, Anibal Troilo, Juan D'Arienzo, Francisco Canaro, Alfredo Gobbi, etc.
Later, everything changed. The tango climbed onto the trapeze and became choreographed. And it became a dance of the deaf. The dance floor today also sometimes seems like a war zone. Women don't even get the chance to choose their partners. Men snatch them from the tables as if they were fruit in a supermarket bin.
When some of the milongueros returned to dance, myself included, we wanted to be in style, to learn choreographies. But it was late for that because for us it was more important to be appreciated by the woman than to be admired by those who liked to be seen. Women chose the tango milonguero. They embraced the old guys and then later embraced the young ones as well. Even if we milongueros are fat and bald, we still carry our heads high and have plenty of women to dance with.
Sometimes you hear that tango milonguero will die with the last milonguero. But those who say that don't seem to be aware that the last one is only 17 years old and is already teaching the dance.
Nowadays, we dance to orchestras and singers that are long gone. The sons of the great orchestra leaders, as children do, did not listen to their parents. Today, unfortunately, there isn't really any new music to dance to. The orchestras now knock themselves out to follow the singers, whereas in the old days the singer was just another instrument.
The tango, some say, is growing. Others say it is getting fat. I believe it is swollen, like someone who has eaten too much. Luckily, the example of the milonguero exists and it is not by chance nor just because it is something in vogue that some young people here and other people abroad dance in a close embrace and fly. To fly, you must have your feet firmly on the earth. We Pugliese fans plant our feet on the dance floor and we fly with our torsos. There is no other way to dance the silences and the pauses. With D'Arienzo, you dance in fourth gear, with Pugliese, in first. For Pugliese, you must lower the turns and with D'Arienzo, lift them.
The tango is a feeling that is danced. That's why it is not choreographed, though it can have sequences, like all feelings. You can dance love, rage, happiness, pleasure, every mood. The tango is not a dance to demonstrate ability but rather an interpretation of feeling. It is not just moving your feet and posturing. The tango is Argentine, but it belongs to all those who understand its feelings and its codes.

Guys, to dance tango, you must listen to the heart of the woman.

written in November 1998 by Cacho Dante, milonguero de Buenos Aires  

Saturday, February 11, 2017

What dance, what music?

What dance, what music?
Do some dance styles demand certain music?

You would be hard pushed to waltz if it was other than 3 beats to the bar!

Salsa music demands a certain rhythm. Some of the dancing is exquisite, so much more than the music.

Jive is 4 beats to the bar and West Coast Swing adds triple steps to some beats.

Swing dance is ideally done to big band swing music of 30s and 40s, and so on.

The dance that started in Buenos Aires and Montevideo around the start of 20th Century is referred to as Argentine Tango (sorry, Uruguay). UNESCO has declared it to be an intangible cultural heritage of the world. Did those good people at UNESCO sit watching videos with the sound switched off to make their decisions? No! They studied the history of tango, its origins in the Arrabal, the working class area, the culture of the dance and most significantly the music and lyrics. The music and lyrics developed through the 30s and 40s reflecting life and love that we all experience, along with the special circumstances of Argentinian life and politics. 
Tango is not just a dance; music is the essence of tango.
Of course there have been developments in tango dance and music as there should be in any art form. We have Piazzolla, Nuevo Tango, Gotan Project....Horacio Godoy, Chicho Frumboli...We need to distinguish genuine artistic developments from a random selection of "Alternative" music, which is simply NOT tango. It is a dilution of real tango. We need to respect those musicians who brought us tango and respect Argentina that fermented the native and immigrant talents to produce this wonderful captivating dance.
Of course, anyone can dance anything to whatever music they like. However a little study and an understanding of tango and its music  can give rise to a deeper enjoyment and artistic fulfilment along this life long journey.

Friday, February 10, 2017

Mindfulness and Tango

These days a lot of people are striving to achieve Mindfulness.  There are a number of courses, lectures, day sessions that you can attend. In a sentence it is awareness, being fully absorbed in the moment, to achieve total involvement. My yoga teacher, Debbie Spencer, explained how Mindfulness can be achieved in the stillness of a pose or in the graceful movement between poses. Similarly in tai chi, Mindfulness can be achieved in the execution of the Form but not if you are thinking what comes next and rush into the next move.
All of this applies to Tango. Pauses in the dance are so important and enable the essence of tango to be felt and expressed. Also if the lead is thinking what am I going to do next - what move will it be - then the full internal beauty of the dance is lost. Less can be more, such that each step is taken with a proper connection with the partner and enjoyed to the full. A flamboyant move, admired by an onlooker, is nothing compared to a single step taken with true connection between partners in a full enjoyment of the moment.

Leader and Follower Descriptions

The Tango Social Revolution has been debating What Is a Good Leader.
I particularly liked the following long descriptions (I do not know the origin)


Leaders - Men

1. Leading the woman. For the couple to dance in unison, their actions must agree. For this to happen, only one person must take the lead, and the other must follow. In tango, the man leads the women. He does so not by force, but by showing an intention of how he wants her to move from his torso that she in his embrace can feel. He then matches her response to complete the lead.

2. Plotting the dance. In tango, the man dances around the floor and the woman dances around the man. The woman may beautify the dance by her colorful footwork, but she cannot plot the dance and change the choreography. That responsibility lies in the man, who must make the dance interesting, diversified and well-arranged, so that it may bring the woman's feminine beauty into full play.

3. Supporting her. The man must be supportive to the woman. Although she is liable for keeping her own balance, in actual dancing she often needs his help, especially if she is a less experienced dancer. The man must be the pillar for her, supporting her with his body to help keeping her balanced and executing the movement. He must be as stable as a refrigerator. Any unsteadiness and unbalance on his part will shake her trust and confidence.

4. Timing her steps to the music. The man must lead the woman dance to the music. His musicality is the most important element of leading. He must not stick in the steps and forget about the music. He must not just pay attention to his own timing and forget about hers. Rather, he must focus on timing her steps to the music, because he dances for her.

5. Shining her. A gentleman makes the woman shine in his company. He leads her to dance in such a way that fully displays her feminine beauty. He makes her, rather than himself, the center of attention. He does not show off over her for self-glorification and leave her eclipsed.

6. Protecting her. A gentleman is very protective to the woman. He must prevent her from being bumped, kicked or stepped by others. He must comply with floorcraft rules and respect the line of dance, keep a distance from others, halt when necessary and not run into people, and he must not lead steps that may hurt her or others.

7. Pampering her. It is not manly to be rude and savage to a woman. A gentleman treats the woman with respect, admiration and attentiveness. He leads her carefully, patiently, tenderly and protectively. He makes her feel pampered in his arms and lets her fully enjoy dancing with him.

Followers - Woman

1. Complete surrender. The woman must entrust herself to the man. She must let go her ego, relax her body, settle comfortably in his embrace, be obedient, and move in unison with him. By her surrender she dispels his misgiving and gives him permission to be her leader. Just like when a baby is born the young parents suddenly become grownups, she makes him a man by being a woman.

2. Following his lead. She must be calm and unhurried, wait for his signal to tell her how to move, and follow the lead one step at a time. She must not act on her own, initiate the step, or interfere with his lead. While being obedient, however, she must remain an active part of the dance. Following is not passively responding. It is a dynamic action that takes wit, ingenuity and creativeness.

3. Being light and agile. She must make herself light and easy for him to lead. She must not put too much weight on the man and cause a burden to him. She must keep her own balance and not grab him or hang on him for stability. She must be sensitive to his lead and ready to respond at all time. And, she must move dexterously.

4. Keeping her own beat. A good follower follows intuitively so she can concentrate on the music rather than the lead. The man does his part to lead her dance to the music, but he can only do so by estimating the beat. As a result he may not be one hundred percent accurate at all time. The woman must listen to the music and be responsible for micro-adjusting her steps to the beat.

5. Complementing the man. As his partner she must help him, bring out his strengths and compensate for his weaknesses. She excites him with her femininity. She dances in such a way that is light, inspiring and contagious. She supports him when he loses his balance, keeps the beat when he is off time, slows him down if he rushes, and warns him if he is to run into others.

6. Beautifying the dance. A woman is a natural beautician and decorator. The man leads the dance, but it is the woman who shines the dance with her flexible body, beautiful footwork and sparkling embellishments. A good follower, however, does not interfere with the lead. She remains in perfect unison with the man while adorning the dance.

7. Being a woman. The woman must not dance as a mechanical follower, but as a woman. She must make the man feel comfortable in her arms. She must willingly show her female softness, flexibility, grace and seductiveness. She understands that her womanhood, femininity and gentle softness are the reason why he enjoys dancing with her rather than with a man. By being a woman, she can bring out the best in him and be rewarded fully as a result.